What size Kitchenaid mixer?

[Tiny]

I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a stand mixer.    I'm getting old and not taking as much joy in the "mixing" of the batter/dough/frosting by hand as I use to.     I do have a Kitchenaid hand mixer - but I'd kind of like to go hands free.    I've never owned a stand mixer.   

The question I  have is which size mixing bowl is right for me?   3.5 quart? 4 quart? 5 quart? 

I routinely bake  9 * 13 inch cakes/other stuff that bakes in this size pan.  I make Bundt pan cakes (and mini bundts as well).    

I make whipped cream, butter cream frosting, and cream cheese frostings   (usually for the above baked goods). 

I do make cookies - just regular sized batches (which I think are usually 3 to 4 dozen cookies).   

I would like to make bread (looking to do a loaf or two at a time).  

I highly doubt I will ever make 2 batches of anything at once.    

From info acquired from The Google - it looks like maybe I'd want the smaller 3.5 quart (or smaller) mixer... so something like a KitchenAid Classic or  KitchenAid Mini Artisan.         

this is a big expense - I'd like to get it mostly right the first purchase.   


What's your advice? 

[justme]

The bowl is less an issue that what you want to do.

If you want to make bread DO NOT BUY CLASSIC. Whatsoever. It's way too under-powered and way to light.

I'm also not sure why they're saying the mini - unless you're talking way small loafs 3.5qt will be way way way too small to fit two in it. Just googled, that's way under powered too and way light. A loaf of bread will probably make it fling itself off the counter. 

I have a regular Artisan and I make a double batch of Alton Brown's biscuits in it, but I only do the dry + butter (I freeze that and then make small batches since I live alone). I don't think it would work if I put the liquid in it (bowl would be too small, not sure on the power). 

Frankly, if I had to do it over again I'd go for the lift-up bowl model instead of the Artisan. The Artisan works great for most things, it's fine for cakes and frosting, but with bread it's a little to light weight to stay in one spot and it definitely works a lot to kneed it right. It handles snicker doodle recipe fine. I make fresh dough and it usually moves around a bit during that too. Definitely have had it move enough to throw the latch back that keeps the head locked tilted down. 

I dunno if you have Costco, but they have the Pro series for not that much more money than an Artisan. www.costco.com/kitchenaid-professional-series-6-quart-bowl-lift-stand-mixer-w-flex-edge.product.100485356.html (And I've seen it a min of $40 bucks cheaper if you catch it on sale, prob closer to $100 cheaper) 

I'll be buying that at some point, but it'll probably be years away if I stay single. 

I'd also be worried about the smaller ones handling the attachments. And omg have I bought so many attachments. They're amazing. 

[cktc]

Dec 5, 2019 17:07:44 GMT -5 justme said:

The bowl is less an issue that what you want to do.

If you want to make bread DO NOT BUY CLASSIC. Whatsoever. It's way too under-powered and way to light.

I'm also not sure why they're saying the mini - unless you're talking way small loafs 3.5qt will be way way way too small to fit two in it. Just googled, that's way under powered too and way light. A loaf of bread will probably make it fling itself off the counter. 

I have a regular Artisan and I make a double batch of Alton Brown's biscuits in it, but I only do the dry + butter (I freeze that and then make small batches since I live alone). I don't think it would work if I put the liquid in it (bowl would be too small, not sure on the power). 

Frankly, if I had to do it over again I'd go for the lift-up bowl model instead of the Artisan. The Artisan works great for most things, it's fine for cakes and frosting, but with bread it's a little to light weight to stay in one spot and it definitely works a lot to kneed it right. It handles snicker doodle recipe fine. I make fresh dough and it usually moves around a bit during that too. Definitely have had it move enough to throw the latch back that keeps the head locked tilted down. 

I dunno if you have Costco, but they have the Pro series for not that much more money than an Artisan. www.costco.com/kitchenaid-professional-series-6-quart-bowl-lift-stand-mixer-w-flex-edge.product.100485356.html (And I've seen it a min of $40 bucks cheaper if you catch it on sale, prob closer to $100 cheaper) 

I'll be buying that at some point, but it'll probably be years away if I stay single. 

I'd also be worried about the smaller ones handling the attachments. And omg have I bought so many attachments. They're amazing. 

I agree with all of this. I regret getting an Artisan and would love to upgrade to the pro-series. Pizza and cookie doughs make it bounce around like crazy. 

