Well, this
weekend while making bread my THIRD KitchenAid Professional mixer died. This
one was different than the other two, this time the gear box destroyed itself
where the others the motors burned out. Although the motor in this one was
about to burn out because it could only knead bread for 3 minutes before
overheating and shutting itself down. Most of you know I bake a two loaf batch
of bread at least every other week if not every week so the machine does
get some work but still this is just a poorly designed machine.
Now the
search for a better mixer and I just don’t know what to believe with all the
advertising claiming to be the best machines. Anyone have any recommendations?
8 comments:
Wow, I am shocked that this has happened to you. I have had two Kitchen Aids and they are both still going strong. If your purpose is mainly to make bread, try a bread machine to knead it and then pull it out to bake it. I have three - all from yard sales and they work great for this. While you decide what to do, you might go the no knead bread route - http://tramps-camp.blogspot.com/2009/02/bread-bread-bread-and-then-quick.html It is really good and so easy.
We've had our KitchenAid Heavy Duty (325 Max watts) for about ten years now and it hasn't given me any problems. I probably make 3 loaves a week in it, usually Whole Wheat which is much harder to knead.
My father inherited my great-aunts Kitchen Aid (it looks the same, but not sure what watts) which I'd have to think is at least 25 years old and is still working (although not in real service for probably 10 years).
Bosch! Get a Bosch! they are amazing workhorses and will be passed down to your children :) it can handle up to 12 pounds of WW dough. i use it for everything! cookies, bread, shredding chicken, whipping cream, cakes, etc.... love it! the best price i can find offered is through pleasant hill grain but it is offered other places. search for a Universal Bosch mixer
Get a bread machine and mix it on the dough cycle and bake regularly in the oven. You can usually find one at a thrift store. It's much easier and mine seem to last quite a long time with weekly bread making. I prefer it to a mixer. I have 2 of them which equals 2 loaves per week. I purchased one at regular price $100 and the other one I found in a thrift store for $11. If I have to replace one I'll definitely go to a thrift store again. Just a thought.
Mike,
I agree with several comments, a bread machine will mix and knead the bread for you. If you want the machine to bake the bread it will with a setting. Machines now a days give you the option to do all the work and remove the dough to bake in an oven or just bake in the machine. Think about it!
Bosch or a good bread machine. The newer KA aren't worth the money. They are cheaper, and I think of poor quality. Keep your eyes on Craigslist, I picked up an older KA for $100 and its been a workhorse. I don't do as much dough as you, but it has been good. When it goes out, I am looking for a Bosch. My bread machine is a used Breadman and holds up to the heavier doughs of rye and WW. I then put dough on rise in my cast iron pans and bake in the oven.
Good Luck and keep us posted.
Are you mixing 25 loaves of bread in less than an hour?
It's gotta be the worst luck in picking non-defective mixers or it's operator error. Maybe you're mixing cement in them too? lol
I've seen them 20 years old and still going strong and even the new ones, people rave about for years.
Try Craigslist.. maybe you need a commercial rig?
I know it sounds like I abuse these mixers but actually I don’t. I take very good care of them and use them as they are said to be design for. I only mix and knead just a two loaf recipe so I don’t strain the machine. The hidden problem is the poor quality and workmanship of these home use mixers. KitchenAid is not the company it used to be since it was sold. The so called “Professional” use designs are at best light weight occasional cookie makers.
I bought my first heavy duty lift bowel KitchenAid mixer in the late 80’s when I was into making home made pizza and needed a machine to handle bread dough. It was a fine machine, quiet and very strong, much stronger and far better quality than the “Professional” models they make today.
The first KitchenAid machine started failing about 5-6 years ago when I began Survivalist (whole wheat) bread baking and milling my own wheat grain into flour. The grain mill I use is ‘The Family Grain Mill’ with the adapter to power it with the KitchenAid mixer. The mill is very easy to crank by hand in fact one of the easiest to hand crank so that means there is little strain on the mixer for the 8-10 minutes it takes to mill the six cups of grain. This first machine began to overheat when kneading and finally after about 100 loaves of whole wheat bread the machine would overheat and automatically shut-down within 2-3 minutes of kneading. At this point it was no longer useful as a bread dough maker so I got rid of it.
This is when I bought the new and more powerful “Professional 6 qt lift-bowel” mixer. The first moment I turned it on I knew it was going to be a problem. The gear box literally screamed so loud you could not run it in the higher 1/3 of the available speed range because it hurt your ears. The machine also struggled to knead the whole wheat bread dough. I called KitchenAid and believe it or not, they said the noise was normal and I should knead only one loaf at a time! Well after 3 months and getting louder I called them back and demanded a new replacement machine which they did at no cost to me. The replacement machine was just as bad, began to stall after 3 minutes of kneading and then the gear box broke last weekend, naturally it’s out of warrantee.
Now what to do?
I love to have the Hobart N50 but at $2,700 that’s not going to happen!
Bread machines won’t help with the other baking/mixing chores I do.
I simply need another mixer for all the other baking I do and I have a number of attachments for the KitchenAid including my grain mill so if I buy a different brand mixer I’ll have to toss the attachments and replace them with the new machines attachments or buy equivalent stand alones at quite a cost. KitchenAid does sell one machine that they call “Commercial” with a two year warrantee and they advertise as “quiet” and the most powerful machine with steel gears in the gear box instead of plastic gears. The cost is $900 list and looking around on the web they’re about $650.
I’ll make up my mind in a couple days..
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