is it worth buying magic mill dlx (or bosch) if i have a hobart manufactured kitchenaid
was about to purchase a new mixer when my mom said hey you guys can have mine i dont use it anymore. so i check it out and it's one of them "old-school" kitchen aids from back when they were hobarts! i know these machines are powerful so my question is this: i make challah dough (for those who dont know the term it's a type of dough made with high gluten flour that can be pretty tough to knead) once (sometimes twice) a week, and occasionally a pizza dough or artisan bread recipe. when i make challah i use 5 lbs of flour. every time. the other recipes vary, but are usually smaller. our current kitchenaid (a nice new one we got for a present a few yrs back) absolutely cannot handle it so we have been borrowing a neighbors bosch every week for a couple months now, but its time we got our own machine. i know there is a lot of talk about how the old kitchen aids were powerhouses (it certainly weighs more than double my "modern" kitchenaid) so can i just stay with it for these tough jobs? or am i just asking for trouble, and the smart thing to do would still be to get a new machine (like a bosch or magic mill)? i dont so much need advice on which new machine to get, there is a lot of discussion about the merits of different machines available, but i haven't really seen this issue addressed directly, so here it is. any help is appreciated, thank you!
I think it boils down to capacity. I had a KA 4.5 qt mixer that I used for 30 years or so until I passed it along to one of my kids when I decided I needed a bigger machine. I used that KA for some seriously heavy doughs, so if you are happy with the quantity of loaves you can make from it, why change?
If you want to make more dough at one time than you can in a 5-quart bowl without climbing the hook and getting into the works, the answer is yes. Even if the old Hobart-made KitchenAids had enough power and strength, you are still faced with the problem of capacity without climbing the hook. I recently made the move to one of the aforementioned machines and love having the ability of easily doing two to three times the quantity of dough that I could in my 5-quart bowl-lift KitchenAids.
You can just use it until it is no longer adequate for your needs - For any reason... Then, if needed, spend the money you would if you bought the new one now...
Just a thought..
Ron
I think Cyberider has it right. The Hobart mixers topped out at 5 qt (Model K5A if I remember) which, while it would handle the load of mixing a stiff dough, might not handle the volume of dough that would result from 5 lb of flour.
By the way, the mixer that you refer to as magic mill no longer goes by that name, nor is it a DLX, nor is it Electrolux. There has been some combination of brand ownership change and importer change (and I think Electolux actually spun off the product - though it is still made in the same place). It is now just the Assistent (sic) N28. I found a history of the product on the web but I didn't save the link. In the nordic countries it carries a 10-yr warranty, but when it gets to the US that becomes a 1-yr warranty. In any case, it sure cleans up easily (and of course handles big loads too though somebody here on TFL was having a problem with getting it to knead a 53% hydration bagel dough).
Doc
I bake every weekend and usually make recipes that are 3-6 cups of flour per batch and I make 2-4 batches of different breads. It handles this range pretty well though on the top end (6-7 cups) it does tend to climb the hook with some of the doughs.
If you are routinely making large batches of dough get the tool that is appropriate for the job. Not fair to keep borrowing your neighbors and putting mileage on their machine if you know it will be an ongoing need. Think of all the fun to be had!
indeed you are correct ^_^ that's why we are getting our own!
firstly thank you all for the wonderful responses (and fast too!) i decided to go for it, and me and my wife found a lightly used dlx 9000 on craigslist for a delicious price so happy about that ^_^
since from this point onwards i plan on using my kitchenaid for only light duty (small light doughs, cakes, meringues etc.), as i have been doing until now, is there any value for me to grab my mom's old hobart kitchen aid, or might as well stay with what i've got and no worries?
I have a 20 year old Hobart Kitchen Aid, which is an old friend and a DLX which I purchased a couple of years ago. I use them both. The Kithcen Aid I use for smaller batches of dough and the DLX for large batches. For large batches of dough I use the DLX exclusively. The DLX is a terrific machine and easily handles up to 8.5 lbs of dough per batch. I typically bake twice weekly and usually make 8 - 8.5 lbs of dough. The DLX is very gentle with the dough and unlike the Kitchen Aid never heats up under a heavy load. With large batches I use a wooden spoon (or rubber spatula) to keep the dough from "climbing" up the rod type dough hook on the DLX, but that's not a big problem. They're both great machines and each has their uses and advantages. Here's a photo of the DLX after mixing 8.5 lbs of fairly high-hydration dough, which after bulk fermentation I divided in half and shaped into two kilo (4.4 lb) loaves.