[CCL]

I've got an Artisan and love it. The primary reason I didn't get the bigger one was because it's tall it doesn't fit well on a countertop with upper cabinets above. Mine is always on my countertop. I never put it away and wanted to be sure it would fit well and not look too big.

I haven't found anything that it doesn't handle with ease and I do a lot of baking and cooking from scratch. I bought it on sale a few years ago from Kohl's. I think I paid $199, but then got $40 in Kohl's Cash. Sam's Club sometimes has the Professional on sale for a good price, but it was too big for what I wanted.

[dannylion]

I just gave away my Classic because I got a Pro model on sale from Target on Black Friday.   I live alone and don't make big batches of things, but sometimes wanted a bigger bowl than the Classic, so I got the 5-quart size.  

This is the one I got:  KitchenAid Mixer  

On Black Friday, they had an additional discount, so it ended up being under $200, which was too tempting to pass up.  It looks like there is still an additional discount of $20, so that's still a good price.  

[CCL]

Mine is 5 qts. I'm thinking the 3.5 or 4 qt. might be too small for what you want to use it for. When I mix up a full-size cake or the frosting it takes up a good portion of the bowl. You need a bit of extra room when mixing to avoid splatters.

[Tiny]

Thanks!  This is all good info and first hand experience.     

I won't be leaving the mixer out - I don't have much counter space     But, I do have a place to store the mixer (along with the couple other appliances I routinely use).    I will be shopping this weekend so will take a look at the various models in person.    

[Anne_in_VA]

I have the 5 qt one and have had it for a couple of years now.  I use it for most things except yeast bread.  I have an old bread maker that I use for bread on the dough cycle and then put the dough in pans as I don’t like the way it bakes up in the bread machine.  

I recently made brownies, two cakes and frosting with my stand mixer and everything came out fine with no issues.

[CCL]

If you are going to be lifting it up and down, be aware they are heavy.

[cktc]

More expensive than the others posted, but Bed Bath and Beyond has it in Espresso and Cobalt. Shamelessly sent that to DH. 
 

[Tiny]

Dec 5, 2019 17:56:29 GMT -5 CCL said:

If you are going to be lifting it up and down, be aware they are heavy.

Yes, I am aware of that and will consider that in my final decision.       I can guesstimate how hard it will be to move it around - the stat's on the different ones do say how much they weigh. 


I was really have trouble determining if the bigger bowl size with a typical cake or cookie recipe  wouldn't mix the stuff well (too big a bowl and too little ingredients).     It appears that I will be OK with the 5qt sized bowl.     

Good information here! 

 

[crazycat]

I have the Pro 6 . Got it for Christmas a few years back . I love it , though I do a lot of baking . Costco and Kohl’s usually have good sales on them for the holidays .

[wvugurl26]

I have a pro bowl lift. I think it's a 5 quart bowl? It definitely has more power behind it than the artisan ones. It stays on my counter all the time.

[Deleted]

I know nobody wants to hear this, but I can't resist. What size? I dunno. What size is your kitchen?

[Blonde Granny]

QVC usually has way more mixers in colors not available from BBB and othe department stores.  Their prices are normally far less than other places too.

Happy shopping.

[CCL]

Thanks a lot. Now I'm thinking about all the Kitchenaid accessories Santa could be leaving under the tree for me. What I really like is this limited edition mixer.

www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/kitchenaid-commemorative-edition-stand-mixer-hobnail/?pkey=e%7Ckitchen%2Baid%2Bmixer%2Bbowls%7C39%7Cbest%7C0%7C1%7C24%7C%7C3&searchPfm=SEO 

[lurkyloo]

I have a 6 qt, I think it’s a Pro?  Bowl lift model, anyway-those were heavily recommended bc the head tilt version apparently used plastic gears that were prone to burning out.  Mine is maybe 3 years old; too big (although I understand you can get 3 or 3.5 qt bowls and accessories that fit this model) and I pretty much only use it for cookies at Christmas.  I use my Thermomix throughout the year for bread dough, pie crust, and other stuff instead.

Pretty sure the biggest use for mine is preventing me from worrying about whether I should buy one on Black Fridays 

[thyme4change]

If you have the right width cabinet, you may want to invest in this.

www.build.com/rev-a-shelf-ras-ml-hd/s663518?uid=1573616

You can keep the mixer in the cabinet, but still have easy access. It also leaves the counter free for all your ingredients.

