[kim shook]

This arrived today from amazon:


That's a KitchenAid 600 series 6 qt. in Nickel Pearl. A (rather extravagant) "just because" gift from Mr. Shook . He says that he's doing his part to stimulate the economy ! Jessica is thrilled because it means she gets the old 5 qt. (if she EVER moves out). I am thrilled and can't wait to break it in!

[Marlene]

You are going to love that Kim!

[Chad]

Very cool! I got my Professional 600 as an anniversary gift a couple of years ago -- one of the best presents ever. After having used it for a while I can't imagine living without it. My Classic is now stored away for our daughter so she'll have a starter mixer when she gets out of college. You know what they say, they are never really on their own until they get their crap out of your garage/attic.

Be aware, though, that the 600 series is freaking LOUD. Really, really loud.

Did I mention that it was loud?

Just sayin'

Chad

This post has been edited by Chad: 29 January 2009 - 08:07 AM

[Corgi Man]

I've had my KitchenAid 5 qt. for a couple of decades now and been very happy with it. Is that extra quart capacity and little bit more power worth chucking the 5 for the 6? By the way, the 5 is loud enough already.

[Marlene]

I haven't found the 6 series to be that loud. I had a 5 quart before and yes Skip, I think it's well worth it, especially for kneading bread or mixing cookie dough which I have trouble doing by hand because of my shoulder. My 5 quart resides at the cottage collecting dust, because I ended up getting a 6 quart for there as well since I missed it so much.

[James]

Corgi Man, on Jan 29 2009, 07:30 AM, said:

I've had my KitchenAid 5 qt. for a couple of decades now and been very happy with it. Is that extra quart capacity and little bit more power worth chucking the 5 for the 6? By the way, the 5 is loud enough already.

If I was thinking of upgrading my 5 yr. old, I would consider the Cuisinart models, at 800 and 1000 watts. If they sell well, KA will have to up the ante.

[Marlene]

James, on Jan 29 2009, 07:42 AM, said:

If I was thinking of upgrading my 5 yr. old, I would consider the Cuisinart models, at 800 and 1000 watts. If they sell well, KA will have to up the ante.

The last time I was at the Gourmet weekend, every presenter was using one of the Cuisinart's and every single one of them hated them.

[James]

That's interesting. What are the major flaws?

[Marlene]

Besides the even cheaper plastic parts than KA uses? According to the presenters, they break down a lot, and don't mix particularly well. I've never used one though, but I did get to see a lot of them in action and there was a lot of frustration from the presenters. In one demo, we had to wait three times, while they brought another mixer.

[Jake]

I've had my Pro 6 for about 5 years now and i adore it. Although it's been gathering a bit of dust lately with my schedule, it's always there when I need it.

[James]

James, on Jan 29 2009, 08:29 AM, said:

That's interesting. What are the major flaws?

Not having much else to do, I reviewed the reviews on stand mixers. The KA's have taken a lot of flak for low power, plastic gears when they used to use metal, and an old design that won't accommodate a bigger motor. Burn outs from overloading were apparently frequent. (I went back to hand kneading after my KA produced a burnt oil smell on bread).

The Cuisinarts seemed to be liked better overall, on Amazon and CI (March '08). They were criticized for table hop (jittery), and shutting down if overloaded. And not as many attachments, such as a flour grinder.
But they were admired for the 5 year motor warranty, clean bowl sides, and a countdown timer, as well as a better power to price ratio.

[Corgi Man]

Gotta be careful here. There are a lot of KA stand mixer models and with those different KA's are different motor sizes. Just checked Consumer Reports and there are four different models reviewed and they each occupy a different placement in the evaluation order. Cook's Illustrated rates the 6 qt. model here as their 2nd choice behind the Cuisinart.

Just e-mailed with an ICE teacher - who didn't want to be identified because Cuisinart sponsors many events at ICE - but the teacher's objection to the Cuisinart was not because of its actual mixing abilities, but that the electronics, timers and bells and whistles on it were iffy, and if they went out you didn't have a basic mixer that you turn on and off and control yourself.

[rocler]

Skip: Hobart used to make a great stand mixer, for the house very simular to KA, however I`m not sure if they are still available, its worth checking into.

I use my bread machine just for mixing and kneading, as its cheaper to replace a bread machine than a KA mixer.

This post has been edited by rocler: 29 January 2009 - 11:18 AM

[Corgi Man]

Hobart for the home?!



N50
IN STOCK-QUICK SHIP!
HOBART MIXERS
5 QT Hobart Mixer

Mixer, Planetary, Bench, 5-qt. capacity, three fixed speed, grear-driven transmission, #10 taper attachment hub, manual bowl lift, Hobart Gray-RED-BLUE-BLACK OR WHITE enamel housing, s/s bowl, aluminum "B" beater, s/s "D" wire whip, aluminum dough hook, 100-120/60/1, 1/6 hp, cor

Availability: Usually ships in 5-7 business days.

Regular Price: $2,643.00
VALIANT PRICE with FREE SHIPPING: $2,035.11

Better be free shipping!

[James]

Is that 1/6 hp. or 1-1/6 hp.? the conversion to watts is 124 and 870 respectively.

[Corgi Man]

James, I don't know. I just copied and pasted the web ad. I did find it for $1800 at another site. But I could buy 5 KitchenAids for even that!

I'm just having fun. Like when Dave Solomon suggested I should spend $3,000 on some Vacuum Packer.

ETA: Did some more looking, the 5 qt. KA Proline that I have is very close in power to the 6 qt model the ultra-privileged people above have. I'm happy with what I have for the moment. The next thing I really want is a bigger fridge that will fit in the small space provided for a fridge in my apt. Gotta have a bigger freezer so I can make more stock and not freak out about how much I can buy when I am taken to Costco.

This post has been edited by Corgi Man: 29 January 2009 - 01:10 PM

[rocler]

James: its 1/6 hp.

Skip: chances are buying the Hobart you wont have to buy another mixer in the future, they really are workhorses.

[Marlene]

Skip, for stock you can reduce it down and pour it into ice cube trays and freeze, the put the cubes in a ziplock bag. Reconstitute 1 cube in 1 cup of water for 1 cup of stock. Or, use a cube to finish a sauce or gravy in its concentrated form. It works great for those who don't have much freezer space.

As far as the Hobart goes, I can't see me buying one of those. I do love my 620 though. I was having trouble getting Keller's brioche properly kneaded in my 5 quart, and the 6 handles it very easily. I didn't know the Pro Line had a stand mixer as part of its line up. I don't think they do anymore, at least not here.

[Corgi Man]

Marlene, on Jan 29 2009, 01:18 PM, said:

Skip, for stock you can reduce it down and pour it into ice cube trays and freeze, the put the cubes in a ziplock bag. Reconstitute 1 cube in 1 cup of water for 1 cup of stock. Or, use a cube to finish a sauce or gravy in its concentrated form. It works great for those who don't have much freezer space.

Don't tell my partner this or I will never get my larger refrigerator!

Marlene, on Jan 29 2009, 01:18 PM, said:

I didn't know the Pro Line had a stand mixer as part of its line up. I don't think they do anymore, at least not here.

You're right! When I bought it, it was called ProLine which is on the band around the top. You can see it in some of my photos. Apparently they've made a couple of modifications and now call it the Commercial.

This post has been edited by Corgi Man: 29 January 2009 - 02:11 PM

[Marlene]

If you've got a true Pro Line, I'd be pretty happy with that as well. I have a couple of Pro Line Appliances and they are wonderful.

Ok, I won't tell your partner. Besides, I hate keeping my stock that way. Much easier to freeze it in one and two cup bags and lay it flat.