August 15, 2020 - 11:12pm
Very Disappointed in KitchenAid
I had never used a KitchenAid before, I thought they were kind of a reputable brand (apparently I didn't do my research), so I got myself a KA Artisan Mini (the 3.5qt model) for my apartment. It's abysmal. Simply put: This machine absolutely can't knead. It came with the straight (rather than spiral) dough hook which is a total nightmare. The dough is completely stuck to the hook and keeps climbing over the guard. My dough was over-kneaded before I could get window pane. How is that even possible? Any 100$ Chinese stand mixer easily outperforms it. Even the weird gear noises sound like whimpering. No sign of any R&D effort because they didn't even try.
What is the purpose of existence for a stand mixer then, if it fails to knead?
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I've been using a KitchenAid Pro 600 for years and I love it. It has the sprial kneading attachment and can handle all my doughs, with the exception of a 3-loaf 100% whole wheat (which is understandable). I used to have a model just below it, which has the curved dough hook and a smaller motor. That one did have some dough-climb, and I did have some difficulty with denser doughs. I think that the model you have, despite the dough hook, just doesn't have the power for a good knead.
Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. Unfortunately on my model, small-batch performance is just as bad. I am looking forward to try the Bosch MUM9 now.
Bosch is a very good brand, and when my KitchenAid dies that will be my next purchase.
I have a KitchenAid Classic, and it's perfect when all stars are aligned. Meaning right dough amount and hydration, usually around 500 g flour, 70%+ hydration. Anything significantly less or drier becomes a struggle, but with a little help it usually works just as well. My donut dough is 58% hydration and the KitchenAid can work it once I force it a little ;)
To be fair, KitchenAid is more an allrounder than a specialized dough kneading tool (like Ankarsrum) - great for whipping, mixing, combining, but only somewhat useable for developing gluten (again, depends on the dough). So I can understand your frustration.
But luckily in the world of bread baking and especially sourdough you can get away with little hand kneading or no kneading and still get great breads.
does the job wonderfully. I really dont enjoy hand kneading and have a mixing regimen with hook that that very consistently brings dough to just about perfect window pane every time. hook seems the the most reliable way to go !
Only recently did I get a Kitchen Aid Artisan as a gift. I've been making two loaves of whole wheat by hand every 10 days or so for years. I had to change my routine a bit before I succeeded making bread with the KA. I add all the liquid into the bowl first before the flour and keep the speed very slow throughout. My leavening is sourdough which goes in the mixer first, followed by approximately 600 grams by weight of liquid. This is "stirred" slowly in the mixer. To this I add scoopful by scoopful 880 grams by weight of whole wheat flour. Speed never goes above 1. I do have a spiral dough hook. I find that I sometimes have to add either more liquid or a tad more flour, depending on the environmental conditions, but it does work.
Got a baby KitchenAid. They come in all sorts of version. My hubby and daughter got me the Proline version which I’d just below their commercial offerings. As long as I stick to speeds 1&2, I have no issues. The clicking with stiffed doughs is normal. KitchenAid states only up to speed 2 for doughs. I do 4 batches of 4 and a half pounds back to back and my machine get a bit warm but not hot. I believe it’s rated for 8 lbs but I think this would be pushing it. Maybe 8 lbs of cake batter...
Hello, I notice that you have one of the mixers with the clicking sound. It seems that this happens a lot, but does anybody know why it happens? I know KA will say it's normal, but I've read where people have returned their mixers because of this. I have a Hobart-days KA, still working well, but I am thinking of replacing it with either the KA Commercial 8-quart or the Kenwood Titanium 7-quart. Both have stainless steel bowl tools and both seem very strong. Apart from the clicking, are you happy with your KA? Thank you.
For me, it’s an audible reminder not to overload the machine. It doesn’t do it with thinner batters or doughs. My hydration for doughs is usually 75% and it does click then but I worry more about overheating the motor, and so far so good.
Sorry you're having trouble with the Mini. I have a 5-quart KA from the Hobart spec days. Still loving it, and it is a terrific all-purpose mixer. It's too bad you hadn't seen Amy's review of the Mini. She put it through its paces, and apart from whipping cream, she wasn't overly fond of the results for cookies or bread. Her issues seemed to be around the way the paddle and hook handle ingredients in the bowl. Not sure if I can post the video link, but I will try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mImXY_tvFo
she doesn't know to hit the outside of the bowl with a propane torch. works wonders when butter is climbing the sides.
