Stand Mixers-worth it?

[Momof4sweetkids]

I am getting into baking and would like to make most of our family's bread, pizza dough, rolls, etc. I have a bread machine and a hand mixer. I've been considering asking for a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday but I don't know if it's worth the cost. Is it really that much better than a hand mixer? Some things I read say it's not really meant for kneading, have you found that to be true? We would get it at Costco so I could return easily if motor goes out.

[prairiewindmomma]

A hand mixer generally doesnt have a strong enough motor to handle heavier bread doughs. KitchenAid has had some quality issues in recent years, enough so that the warranty is now limited to one year, and the recommend limiting mixing time to 4-6 minutes.

My own KA is dying (leaking oil). I have moved back to making bread the way I learned—with my hands. I save my mixer for stuff like creaming butter or whipping eggs.

ETA: If your heart is set on a mixer, I’d look at the Bosch Universal or Ankarsrum instead.

Edited March 4 by prairiewindmomma

[Momof4sweetkids]

13 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

A hand mixer generally doesnt have a strong enough motor to handle heavier bread doughs. KitchenAid has had some quality issues in recent years, enough so that the warranty is now limited to one year, and the recommend limiting mixing time to 4-6 minutes.

My own KA is dying (leaking oil). I have moved back to making bread the way I learned—with my hands. I save my mixer for stuff like creaming butter or whipping eggs.

ETA: If your heart is set on a mixer, I’d look at the Bosch Universal or Ankarsrum instead.

I hadn't heard of the Bosch Universal before, it looks promising!

[Matryoshka]

My stand mixer is my absolute favorite piece of kitchen equipment. 🥰

[LuvToRead]

If you are mainly going to be baking bread I would look at the Bosch or the Nutrimill Artiste.  I use my Kitchen Aid for cookie doughs, whipped cream, cake batter, etc.  I use my Nutrimill for bread.  

[cjzimmer1]

Bosch is definitely better for bread than a Kitchenaid, particularly if you will be doing whole wheat.

[Emba]

I’ve never had a KitchenAid. My MIL had an older one that worked fine for bread, though it did eventually give out.  When I was shopping for a stand mixer for bread, everyone on a bread form I was on recommended Bosch, so that’s what I got and I have not regretted it.  Seven-ish years of bread dough of all kinds, and it’s still going strong.  I also have the mixer attachment, which is a really good mixer, way better than the one it replaced, which was probably a cheaper model from wall-mart.

[Bambam]

I looked at buying a KitchenAid but the reviews were mixed ~10 years ago if you were doing anything heavy in them, so we went with a Cuisinart stand mixer. I make bread (two loaves at a time) - and it handled that fine. I do not do that much any more though. We use it mainly for pizza crust and the occasional cookie recipe now.  It's been a good mixer. 

[Beth S]

Rabbit Trail---I make bread/pizza dough monthly, & have used the KA Hand mixer for years.
(I'm more of a minimalist, & NOT a big baker, to clarify . . . and I agree with the quality reduction issues.)
The game-changer was buying the dough hooks, & not just using the lightweight beaters.

(ETA:  They also sell immersion blender & whisk attachments.)

Edited March 4 by Beth S

[Faith-manor]

I have a kitchenaid. I make some bread, but not that much in it because I like to hand knead. I do all of my cookie dough in it which throughout the year is not a lot since I don't make cookies often, however, at Christmas it gets a work out. I make six kinds of Danish cookies plus some pastries. I would be so worn out if I tried to do that by hand or with just a small hand mixer. I am NOT a pioneer kid one of woman. So I appreciate the mixer. Mark bought it on Goodwill auction new in the box for half of what it would cost on sale, even Black Friday sales do not go that low. It had all the attachments except the ice cream bowl.

That said, if I had to choose between the stand mixer or my Ninja blender, the Nina wins. Hands down! I use it multiple times per week.

[Miss Tick]

My Kitchen Aid is 30 years old (😲). I use it to make all our whole wheat (blend) pizza dough, and occasionally bread. I keep it in a cabinet and enjoy the test of strength to see if I can still casually lift it to the counter when I want to use it.

[catz]

I make sourdough once or twice a week on average among other things.  So I am using my stand mixer constantly.  It’s my favorite kitchen gadget.   I have a kitchen aid.  I had a kitchen aid prior that lasted over 20 years.  This one is a few years old.  So far so good.   But I haven’t found a reason to knead more than 4-6 minutes.  Machine kneading is more efficient than hand kneading.  I do hand mix or fold some fussier doughs.  

Edited March 4 by catz

[gardenmom5]

A good quality stand mixer will always have more power than the most powerful hand mixer. It will also be capable of handling greater volume.   I will always remember visiting with some friends for dinner, and she had made a meringue pie.  she only had a hand mixer.  It showed in the (lack of) volume of egg whites.

hand mixers will always be handy, and I use both.  one of my greatest frustrations is finding one that the low speed - is actually low . .  I had one that had a folding tool . . I loved it. but it died.

if you will only be doing light batters in smaller quantities, a hand mixer is fine.  (I might whip a cup of cream at a time, and I usually use the hand mixer, if I'm doing egg whites for meringue - I will use the stand mixer. (I won't even consider a hand mixer for that.)

 heavier yeast bread doughs, and larger volumes you will need a stand mixer.

