Tis the season for KitchenAid Mixers!
But let’s start this post off with some honest truth-telling. If I didn’t have a food blog, I don’t think I would own a KitchenAid mixer. 😱
Just some HONEST TRUTH-TELLING. I don’t bake very often and counter space is super limited in our tiny 0ld-house kitchen.
Rather than a stand mixer, I would go big on TWO kitchen appliances:
My recipes these days almost always use either the food processor or the blender. They are must-haves for healthy eating: textured vegetables, healthy smoothies, smooth creamy soups, flavorful sauces… but we’ve already talked at length about both of those and if you missed it, just click HERE FOR THE FOOD PROCESSOR and HERE FOR THE BLENDER. This is where my true kitchen appliance passion lies.
All The Love For My KitchenAid Stand Mixer
That being said, this post is about stand mixers, and a KitchenAid stand mixer is such a classic, iconic kitchen appliance for anyone who loves to bake. I think for a lot of people, their Kitchen Aid is to them what my food processor is to me. I literally just had this conversation with the girls at my dinner club – we swapped tips and tricks for how we each use our different appliances for different things and how we all COULD NEVER LIVE WITHOUT whichever one is our favorite – for me, the food processor, and for several of my friends, their KitchenAid mixers.
So since I’ve already come clean about the KitchenAid stand mixer being maybe #3-ish on my list of favorite kitchen tools ever, you must know that I had some excellent help with this post.
My friends, my sister, co-workers, random extended family members, the internet… all of the little nuggets of KitchenAid inspo that I’ve picked up over the last year and a half have most definitely been inspired less my by own genius and more by the collective genius my people.
Let me quickly introduce you to my own little Pinch of Yum MIXER FAMILY 👇
I have these two mixers:
I use them both regularly, although to be completely transparent, I probably wouldn’t have the stand mixer if KitchenAid had not supplied our POY operation with such a treasure.
The little baby hand mixer stays in the kitchen at all times (it’s my go-to for chocolate chip cookies which I am not sorry to say are probably the most frequently baked thing in our house).
And the big KitchenAid rotates between the kitchen counter, the basement, and friends’ and families’ houses. Yes, we loan her out quite a bit. And yes, she has a name. And yes, it’s Sally, obvi.
Okay, so a quick mixer overview.
*Note: The prices listed here were the prices at the time of publishing this post. These could change.
I registered for the SunBeam Electric Hand Mixer when we got married and it’s still alive and kicking almost 7 years later. Not bad for $20.
If you’re totally new to cooking/baking or stocking the kitchen for the first time ever, don’t buy the big KitchenAid mixer – get this starter one instead. I’d be willing to bet that it will cover 60-70% of your baking jobs, and bonus: you’ll get a nice arm workout while you’re at it. 💪
The one bad thing is that this little guy isn’t high-powered enough to handle some of the things that the KitchenAid stand mixer can handle, like bread dough, fluffy whipped cream, and meringue.
But if all you’re looking for is something for the cookies and cookies and cookies, it’s a winner!
This is the KitchenAid 7-Quart ProLine Stand Mixer, and it should be the one you should get if you bake bread every weekend and bake fancy things for dinner parties and maybe aspire to own a bakery or something. Where dose peeps at?
I have this one, and let me just say – it is a MIGHTY FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. It is extremely strong and I would be hard-pressed to find any baking project that it could not tackle head-on.
I frequently borrow it to my co-worker who uses it for batch after batch of beautiful homemade artisan bread – just boom boom boom – this machine cranks out the hefty loaves of dough like it’s nothing. She just texted me the other day to say she might be getting one of her own for Christmas, which is 🎉🎉🎉! but Sally will miss you, J.
This is the KitchenAid 5-Quart Artisan Stand Mixer, and I know I said if I didn’t have a food blog I probably wouldn’t buy a mixer, but let me just say that if I didn’t have a food blog and I was indeed going to buy a mixer, this would be it.
