Goomba wrote:
> Janet wrote:
>> Goomba wrote:
>>> I'm seeing some great deals on Kitchaid stand mixers. Does anyone
>>> have any input on their's? Size? Horsepower? Features?
>>> What do you like or dislike about yours?
>>
>> I have a 5qt. It's great for big jobs such as tiered cakes. I use it
>> to make bread frequently (making bread eventually almost killed the
>> Cuisinart due to leakage around the stem turning to cement). Having
>> one of those shield thingies that helps prevent flour from being
>> thrown around is essential. Things I wish I had: the sausage grinder
>> attachment and an extra bowl. There are only two real problems with
>> it: it is too tall to fit in the appliance garage, so it has to sit
>> out on the counter, and it is not ideal for recipes that start out
>> by whipping a small number of egg whites or yolks. (5 or more is
>> fine, 1 or 2 is too little liquid to readily engage the beater).
> Ah ha. VERY helpful input, thank you! Does your mixer utilize the
> "bowl lift" or a "tilt" head? Are the blades/hook plastic or metal?

Mine is a lift model. The whisk is stainless, and the dough hook and beater
are metal coated with some kind of white enamel. The bowl does have a
handle, BTW. Mine dates to 1993. I've had it in for servicing once in that
time....it was quite a while ago, so it's hard to recall what the issue was.
Maybe the gears were stripped or something. <G> In any case, no problems
since then.

Despite what the other Janet says, despite the application of copious common
sense, mine DOES sometimes throw flour around at first even at the lowest
power setting unless I use the shield.