The only 'must haves' for my KA mixer are the whisk, paddle, and dough hook it comes with. An extra bowl would be nice, but I've managed 23 yrs without, so I guess it's not a necessity! ;-) I had some attachments for it...The shredding/slicing set of cones, but gave them to my sister. I never used them. I now have a food processor which does a much better job, but when I didn't, I did the any shredding and slicing by hand, since I wasn't that thrilled with the speed and performance of the KA for those tasks. It's a WONderful mixer, though.

Mine is the 4 1/2 qt and old enough so it was made by Hobart. I don't know enough about the new models to suggest one over another, so hope someone else here helps you with that. Best wishes and Happy Thanksgiving to you!

I'd go with the Artisan. 250 watts vs. 400 watts is a nice difference, especially with doughs or thicker mixes. Also, the Artisan has a larger bowl (with a handle!) that has made a difference. I have had my Artisan for a few years and love it. I too was torn, and then realized that I would only own one of these and it should meet all of my current and maybe future needs. I use it for all sorts of things (great way to mix up your meatloaf!) My husband has bought me several attachments but I have not really used them much.

I chose the smaller one because it allows the bowl to be removed by tipping the beater back. The larger one the beaters get lifted up vertically, but not all the way, so you have to jiggle the bowl out, and I could see it being really messy if the bowl was full. Although I bake a lot, I don't make huge batches of bread, etc. (i.e. five loaves at once) so even though the larger one was too cool, I didn't really NEED that commercial power. Plus the smaller ones have a LOT more colors.

By the way, you CAN use the coupons at Linens and Things or Bed Bath and Beyond to buy your mixer, even in a special-order color, if you take the coupon to the store and have them order it online for you. (You cannot use the coupons directly yourself onlone)
Carla in Sac

An extra bowl is very useful if you bake things with parts, like chiffon cakes (it helps the fluff of your eggwhites if you don't have to change bowls and helps your sanity if you don't have to wash the bowl after mixing the yolk batter well enough to whip the whites) or marble cakes. I've never missed the copper insert, which I don't have.

Because of the bowl to machine ratio on the Artisan (which I think is what I have -- it was a gift), it'll help if you have spouted or pinch bowls, especially for adding flour. I still haven't found a good way to add flour gradually. My scoop doesn't fit well. I've seen a bowl advertised specifically for the purpose, but don't know if it works any better.

I have the grinder (another gift) but haven't had a chance to use it much yet. One way to think about the attachments is that what you're really doing is taking advantage of the fact that you already have a motor. The grinder is smaller than the kind that comes with its own motor, and is just as convenient, if not more so, to use hanging off the KA. Some of the other attachments look contrived to sell you something. If it makes sense to you, and/or you don't have room for something like a Cuisinart, and/or you just really like it, go for it!

Oh! You need a good, flexible scraper with a strong handle. If you don't have one the OXO is good :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

To follow up on Carla, I do make batches of three loaves of bread dough in the fliptop one (and might be able to fit a fourth), and in fact did so on my mother's old original Hobart which is smaller. The difference is the new one will take all the flour and knead the whole thing, and on the old, small Hobart the dough had to be finished by hand. I've never needed more capacity/power. 'Course I have a low threshold of boredom :) I'd get tired of the task before I ran out of batter with a bigger bowl :)

JC

I have the KA stand mixer that has a bowl w/a handle and that lifts up/down. It's probably almost 20 years old and is still going strong! It gets very heavy use b/w Thanksgiving and New Years and then light-to-moderate use the rest of the year. I rarely make bread dough in it (I use a breadmaker), but when I have the dough hook worked great.

What do I consider "must haves"? Not much--beater, whip, dough hook, extra bowl, and the shield.

The shield goes on the rim of the bowl to "shield" you from flour "dust", it has a funnel for adding flour. Mine is a 2-piece shield that allows you to take off half if you need to add liquids or small amounts of dry ingredients w/o moving the bowl or beater. (The older 1-piece shields are taller and, IMO, work better---although they don't come off as easily.)