It’s a little smaller than the first KitchenAid I showed you, and it’s in their Artisan series instead of the ProLine, and bottom line: it is SO PERFECT for the regular home-bakers of the world.
If you don’t bake bread every weekend but you love baking enough to have a desire (er, NEED) for a stand mixer, look no further. Bonus points for the fact that it’s sparkly and pretty on the counter so it doubles as kitchen decor. 👌
This mixer has a 4.7 star rating from 4,762 reviews.
THAT IS A BIG DEAL. People love this mixer.
How To Use Your KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Getting right along with it now.
Whether you’ve had one for years, or just got one as a gift, or are self-gifting one for Christmas (no judgement) – here are 12 creative ways you can love your mixer!
#1: Meatballs
Recipe: Swedish Meatballs
Why it works well in the mixer: All I’m going to say is that anything that can do the job of mashing up two types of raw ground meat so that your hands don’t have to is A HERO in my book. KitchenAid: hero status achieved.
#2: Pizza Dough (Or Any Dough)
Recipe: Pizza Dough
Why it works in a mixer: Two words: DOUGH HOOK. That life-changing dough hook. It does all the work of kneading for you in a lovely contained space. Yassss.
#3: Guacamole
Recipe: Guacamole
Why it works well in a mixer: I actually love the process of making guacamole by hand in a normal dinner situation, but if and when I’m making it for a big group and need to mash 9 billion avocados, this is the way its done.
#4: Mashed Potatoes
Recipe: Mashed Potatoes
Why it works well in the mixer: Have you ever mashed that many potatoes by hand? Yeah. This is 100% more effortless and it still gives you excellently fluffy results. Case closed.
#5: Shredded Chicken
Recipe: none – just put cooked chicken breasts in there with the paddle attachment and turn it on low to shred!
Why it works well in the mixer: Hands-free shredded! Fast and easy! Dinner on the table in two and a half blinks! I love this hack.
#6: Quick Breads and Muffins
Recipe: Cinnamon Sugar Apple Muffins
Why it works well in a mixer: You don’t even have to think. Just add the wet, add the dry, and go. I also find this is a more effective way to get everything incorporated vs. using a hand mixer or stirring by hand without over-mixing (which can make your baked goods tougher). It helps me get everything mixed while doing as little mixing as possible. That totally makes sense, right?
#7: Cookies
Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies or Thick and Fudgy Double Chocolate Cookies
Why it works well in the mixer: When you’re making LOTS of cookies for, say, holidays in December (hint hint), this will be a lifesaver. Dump it all in, turn it on, and voila.
#8: Meringue
Recipe: Mini Meringues
Why it works well in the mixer: This is a perfect use for the whisk attachment! How adorable are you, making mini meringues?! The hand mixer cannot do this – it’s not high-powered enough. Leave this one to the STAND MIXER.
#9: Cakes
Recipe: Red Velvet Cupcakes (see also: buttercream frosting 😍)
Why it works well in a mixer: Same as the muffins, this works really well because you can avoid an over-mixing disaster while making sure everything gets totally incorporated – no flour streaks allowed.
#10: Buttercream Frosting
Recipe: Buttercream Frosting
Why it works well in the mixer: You could not get more perfect texture than this. It’s smooth, creamy, just the right amount of fluffy, and completely heaven-sent. Again – this is the kind of thing the hand mixer would struggle with, but the stand mixer can take it on NBD.
#11: Scones
Recipe: Bakery Style Blueberry Scones
Why it works well in the mixer: Cutting butter into scone dough by hand is hard. Cutting butter into scone dough using a stand mixer is better. 👌
#12: Creative Artisan Breads
Recipe: Cinnamon Swirl Bread (and variations of it)
Why it works well in the mixer: This is the recipe that my co-worker introduced me to and it might, by itself, be enough to justify the addition of a stand mixer to your home. You can make these loaves so effortlessly, and you can mix in cheeses, herbs, anything you could ever dream of, and they are beautiful and you will be a star. Done.