[justme]

Dec 5, 2019 18:58:38 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Dec 5, 2019 17:56:29 GMT -5 CCL said:

If you are going to be lifting it up and down, be aware they are heavy.

Yes, I am aware of that and will consider that in my final decision.       I can guesstimate how hard it will be to move it around - the stat's on the different ones do say how much they weigh. 


I was really have trouble determining if the bigger bowl size with a typical cake or cookie recipe  wouldn't mix the stuff well (too big a bowl and too little ingredients).     It appears that I will be OK with the 5qt sized bowl.     

Good information here! 

 

Honestly, 5qt isn't that big. You're probably using about that size to make stuff as it is. I just looked in my cabinet and grabbed the bowl I would use if I was using my hand mixer - it's 5qts! Anything smaller would splatter the cake batter everywhere using a hand mixer.

[CCL]

Agree. My 5 qt. mixes any amount well. It doesn't matter if it's a tiny amount. It still mixes it just fine.

I remember when I first got mine I was amazed that I didn't even need to scrape the sides of the bowl. It seems to be calibrated perfectly to mix everything yet not touch the bowl while doing it.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I also started with a Kitchen Aid Classic about 15 years ago. It was nice to have a stand mixer, but i twas too small for anything heavy or doubled. When my DH started making bread dough with it about five years ago, it literally walked off the counter. I actually have a video of that. (We did stop it before it actually jumped off.) 

Then we purchased during the annual Costco sale the Pro6500 with a 6-quart glass bowl. I do love the glass bowl, but it is heavy on its own. We do have a hand mixer still for little projects. I hate having anything on my counters, but I do leave the Kitchen Aid on the counter tucked next to the fridge. We use it often enough that I don't' want to pick it up and put it away at least once per week. My SIL actually keeps hers in the garage and gets it out from there when she needs it. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

We have the largest professional model you can buy.  If we need to whip up smaller things (like whipped cream) we have a smaller bowl, whisk and paddle attachment for these.  Both work equally well.  .  

[Sharon]

Both my Mom and my Aunt have a classic model and complain that the flour and stuff flies out of the bowl because the sides aren't as high.  I have an artisan and don't have that issue with the larger bowl.

[gambler]

As my wife would say "the bigger the better". Wondering if she is really talking about mixers

[sesfw]

We have one of the original KitchenAid mixers and it is heavy.

DHs DW#1 bought it in the 1990s and we still have it.  DH has used it for cookie making each Christmas so he gets to pick it up from the bottom cabinet.  It's too tall to fit in the appliance garage on the counter.

We don't do a lot of baking so hidden away is fine with me.

[thyme4change]

Mine is also unsteady with bread dough. I stand there and hold it. Maybe I can hand down mine when my daughter gets her first apartment and then I can step up into the better one y'all are talking about.

[finnime]

I have and use heavily the largest Pro version. It lives on my counter. I have had no problems with small amounts getting properly mixed - even just 2 eggs or 1/2 c whipping cream beat up fine. The largest single item I've made in one batch is a cake that needed 12 cups of flour. That was pushing it, but it worked. The attachments are purely awesome, too. I have arthritis in my hands and use the mixer to cut butter into flour for pie dough. Works great.

I also have and use a hand mixer and an immersible blender, handy to use in addition to the mixer when I'm baking large orders of things like quiche/cookies/pies/cakes.

I used to have the smaller, 5 quart tilt-head, that now resides at my DD's. It was underpowered for my needs but seems okay for her.

[pooks]

I have the professional 600, which has a 6 qt bowl.  Love it and have never had a problem with it.  We use it at least once a month and DH makes pizza dough with it.  It mixes smaller batches easily.  I wouldn't want to move it though, so mine sits on the counter.

I chose the professional model, because at the time I was buying one, Kitchenaid was having problems with the gears in some models.   

[dannylion]

Finally had time to evaluate the integration of my new 5-quart bowl-lift stand mixer into the existing community of small appliances in my kitchen.  As others have discovered before me, it is large and heavy (considerably larger and heavier than the Classic model I had before), so I think it will have to live on the counter.  Otherwise, I would probably use it very rarely because it would be difficult to drag it out from the bottom cabinet (which is the only one with room for it) and put it on the counter or the island.  So, I just ordered a nice cover for it from Etsy.  It's purple.  It has pockets.  

[Tiny]

Thanks for all the good info and opinions/observations.