Model K5SSAL, 325 watts (I think the "AL" in the model # stands for "Almond" color)

I have had the Kitchenaid stand mixer (6 qt) for a year. I love it. I use it often. I keep it on the counter in the corner because I love looking at it. I waited for 20 years for my Sunbeam stand mixer to break before I indulged myself with this one. No one has ever been more excited than I was when that Sunbeam bit the dust! I have not needed any attachments -- what it came with is enough for me, maybe because I already have a lot of other kitchen equipment. I would like to get an extra bowl, though, for times like today when I am making lots of Thanksgiving desserts and breads. I love to cook and bake and I have a large family, including 4 teenagers, who love to eat.

I have a Model K5SS that is probably close to 20 years old. It has lived on a heavy-duty mixer lift for 15 years. It does shake a little when kneading dough, but not enough to concern me or damage the lift in 15 years of use. I find I use two bowls about 25% of the time. I was given a third, copper bowl, many years ago. I would not call it a must have, but it does an outstanding job on egg whites.

I have both. The bigger one was bought to replace my 20 plus year old model. I had passed it along to my daughter. I prefer the smaller one. It fits under my cabinet in the corner. I like the way it tips back, also. When my dear MIL passed away, I ended up with the KA we had given her. I use it almost every day. I usually cover it with a dishtowel when I am adding flour. I have other attatchments, but I rarely use them. I might look for a copper bowl. If you make huge batches of things, you might need the bigger model, but for most family cooking, the smaller is just fine.

I have had one for 20+ years and love it. The only attachment I ever bought was the meat grinder which works like a charm. I just bought the 500 model for my daughter. She wanted the bowl lift. Her reasoning was that she thought it would have less problems then the kind where the head tips up; plus it won't have to be moved out from under the cabinet when being used. I got a really good deal on it at Kohl's. It was a bonus buy and I had a 30% coupon.

Clueless,

Why were you happy that your Sunbeam broke? I don't have a mixer- always just used a Sunbeam hand mixer (for 30 years and just gave that to DD and bought a new hand mixer with dough hook). I've been thinking I might treat myself to a stand mixer- but don't know why the KA is so much more expensive than the Sunbeam- My Mother has had hers (SB) for 50 years and it has been very well-used and is still going strong.

Since I obviously would not be a heavy user (but then again, IF I had a stand mixer maybe I would use it more often...) do you think I'd need a more expensive KA instead of the very reasonably priced Sunbeam? (I have a breadmaker, so would not be using it for that)

I want a KA stand mixer too. ItÂs time. :-)

CostCo has the Professional HD Series, 5 qt, 475 watt motor, lift design, going for $239 this weekend with the coupon.

IÂve searched the KA website and can not find a 475 watt motor machine. Did CostCo make a mistake in printing or is this a special machine just for CostCo???

Also  be sure to check the refurbished models being sold on the KA web site as well as Amazon. IÂve read nothing but good reviews about the refurbished models and they are much less than new.

Kohls is selling one this Friday (Black Friday) for $125 Â not sure which model - probably the classic.

I canÂt decide if I want red or tangerineÂ

:-)

I just went through this as well and did alot of research. I think first of all, you have to take your cooking/baking needs into consideration. I found most people recommended the smaller version and some even said they had more problems with the larger. I read somewhere that the greater the watts doesn't mean diddley squat - but can't remember the rationale.

If you're flexible about the color there are new (not refurbished) mixers on the Kitchaid site in discontinued colors.

I bought a discontinued color (melon, nice) on Amazon last year - put several in my cart in a variety of acceptable colors and waited for a low price (they're always going up and down). I also caught an Amazon promotion, Kitchenaid rebate and opened an Amazon credit card simultaneously which made the price painless.