We also do a lot of whipped cream in the mixer, so that should at least get a mention, and on the flip side, it might also be worth mentioning that we tested homemade mayonnaise with the stand mixer for this post, and just… nope. I’ve also heard that you can make brown sugar in the mixer but I’ve never tried it – anyone know anything about that?
What else are we missing? Are there brands of stand mixers that you love?
My favorite thing about these posts is all the ideas that come in via comments and social media, so thanks for reading, writing, and sharing your awesome ideas! YOU ROCK. 👊
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Anyone reading this should not think they need the larger KitchenAid to make bread. My mom made bread weekly for our family of 8 (so probably multiple batches a week). She got hers (definitely not even 5 quart sized at that time although I think she upgraded to 5 quarts maybe 20 years ago?) sometime between 1965 – 1970 and probably made her last batch sometime last year. She is almost 97 years old and dementia has put an end to her bread making years. Her favorite thing to be able to do was bake bread, dinner rolls (Grandma rolls to her grand and great grand children), and breakfast rolls for her family.
Wondering what must have attachments you recommend for the artisan?
I’m torn between getting the stand mixer or the food processor! Should i get the 5qt mixer + the slicing attachment, or mixer + mini chopper, or food processor + hand mixer?
Love my KA stand mixer, even tho it is not the “big” one that I had when my family was young. I loved the shredder and grinder attachments back then. Recently, I thought I would give my arthritic hands a break, and ordered their new apple peeler/spiralizer attachment. So sad. Not worth the $$ or the frustration. Juice spattered in a 3 foot swath from wall to counter to floor, including me. So much skin and core left in the apple that it required a lot of hand work to “fix” each apple. Definitely not worth the $$ or the hassle. Too bad; so sad.
You can make butter in a stand mixer! I saw it on youtube and can’t wait to try it!
This is a nice post! Now I know what to do with my mixer, Thanks for sharing!
Hello LINDSAY,
Nice Blog post, and great pictures ^^
I told my hubby 2018 Christmas if he was going to get me anything all I wanted was a kitchen aid mixer!! Nothing else would do! Lol Well he came through for me!! In the form of his parents! They were gonna get me a gift card! Which I probably would have used to buy a mixer if there was enough lol But instead they got me my mixer!! I cried o was so happy!! This post makes me love it even more!! And mine you can add all sorts of attachments to which takes out all the hassle of buying different machines to do different things.. I’ve used my mixer several times since Christmas and I couldn’t be happier! Told my hubby sorry babe but this is the new love of my life!!! Lol Anyways thank you for the post been looking for other ways to try out my mixer! Now to get cooking!!! 😍😍😁😁
Love this ideias!! Thank you so much! I wanted one kitchen aid, but it’s so expensive and I don’t bake that often and my boyfriend just gave me one I was so happy and I’m so excited to start using it !!! Will totally use your ideas 🙂
I just got a new mixer for Christmas. Excited to use. Your Cinnamon bread link did not have instructions using a mixer. Is there another link?? Thx!!
Are you telling me I can’t make bread or buns or whipped cream in this thing cause I bought all ingredients to make dinner buns and I want to make bread and whip cream as well I got the whipped cream attachment and the hook and I was so exited to make dinner buns and whipped cream from scratch for a fruit salad I’ll be extremely disappointed if you tell me I can’t Mine is a 4.5 ultra will it work for what I want to do
I just got my first mixer yesterday for my birthday. I don’t know why I wanted one, but I did. My husband got it for me. I’m so excited to try something. I found your site and I will be coming back to it often. Thanks for doing the ground work for me. I will be using this at my lake house and blowing everyone’s mind with my cooking…(hopefully). Wish me luck!