Howard
I, too, work with both the KA and an Assistent. I love them both, choosing between them based on the volume of dough I'm going to make. For example, I regularly make three loaves of challah with dough that uses 9-10 cups of flour. For that recipe, I use the DLX. If I'm making only one large loaf of any bread I'll use the KA.
This may just be me, but I have discovered by first purchasing a KA 5 qt pro model 25 years ago that I could do things I couldn't easily accomplish by hand. Then when I purchased the DLX a few years ago I found I could develop larger quantities of dough. Then as my knowledge of baking improved and I learned about folding, I learned all I really needed was a large bowl, scraper and a timer, and the bread was better. OK, I hear all the bagel bakers saying you can't do that with a 58% hydration stiff dough. But aside from that one product which you can mix by hand albeit with some effort, today I would say the $900. USD you have to lay out for both machines would be better spent elsewhere. My 2 cents.
Eric
I have had my KA for 22+ years (I think it's a K5A) and it's still going strong after many, many batches of dough and other things. I worry when I hear about KA's breaking down, but it seems to be machines much newer than mine. I don't push mine to the limits, and it has certainly given me faithful service over the years.
Just curious if it may be a Hobart-built one?
The accessories (i.e the meat grinder and the grater--the plastic housings have cracked) have not held up well, but the mixer is fine.
If Hobart made your mixer, the Hobart name will be on the mixer. Kitchenaid was sold by Hobart to Whirlpool in 1986 and that is when the decline in quality began. From what I read that decline has not yet stopped.
Jeff
My Kitchen Aid is a Model K5A, made in Troy Ohio by Hobart. If your Kitchen Aid was made by Hobart it should have the Hobart name on the upper body of the mixer near the speed control lever. My wife reminded me that my Kitchen Aid is more like 30 years old. Time flies.
A number of years before I bought my DLX (Assistent), I purchased a second bowl for my Kitchen Aid, which allowed me to make double batches of dough, 5 quarts (+ or -) in each bowl.
It's true, Kitchen Aid mixers just aren't the same quality machines they were when Hobart built them...not even close.
Like Janknitz, I've had my KA5SS for over two decades and have used it regularly, for bread and other baking and mixing -- and have never had a problem with it. So not all KA mixers are doomed just because they were not built by Hobart. Mine was not, yet it is going strong.
Jonathan
Jonathan,
I didn't mean to imply that all non-Hobart Kitchen Aid mixers are inferior. It's just that for the past few years I've read more than a few complaints about the quality, or lack thereof, with Kitchen Aid mixers. In fact, I was in Kitchen Gourmet at the local mall a while back and examined the quality of the K.A.s that they had on display. Very sad.
Anyway, if yours was made 20 years ago I'm sure it's a good machine. I still use mine regularly, love it and it's still a real workhorse, especially for mixing bagel dough.
Howard
I can see why you interpreted my comment as you did, but I didn't mean it as a reply only to your post. I've seen the same KA comments in many threads here. I just wanted to reassure anyone contemplating buying a KA that there are good KA mixers out there.
Jonathan
Jonathan,
I see that Hobart is still make the N50 mixer. It's listed for $2,137.00. Here's a link:
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/hobart-n50-5-qt-mixer-with-accessories/425N50%20%20%20%20%20%20GY.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping
Howard
just because i had both side by side (the hobart and the new one) i decided to do something really stupid, and see if i could hold back the motor from turning the dough hook with my bare hands (im a pretty strong guy) the hobarts felt like it was going to break my hands and fingers off if i ever again tried something so stupid stupid stupid. the new one i was able to hold, then i let go cause i thought the motor would break if i did it for more than a second.
nuff said?
(now im not saying this is the measure of a mixer, but it says something, i think.)
^_^