To follow-up on the "problems" issue, I highly recommend going to Amazon.com to read the reviews for both models and the attachments, which is what I did before I bought my smaller one (see my post above). Very informative. I decided NOT to buy the citrus juice attachment because of all the negative reviews.

(And yes, Costco's is a unique size, they often cut deals with manufacturers to make a special model just for them)

Carla in Sac

I have the 5qt bowl model. Have for 30 years. The only thing I've had longer is my husband. Wouldn't part with either one! ;> I also have a friend who says if there's ever a fire at her house her KA is the thing she's saving.

IF I were buying one again, I'd get the bigger one but only because I make a lot of bread. As it is, I can do an 8-cup of flour recipe in my 5 qt bowl  tho I have to be there to keep the dough from creeping up the dough hook and over the hood to the motor. =o

The attachment I love is the pasta kneading/cutting heads. You whip up the dough with the dough hook, then knead with one head and cut with another and you've got fresh pasta in no time at all. The fully-powered no-hands rollers keep the dough moving through at an even speed. It's definitely worth it.

And if I didn't have an ice cream maker (or 2. OK! 3) I'd get the freezer bowl too. But brine-cured ice cream is really superior.

I am like clueless. My Sunbeam was a gift form DH 37 yrs ago when we married. It died and I got a KA 6 qt a year ago. I LOVE IT. We make the really wet doughs like Ciabatta in it and it does great. Mine stays on the counter since we use it all the time. I have my 1978 Cuisinart that has been refurbished once. I have my Mom's and my MIL's also after they passed. I have all the blades and use them all the time too. Love the extra bowls for the food processor. I have the ice cream maker for the KA but it is only good in cold weather as it really only does soft serve. It was a freebie w/ the mixer at Mother's Day form Ace Hardware. You will love your KA. Caroline

going to kohls on blACK FRIDAY 4 AM TO GET MINE!

I have very strong thoughts about the small KA vs. the large... I LOVE my 6 quart KA and hate my friend's 4.5 and 5 quart models. If you are doing a double batch of cookies, etc. the 6-quart is the way to go! Even if you don't regularly do big batches, it seems logical to get the biggest one you might need! (do we buy cars that only go 65... no, we want cars that CAN accelerate past anything!)

I also love having multiple mixing bowls... i have 3!
We call my KA mixer "big red" and she sits proudly on the counter because we use her so much! (she also has about 35 red "cousins"... various red kitchenaid utensils that hang on a backsplash rail!)

o.k... maybe i like kitchenaid products a little too much! ;)

I have the Kitchenaid Ultra Power which is 4.5 quart. I've had it for 8 years now and I bake every week. It is still going strong, but I need a bigger mixer for bread doughs.

Kitchenaid is having a $50 rebate on select bowl-lifting stand mixers right now. I am planning to get the Pro 600 mixer (it's huge) and use my friend's 40% off employee discount. With the rebate and the discount, what normally would cost me $400 for the mixer will cost me only $190!! Life is good! :)

I LOVE my KA! I got the brushed nickel Custom Metallic Artisan when Lowe's had their pricing error this summer. I pd $150 for a $500+ mixer!

bethandkevin, sounds like my 19 yo dd would love your kitchen! Her Christmas list includes a RED KA mixer and a RED KA food processor...Both a bit over our budget, so I asked her, is it a food processor you want or is it *red* that you want? Her answer, "Red!" So I found a refurbished RED KA blender on the KA outlet site, and that's what she's getting. :-)

I received my KitchenAid stand mixer yesterday. I bought a Cobalt Blue Artisan from Amazon (219 Plus a $20 rebate). I used it for the first time last night to bake two cakes. Man oh man. It was so nice to prepare the batter and frosting without getting a numb arm. It was quiet and very smooth. I already know that I am going to have a fun time using this one. :)

I read somewhere that the older models( made by Hobart especially) are a lot better made than the new models. I have a classic model, its probably about 15 years old. I was thinking of upgrading( mine is 325w), but I didnt because of what I read. I had the appliance lift put in, but have yet to attatch my KA to it because my KA tends to travel and I need to find something that will prevent when its on the lift.