My daughter did a bunch of research and took back the new KA I gave her for Christmas that year, and ordered a Swedish made mixer. (NOT a Bosch).  Don't remember the name, and I only heard her initial assessment that she liked it for bread doughs.  She bakes to relax, a lot.  Even did a three day "camp" for nothing but laminated doughs.  (now she wants a proofing oven.)

I had originally given her a used 5qt KA - which she recently took to a local small appliance place and had refurbished so it worked like new.  I need to take mine in.  but there have been times I wished I had the 6qt or even the 7qt.

Edited March 4 by gardenmom5

[gardenmom5]

10 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

 or Ankarsrum instead.

I think that might be the one 1dd got for bread doughs.

she still uses her old (and refurbished) KA for other stuff.
KA was bought out by another company that made changes, and that's where the issues stem from.

Edited March 4 by gardenmom5

[prairiewindmomma]

Ankarsrum is ideal for bread doughs, kind of average for price for other mixing like for buttercream frosting. This brand’s design spins the bowl, not the mixing head, and thus it’s finicky about the temperatures and order of mixing of stuff like butter because the fragility is in the attachments.

The Bosch downsides, imo, are the amount of sound it generates and its countertop aesthetic.

Both the Bosch and the Ankarsrum clearly outperform the KA in bread mixing though.

[teachermom2834]

I used to do a ton of baking cookies and other treats and used it regularly for pizza dough and a couple times a year for cinnamon rolls. I don't do much anymore at all. Cinnamon rolls a couple times a year and the odd batch of cookies now and then. However, I still feel like I would just miss it horribly if I didn't have it. So, I guess I don't know if I would justify the inital investment now but I do feel like when mine dies I will replace it now that I am used to having it, even if it seems frivolous. I just wouldn't be without it now, I don't think.

So I guess that doesn't really answer your question but I'm not giving up my stand mixer until my baking days are totally over I don't think. 

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, teachermom2834 said:

I used to do a ton of baking cookies and other treats and used it regularly for pizza dough and a couple times a year for cinnamon rolls. I don't do much anymore at all. Cinnamon rolls a couple times a year and the odd batch of cookies now and then. However, I still feel like I would just miss it horribly if I didn't have it. So, I guess I don't know if I would justify the inital investment now but I do feel like when mine dies I will replace it now that I am used to having it, even if it seems frivolous. I just wouldn't be without it now, I don't think.

So I guess that doesn't really answer your question but I'm not giving up my stand mixer until my baking days are totally over I don't think. 

Stand mixers really are wonderful for pastries. I bake most days and I really wouldn't ever want to beat eggs or cream butter by hand all of the time if I had another choice.  I just don't think KA currently makes a mixer that's great for frequent heavy dough mixing (ie more than 3-4 cups of flour). In the past week I've made bread, naan, and pizza dough as well as 12 dozen cookies and some other pastries. (The cookies were snacks for a kid team event.)  Most people don't bake as heavily as I do, but OP sounds like she wants to do bread and pizza for a family of 6, which would put her in the range of what I'm doing if she does full replacement of store purchased items. 

Speaking of which, OP, look at food grade buckets and gamma seal lids regardless of whether you're choosing to grind your own wheat (which I do some of) or whether you buy flour in 25# bags.  I keep buckets of each, and it keeps my costs down. 

[Faith-manor]

6 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Stand mixers really are wonderful for pastries. I bake most days and I really wouldn't ever want to beat eggs or cream butter by hand all of the time if I had another choice.  I just don't think KA currently makes a mixer that's great for frequent heavy dough mixing (ie more than 3-4 cups of flour). In the past week I've made bread, naan, and pizza dough as well as 12 dozen cookies and some other pastries. (The cookies were snacks for a kid team event.)  Most people don't bake as heavily as I do, but OP sounds like she wants to do bread and pizza for a family of 6, which would put her in the range of what I'm doing if she does full replacement of store purchased items. 

Speaking of which, OP, look at food grade buckets and gamma seal lids regardless of whether you're choosing to grind your own wheat (which I do some of) or whether you buy flour in 25# bags.  I keep buckets of each, and it keeps my costs down. 

Same with the buckets. We have a Mennonite bulk food store about 20 miles away. 3 times a year they sell their excess food grade, 5 gallon buckets. $3 each. I have 15 of them now. 5 for inside with bulk Einkorn flour, cornmeal, rice, dry beans, and lentils plus other things like extra baking powder and such, all kept shut with chip clips and clothspins. That bucket top seals so nicely. The up front cost of the bulk is high, but over the course of the year, very low per serving. I love those buckets. The other 10 are used as planters during garden season.