FWIW I have a 25 year-old four-quart KA which is fine for one loaf (500g flour plus whatever). If I were buying again I'd probably get a 6 or 7 quart version, despite the cost. My general rule for buying appliances with motors is to figure out exactly how much power I need for my application, and then double that and get the appropriate model. Rarely have I lamented that I had too much capacity.
Generally, that's how it works.
I would not recommend the mini KitchenAid if you are doing artisan bread. Mini, I would use for cakes, mixing breads like quick breads. Making crackers, cookies and anything else that doesn't require a lot of flour for breads
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I’ve very seldom used my Kitchenaid mixer for bread unless it was an enriched bread to which I need to add butter for example or if I’m making sourdough pizza dough. For those purposes it has been quite effective so long as you only use speed 1 or 2 max. I wouldn’t go any higher or else you’ll burn out the gears. A majority of my breads are done by hand.
My Kitchen Aid and I have an understanding. I don’t demand too much from him and he will work his ass off to meet those basic needs until the day he dies. So far it’s working out ok for the both of us.
I don’t work with very stiff dough. My only complaint is that I can’t make a bigger batch at once. But then I don’t have room for a ginormous machine either.
The models with the bowl lift are capable of making bread dough while the ones that have the head that folds up sound tortured.
Thanks for all your perspectives. Some people seem to think it's a power issue, which it isn't. It's a design issue through and through. First of all, any mixer motor has way more power available than the typical human has. Secondly, the KA Artisan Mini performs just as badly even if the batch size is very small. If a stand mixer can't knead, it has no value; producing a machine that processes cake batter, cookies and whipping DOES NOT require any skill or effort from the designer.
If anyone is looking for a mixer that can make bread, I highly recommend the Bosch MUM9. I just received it yesterday and it's already my all-time favorite mixer. small or large batch, white or whole wheat, low or high hydration, weak or glutenous, you name it. Too bad they haven't released it to the US market though.
My KA is an old Hobart K4B. I picked it up at the side of the road. It needed a new cord. It also needed a bowl. I got the mounting fixture for a more recent model, and a six quart bowl. With some drilling and tapping, it works. I have been pleased with the way it works. It is just a little noisey. I bought a new 10 quart mixer because of the volume limits of the old one, but I have no complaint about its function.
We beat on our K5A for 20 years commercially, but we didn't mix bread dough in it, thats outside its design scope.
thats why we had 5 qt, 20 qt and 60 qt mixers. each do what the other can't.
I just started a few days ago with an 'old' Kitchen Aid Classic that has been sitting here for 25 years with little use.
For last 22 years I've used 4 Welbilt bread machines. (1998 vintage) Have been using same machines except changed paddles and pots. Machines still work fine, but no more pots or paddles. Pots have worn bearings and put black grease residue in bread or bearings freeze up. Paddles are worn and have been putting small amounts of Teflon and pot metal into bread over the years. So looking for a decent mixer to make 4 to 6 loaves a month. And stainless non-Teflon construction.
When younger I made about 6 to 8 loaves a month with the bread machines religiously. Bear in mind these bread machines I'm using are so old they use vertical heavy duty cast pots not the cheap stamped out horizontal pots they have been using for years. These machine are almost from the very beginning of the bread machine era. Just before these machines they had removable bearings / paddles that came out of the pot in the bread. (From what I recall.)
The KA mixer did not impress me for bread. Smells of oil and heats up pretty hot with 20 min plus of kneading. Only used it for 2 batches so far. Worked OK for bagel dough and 80% whole wheat bread dough. Don't know how long KA will hold up before it dies.
I hate kneading doughs by hand. Sure, it is fun novelty with the first few loaves, but not for me for 2 decades. I just want bread and have other things to do. When we had the yeast shortage due to virus I got back into sourdough. Had not fooled with it for years. I used to make a nice Bavarian rye sunflower seed sourdough in the early 2000's. Can't buy any rye flour here to save your life any more.
Well, hope I can find a decent, affordable mixer that holds up.