Btw, KA has excellent customer service!! I believe the mixers are still made in the USA.

we have a 15 year old costco special...i believe it is 5 quart. you lift the bowl to the mixer rather than tip back. we use it weekly and have for many years. it has never been maintained in any way other than to wipe it off (and wash the attachments). when you lower thebowl to take it off the stand, you detach the mixer blade at the same time. the screen is nice, but tough to find a good place to store it in our cupboards...i think i will take that dishtowel idea and use it! our mixer is out on the counter. get one in a neutral color or color you love, you'll have it for a long time. kren

My KA is so old the harvest gold paint is turning rather chartreuse-y.....made by Hobart, not Whirlpool. This was back when they had 2 models, a 4-1/2 qt tilt-back and the 5-1/2 qt lift-off. Got the tiltback at a store chain closeout sale for $99.

I love to bake but not in humongous quantities, and there's only 2 of us here. So the smaller one works great for beating 2 or 3 egg whites. If you regularly make larger quantities I'd suggest the larger size mixer.

Long ago I bought an extra bowl and extra whisk. They are lifesavers and I would strongly recommend these additions. They make doing some recipes so much easier! No need to wash and dry the bowl/whisk in between steps.

Mine is also the 4-1/2 qt tilt-back head, in cobalt blue and I can't remember exactly how long I've had it, but several years anyway. Got it for a great price at Tuesday Morning.

What I want to add is don't be fooled by the quart thing into thinking you can't mix large quantities unless you buy the mega model. I bake routinely and I have a super cookie cookbook put out by an Amish community. As you can imagine, they don't bother with the batches that make 4 dozen. Those recipes are written in quantities that make 11 to 12 dozen cookies at a crack. Often I will reduce that, but the first time I tried a recipe as written I looked at the bowl and thought this probably will not work. It's appearance is deceiving, because I got it all mixed without a problem. My friend however, felt she needed the 6 quart with lifter, and although she likes it, it was too tall to live on her counter under the upper cabinets so its home is on a shelf in the garage off the kitchen door. I'm sure because of that, it doesn't get used nearly as often as she had imagined.
Whatever you get, you will most likely be thrilled with, because the KA truly works very well.

After reading how weak the KA when kneading, I purchase the new 7qt. Cuisinart. Love the look but haven't had a chance to use it =( Kitchen is just finally done this week and I'm in a process of unpacking & putting things back into the cabinets. Hopefully, I get to use it soon =)

raehelen, I am in the distinct minority on cookware forums because I love, love, love, my Sunbeam stand mixer. I have their most powerful -- the Heritage 450-watt model.

I had an older Sunbeam but a few years ago splurged on a KA. What a mistake, for us. We're not bread bakers, and we don't do gigantic batches. So we were constantly having the problem of the one beater not blending our relatively small mixture very well at all. And it is no easy feat to add ingredients or to scrape the bowl down (which IS necessary). So we finally gave up and dumped it and bought the Sunbeam.

Unlike our KA, it's very user-friendly and so intuitive. The head and beaters are off-center, so adding ingredients and scraping are simple. The two beaters do a terrific job with even heavy cake batter. The mixer also comes with dough hooks, whisks, AND a second smaller bowl.

No, I do not work for Sunbeam. But I love my mixer!

P.S. I bought it on sale at Macy's for $130 with a rebate for $10 back plus an extra bowl.

I've found the 'epinions' site helpful on many purchases

http://www.epinions.com/Mixers--reviews--kitchenaid

I have a 5 qt Artisan and the mixer head tilts back. I love the KA. I've made everything from crackers to souffles with it. I have the pasta attachments and use them fairly often. I couldn't imagine trying to use a manual pasta maker and having to feed in the dough while cranking. The KA makes homemade pasta a breeze.