[dsmith]

Our Kitchen Aid is about 30 years old and gets almost daily use. We make a lot of bread, pizza dough, baked goods, etc. We do have a bread machine, and do use that on occasion, but most of our bread is done in the Kitchen Aid. We also use it for meatballs, mashed potatoes, meat loaf, I could go on... Dh is really the one who uses it the most. I have a few no-knead breads that I do, but he does the majority of cooking/baking. 

[Momof4sweetkids]

Thanks everyone! I was feeling frivolous considering it but it sounds like they're worth it for our family. I am leaning towards the Bosch after some research, the noise complaints worry me though.

[KungFuPanda]

15 hours ago, Momof4sweetkids said:

I am getting into baking and would like to make most of our family's bread, pizza dough, rolls, etc. I have a bread machine and a hand mixer. I've been considering asking for a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday but I don't know if it's worth the cost. Is it really that much better than a hand mixer? Some things I read say it's not really meant for kneading, have you found that to be true? We would get it at Costco so I could return easily if motor goes out.

I’ve been kneading bread in my Artisan for over 15 years. It’s been perfect for how I use it. I stopped using my hand mixer and bread machine when I got it and eventually gave them away. I’m sure there are mixers that are better at kneading, but I think I make wonderful bread so it’s working for us. 
 

I also use it for cake mixes, icing, meringue, pie filling, shredding meat, and any general mixing I need. I also have the purée attachment and it makes processing tomatoes for canning go so fast. For context, I used it once or twice weekly for a family of four this whole time. It gets more use during the Christmas cookie marathon. My sister has 4 kids and her Kitchenaid is bigger than mine. I never mixed more than two loaves of bread in one go. 
 

I’ve always cooked a lot, but I was seriously not a baker before I got this mixer. It makes the baking chores so much easier that I don’t mind doing it so much. 

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, Momof4sweetkids said:

Thanks everyone! I was feeling frivolous considering it but it sounds like they're worth it for our family. I am leaning towards the Bosch after some research, the noise complaints worry me though.

I would try to find out just how noisy they are if you’re not into wearing ear plugs. I end up not using noisy appliances. I’ve gotten rid of every food processor I’ve ever owned. I tolerate a blender for the two-ish times of year I use one (and it’s not as noisy as some). My hand mixer is not too bad, but that’s mostly because it’s quick. My KA is not that loud, but mine is 25 years old.

[busymama7]

17 hours ago, Momof4sweetkids said:

I am getting into baking and would like to make most of our family's bread, pizza dough, rolls, etc. I have a bread machine and a hand mixer. I've been considering asking for a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday but I don't know if it's worth the cost. Is it really that much better than a hand mixer? Some things I read say it's not really meant for kneading, have you found that to be true? We would get it at Costco so I could return easily if motor goes out.

Bosch all the way if you are going to be consistent with bread.  For occasional small batches some of the kitchen aids (stronger motor) can be ok, I've heard.   I have had my Bosch for 22 years and have made countless batches of 4-5 loaves of bread for my large family and I even sold loaves for awhile and it's still going strong. Nothing else compares for this purpose. 

Now, I also want a kitchen aid for things like cookies, cakes and whipped cream. I don't find the Bosch convenient for those kinds of things.  

[busymama7]

I posted before I read the replies. I don't leave mine out on the counter so that's not an issue. It's really light so it's not a big deal to move it in and out of the lower drawers. I also don't find it noisy. It doesn't even approach a blender or a food processor in my opinion. I have struggled with it walking off the counter although since I posted about about that problem and getting a mixer cabinet when we remodel the kitchen it really hasn't been doing it so I don't know what the difference is.

[Momof4sweetkids]

2 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

 I also don't find it noisy. 

That's a relief! I can handle kids being crazy loud but machine noises can be really overwhelming to me.

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, Momof4sweetkids said:

That's a relief! I can handle kids being crazy loud but machine noises can be really overwhelming to me.

Maybe there is someone local who could let you see those in action? I would hate to steer you wrong.  

[Momof4sweetkids]

8 minutes ago, busymama7 said:

Maybe there is someone local who could let you see those in action? I would hate to steer you wrong.  

I'm reading and watching more reviews and I wonder if the super loud ones are defects because most people say it's similar to their KA.

Edited to add: I do wish I could try them in person though!

Edited March 5 by Momof4sweetkids

[prairiewindmomma]

Watch the Costco event calendar. They used to come through once a year. Tip: check all of the warehouses in your area if you are near a metro. Each warehouse has its own calendar and the vendor lists are not identical.

[Momof4sweetkids]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Watch the Costco event calendar. They used to come through once a year. Tip: check all of the warehouses in your area if you are near a metro. Each warehouse has its own calendar and the vendor lists are not identical.

Thanks! My husband really wanted to go through Costco and they aren't carrying Bosch right now so he was leaning towards KA but if I can just wait for Bosch, I'll do that