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KitchenAid Artisan KSM150PS
by grey2duster
at nearly £400 this isn't cheap(there is one on amazon listed at £9999.00 but you do get free postsge?) but as soon as you get it out of the box you can tell it is a quality item that is built to last It comes with a stainless steel bowl, balloon whisk for whipping cream, a flat beater for beating eggs, mixing cakes etc, a dough hook and ... plastic splash guard.
It has ten speeds from very slow to very fast, you need to keep an eye on your cream if using the whisk on the faster settings as I have turned my cream into butter a few times.
It mixes cakes well and there is ample room to add ingredients without stopping the machine and lifting the blade out of the bowl. When you want to lift blade or whisk out you pull the knob on the side and the top half of the machine simply hinges effortlessly up and locks in position. the advantage of this is that any mixture on your attachment drops back into the bowl and not all over your work surface.
The dough hook is really good and because of the weight of the machine you can leave to knead for five minutes while you go and do something else, something I have not been able to do with other mixers I have had because I was always worried that they would start bouncing along the worktop if the mix got too heavy. I found myself a simple bread recipe and you can tip in the ingredients and turn the machine on, maybe giving it a faster kneading at the end and adding a little more water or flour as needed. Then just cover it in the bowl and an hour or so later you have got bread or pizza dough. You can probably tell that I really like making bread with this machine because it is so good, bread making was something that I had tried in the past but gave up because of the mess, time and effort required, now I make bread at least once a week( my next purchase might be a bread maker for Christmas).
Having trained as a chef(the catering college used these machines which is a testament to durability) I appreciate the solidity and reliability of this machine, however one of its best attributes is also one of it downfalls and that is its weight. Whilst being so heavy is a bonus when it comes to the machine not vibrating and jumping about it is a bit of a brute when it comes to lifting it in and out of a cupboard- this isn't a problem if like me you leave it permanently out, after all I like the slightly retro look and they are available in lots of colours, but you wouldn't want to drop this on your floor tiles, or even you!r foot !
The dough hook and cake mixing blade are enamelled which is now getting a bit chipped so be careful with their storage but this machine has been around for years so spare parts are easy to order unlike some appliances which to change by the minute.
The only other problem I have had is with the hinge pin vibrating loose and every now and again I have to push it back in, but it's nothing major, I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had this problem.
It you are serious about your baking and can afford this then I would certainly recommend this machine
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KitchenAid K45SS Classic
by jo_ce2001
I saw a tv programme once about about people who fall in love with inanimate objects. Since getting my kitchenaid, I think I might have become one of those people.
I'd lusted after a Kitchenaid for many years, i've always been a keen cook and each time Nigella appeared on one of cookery shows it just made me want one even ... more.
My lovely boyfriend bought me a a kitchenaid classic for my birthday about a year and a half ago and its everything i'd hoped for.
Firstly these mixers come in a variety of colours, but the more colourful mixer you pick the more money you are going to shell out. Yes they are pretty but at around £309 for just the white mixer, I would argue that the mixer is expensive enough! Of course, the colour of the mixer doesn't change the sheer brilliance of the mixer either (and it will not clash with everything you own).
Aesthetically this mixer is a thing of beauty. It's got a retro feel and lovely rounded curves. It's heavy too, this is no flimsy bit of kitchen equipment and when in use it will stand firm on your countertop.
It comes as standard with a metal 4 litre bowl (though you can get glass bowls which although pretty pricey do look lovely) and 3 different attachments (Dough hook, wire whisk and a beater). I've found these attachments are all I need for bread making, cake mixing and whisking of creams and egg whites. The dough hook is particularly useful as it takes the hard work out of making bread! The machine itself has an easy to use tilt head which makes it even easier to change attachments.
The machine is not silent as the manufacturers would suggest, not at all and a pretty odd claim to make since hardly any machine is silent! However for a mixer or a kitchen machine of any kind it is pretty quiet and that is probably down to the fact it has a direct drive motor
It is also possible to get other attachments for the machine - i have recently acquired the ice cream maker, but there are various other attachments such as meat grinder and splash shields. The worst part is that all the attachments are really pricey too and i'm pretty sure these machines and parts are much more highly priced in the UK than they are in the US.
All in all I think you can tell that I love this machine, i hate the fact that it's so highly priced and it's the sort of kitchen appliance that is an investment for the long term and if used properly should last you years to come.
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KitchenAid Artisan KSM150PS
by europe-chick
This Kitchen Aid stand mixer is a replacement for a previous one. I must point out here that there was absolutley nothing at all wrong with the previous Kitchen Aid stand mixer, it was approx 6 years old and it still worked perfectly. I only replaced it as I wanted a colour change. I have given the old one to a friend and she is happily ... using it.
Kitchen Aid appliances are expensive, you can get cheaper brands, but Kitchen Aid products do look good out on display, they have that iconic sleek retro look. They are also brilliant quality and are built to last for years and years. So yes they are an expensive purchase initially, but they will last you virtually forever, and you will get your moneys worth out of them
This is definately the stand mixer to beat all stand mixers, everyone covets them, and they definately do live up to the hype.
You get perfect light fluffy sponges and cakes when mixing in this, whipping cream and whipping egg whiyes for merangues is a doddle, bread or pizza bases are so easy to do in this.
The stand mixer comes with a stainless steel bowl which is easy to clean and can go in the dishwasher, a stainless steel wire whick for cream or egg whites - you do have to hand wash this, a flat beater for cakes - again dishwasher safe, a dough hook for bread, and a spatter guard/pouring shield.
It is really quiet when in use, and has ten speeds to enable you mix anything. It is reaaly heavy, but this just means that it is sturdy and robust, you probably don't want to be getting it out of a cupboard each time you use it, but then why do you want to hide it away in a cupboard anyway!
I use mine all the time, I couldn't go back to beating anything by hand, I would be last without this now
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