fourcatmom Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I *might* finally be able to get my kitchen-aide mixer that I have always wanted. I have a choice between the Pro, the Artisan and the classic. I am leaning towards the Artisan since it's seems middle road and I don't feel like I need the Pro plus I would be able to add the slicer/shredder attachment if I went with either the Artisan or the Classic models. The classic I could only get in white but the Artisan or the Pro I could get in the Empire Red or Cinnamon - and I really want a red one! So, besides the speed are there are differences? I noticed that the classic doesn't tilt but the others do. Also, the artisan comes with the same attachments but I think in the Pro they are stainless steel. I think I would be fine for what i want to use it for to go with the Artisan and get the extra attachment which I think would come in handy. Any advice? What model do you have and what do you like or don't like about it? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have a red artisan. LOVE IT and I use it for everything from shredding chicken, whipping mashed potatoes, mixing casseroles before dumping in a pan, to biscuit dough and baked goods. No experience with the other models. Mine is 9 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have a 15 year old classic. I used it today. I've bought and replaced accessories for it, but other than that, it's been great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have a red artisan. LOVE IT and I use it for everything from shredding chicken, whipping mashed potatoes, mixing casseroles before dumping in a pan, to biscuit dough and baked goods. No experience with the other models. Mine is 9 years old. Thanks. Do you have the shredding attachment then too? Also, do you have the Empire Red or the Cinnimon. I am leaning towards the Empire Red - which I am guessing is sort of fire truck red? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have the pro, but I regret the drop-bowl. The tilt-head that my parents had was so much friendlier for slowly adding flour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thanks. Do you have the shredding attachment then too? Also, do you have the Empire Red or the Cinnimon. I am leaning towards the Empire Red - which I am guessing is sort of fire truck red? I just use the regular paddle attachment. Not a shredding attachment. Pretty sure it is empire red... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 If you are going anywhere towards frequent bread making or double batches of cookies, you will tear right through the Artisan. I have a professional one. I just replaced the worm gear- even the metal was shredded and honestly despite having it 12 years, that was really only 2 years of heavy use because I didn't have the time to bake stuff as much when I worked FT. ETA- the newer Classics and Artisans are reportedly less sturdy than the older ones. Even the professional line has dropped in reputation. If I were buying a new mixer for bread and stiff doughs, I'd probably shop around a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandylubug Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thanks. Do you have the shredding attachment then too? Also, do you have the Empire Red or the Cinnimon. I am leaning towards the Empire Red - which I am guessing is sort of fire truck red? I just use the regular paddle attachment. Not a shredding attachment. Pretty sure it is empire red... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 If you want the mixer to stay on your counter and have an upper cabinet, check to make sure that the height of the mixer will fit under the upper cabinet. Mine with a drop bowl is taller than the ones that tilt back and won't fit under some cabinets. I got a second bowl which comes in handy. I had a slicer/shredder but never liked using it.. I have pasta making attachments, however, that I love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 There is now an attachment that has a rubber scraper attached. I keep meaning to buy it because it would come in dead handy. Also, if you have the $, consider buying a second bowl. During a holiday etc that is the ONE thing I really wish I had. I am forever having to stop and wash the bowl out to use it for something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 I saw the attachment with the rubber scrapper but wasn't sure how it was needed? I thought the shredder would be more useful but apparently you don't even need that to chop things up? The extra bowl does make sense too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Well, the scraper means that you don't have to keep stopping to scrape out the bottom of the bowl. Scraping is just a fact of life of mixers, stand or hand held. So it saves you time. There are apparently now two variations. There is a 'flex edge" and a 'beater blade'. So even more decisions to make, lol. But neither is a necessity, just a nice thing to have. I have a particular brownie batter that always makes a really heavy coating on the bottom of the bowl that I have to really scrape off. And if I make chocolate cheesecake there always seems to be a bit of melted chocolate that settles at the bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have the Pro, and I really like it. I do a lot of bread dough and similar stuff in mine, so I really need the extra durability. I like the drop bowl, too- it's in there much more securely than with the other models, so I don't have all the bowl wobbling with thicker doughs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 But neither is a necessity, just a nice thing to have. I have a particular brownie batter that always makes a really heavy coating on the bottom of the bowl that I have to really scrape off. And if I make chocolate cheesecake there always seems to be a bit of melted chocolate that settles at the bottom An old restaurant trick that might help with this: don't fully engage the beater attachment and the beater will scrape the bottom of the bowl, thus eliminating or at least minimizing the stuff-stuck-on-the-bottom-of-the-bowl problem. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I blew out a classic and almost blew out a pro before moving to a commercial mixer. The only way I'd use a kitchen aid now is to get one of the Hobart models from before whirlpool took them over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 If you want the mixer to stay on your counter and have an upper cabinet, check to make sure that the height of the mixer will fit under the upper cabinet. Mine with a drop bowl is taller than the ones that tilt back and won't fit under some cabinets. I got a second bowl which comes in handy. I had a slicer/shredder but never liked using it.. I have pasta making attachments, however, that I love. :iagree: This is the reason I have an Artisan instead of a Pro. I really wanted a Pro, cause I make a lot of bread, but they are just too tall to fit under my cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsJewelsRae Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I don't know the differences, but my mom gave me hers and I LOVE my Kitchen Aid- except mine doesn't have the head that tilts to give better access to the bowl, which I really find annoying. I definitely prefer the tilting top, and I don't want to put a chute on as it's just more space on the counter, more to wash and doesn't look as pretty. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Does anyone here even use the attachments such as the shredder/slicer with their KitchenAid? I looked into them and they were so pricey that I just use my food processor for those tasks when I have large amounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 If you are going anywhere towards frequent bread making or double batches of cookies, you will tear right through the Artisan. I have a professional one. I just replaced the worm gear- even the metal was shredded and honestly despite having it 12 years, that was really only 2 years of heavy use because I didn't have the time to bake stuff as much when I worked FT. ETA- the newer Classics and Artisans are reportedly less sturdy than the older ones. Even the professional line has dropped in reputation. If I were buying a new mixer for bread and stiff doughs, I'd probably shop around a bit more. I make bread and double batches in my classic all the time and it's going strong. I actually had to replace one of my blades at one point I was so rough on it. My classic is 15 years old though. I'm really hard on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I have the pro and I love it but it is huge, so if you have limited space definitely consider the size. I use it frequently but not quite as much as I used to. I have the shredder/slicer and I always shred cheese with it. I prefer using it over my food processor because the cleanup is so much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I make bread and double batches in my classic all the time and it's going strong. I actually had to replace one of my blades at one point I was so rough on it. My classic is 15 years old though. I'm really hard on it. I think the key point is 15 years old vs. new. All the time varies in meaning between kitchens too. I was mixing something very heavy/stiff 3+ times a week, quite often 6 times a week. Bread baking forums and blogs are full of daily bread bakers who have shredded their kitchenaids in even less time. That's how I figured out how to fix mine. Sure enough when I opened it up, the grease was full of metal shavings and the worm gear just completely worn down. Mine was a wedding gift in 2002 but we really only used it a few times a month for the first 10 years of so. It was two years of heavy use that necessitated the repair. This whole breakdown/fix thing happened just a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Honestly, I don't have a problem with replacing the worm gear on my professional every 10 years but if it's every 1-3 years, yeah I might upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 Does anyone here even use the attachments such as the shredder/slicer with their KitchenAid? I looked into them and they were so pricey that I just use my food processor for those tasks when I have large amounts. I haven't bought any because I own a food processor and that does the job I need it to do. I never really like making stuff do double duty if it wasn't really made to do double duty, if that makes sense. All those attachments were made to try to make a stand mixer competition for a food processor. To be fair, my food processor came with a dough blade to mix bread, which I have also never bothered with, lol. The ONLY thing I might consider is that bowl that is an ice cream maker. But, I was given an ice cream maker as a wedding present many years ago and it is still going strong. But, I don't know how expensive that bowl is, and it might be cheaper to just get a new ice cream maker when this one dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 29, 2014 Author Share Posted June 29, 2014 Thank you for the helpful ideas. I do not own a food processor so that's why I was thinking of the shredder and it would be mostly for cheese but then sometimes I buy it already shredded and that works too! With people reporting wearing the machine out I am thinking it's best to use for bigger projects and skip the shredder. I checked our cabinets and there is just over 17" of space so either model will work but I would have a bit more space with the Artisan. I was leaning towards the Artisan last night but now more the pro even though I like the idea of the tilt head. It's hard to know how much I will use it but I like the idea of making bread and our bread machine is so big I don't use it. Lots to think about, thanks! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 :iagree: This is the reason I have an Artisan instead of a Pro. I really wanted a Pro, cause I make a lot of bread, but they are just too tall to fit under my cabinets. Or you could do like me. Place the mixer on the counter while the upper cabinets were being installed. They are a tish higher than normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share Posted June 30, 2014 Thank you for all the great advice. I placed the order this morning for the Artisan in Empire Red! :D It is so rare that I get to do this kind of thing but to have one for fall and the Holidays is going to be great! I was leaning towards the pro but with our counter space and money I just decided to start with the Artisan and if I use it a ton then maybe later I can upgrade to the Pro in the future. I think this is a good starting point for me. :willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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