I just purchased a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I’m even more Excited after seeing your suggestions and the probability of delicious foods to come !!!
When I pin the big image that’s supposed to lead to this blog post (the one with the post title on it), it actually leads to an Amazon page instead. You’ll need to fix that. It’s an unhappy surprise to think I’m going to find out how to use a mixer I already own, and instead get thrown to an Amazon page where I can just buy another mixer. ???
I really debated getting another kitchen aide as I sold mine when I did a big move.. now I really missed it so bought one yesterday on sale at Costco.. please keep the recipes coming .. that don’t require bread and so much sugar.. love the bread and sugar but trying to cut down
Often blogs have spaces pre-set for frequent use. This is one. While it is chatty and cute,it went on too long. Found my interest waning. In the detail section, she often ‘forgot’ to note which attachment to use(whisk,dough hook, etc.) which, for the newbie KA person, leads to guessing, not knowing. I’m a KA lover and enjoy this site daily!
Lindsay I follow you on IG, you are the BEST!! Your readers might be interested in the Precise Heat Mixer Bowl from KA, made for the stand mixer. Use it to make risotto, soups, fondue, etc (temps 70º-220ºF). If you ever get one, I’d love to know your thoughts on it! xx
I love my kitchenaid. I use the pasta attachment and spiral attachment also, I just couldn’t live without my kitchenaid stand mixer….ever…..I use it for everything, it’s made it so much easier to make any yeast bread with he dough hook.
I’ve got a great tip for your Kitchenaid stand mixer……it’s a must for me to keep it on my the counter so it’s always ready to use, but counterspace sometimes is an issue. So I decided to buy a simple/thin plastic placemat and made sure the counter was clean, added a pinch of flour and placed it under where I was going to use my stand mixer. I used a soft dry towel to wipe off any excess flour and placed the placemat on the area and placed my stand mixer on the placemat and pushed it back in that corner of the cabinet that’s hard to find anything to fit in. Then when I want to use my stand mixer, I just pull out the placemat and it slides right out to the edge of the counter for me to use and after cleaning up I can just slide it back to the back corner under the cabinets, on the counter. It’s always ready to use and it’s always out of the way, but easy to pull out to use and I still have my counter space.
Thanks for the great post – my brand new mixer (possibly Trixie) looks just like yours!! My real question is about your hand mixer, though: I’ve had to replace my $20 ones every 2 years or so because the attachments rust (even when I’m careful) and they don’t sell replacements. Has yours really lasted all this time with the original attachments?? If not, so they sell replacements?
Thank you for the info.on kitchen aid mixer.I just bought one to make cookies,bread and of course pizza.Thanks also for your honesty about being an affiliate.I wish you well and God Bless.
Greg
Hey, Lindsay (and others).
I just tried the artisan bread recipe in our brand new KitchenAid Stand mixer. The second batch turned out great (though not very pretty). The first batch, I had to toss. Can you comment on what might have gone wrong?
The first batch had some sort of silvery/dark residue in the dough when I used a plastic spatula to try to incorporate the flour/dough residue from the sides of the stainless steel mixing bowl back into the center of the dough mass. It was like I was scraping metal off the stainless steel bowl into the dough.
This was the first time I had used the new stand mixer, but I did a thorough cleaning of all the components before using it (though, it did sit around for a couple of days between the cleaning and the first use).
After tossing the first batch, and cleaning everything, again, I purposefully did NOT use the spatula to scrape any side material back into the dough mass, and did not see any signs of residue.
Have you, or any of your readers, experienced something like this with a new stainless steel bowl or new KitchenAid stand mixer bowls?
I have 4 kitchenaid and I bake every day today it pizza yesterday rye bread , baking is my passion
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Peeler, corer,slicer,spiralizer…best attachment ever! Potatoes, apples,etc are a breeze! QVC often has it on sale for $79..worth every penny.
Can’t wait to get my Kitchenaid 5 qt mixer.