KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer, White
Customer Review: Good mixer for light use
Summary: 3 Stars
Update: Mixer totally failed. The motor sparked and is done for. I definitely wouldn't buy another one of these and would downgrade my rating to a two.
The mixer is good for doing an occasional bread recipe, and for other light tasks like whipping cream, mixing mashed potatoes, etc, but if you use it to make heavy or dry breads on a regular basis it isn't suitable. When I first received the machine I loved it. I liked the high quality metal construction, the provided attachments, and the reputation of the KitchenAid name.
Throughout the first year I had no trouble with it. I used the machine once every month or so; I tried a few of the loaves of bread from the included recipe book. I really enjoyed the machine, and it is quite powerful for its rated 250 watts.
Then I bought this wonderful book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, by Reinhart. Only then did I realize how woefully inadequate this machine is for medium use. I started baking bread once a week, from a lighter ciabatta to heavy whole wheat breads and bagels.
The machine vibrates so much while mixing breads that I am afraid it is going to fall on the floor. The pin holding the tilt head on also works its way out, one of these days I am afraid it will fall out and the mixer head will fall off. While mixing dry doughs, like bagels, the motor strains so hard that it sometimes stops for 1 second at a time and makes buzzing noises before it finally is able to knead the dough. This causes excess heat in the motor that I am sure will cause premature failure (it has the electrical burn smell afterwards).
In the last few months the machine has quickly declined, and it is on its last limb. It is only a matter of time before the motor burns up or the gearbox fails. When it does fail I will probably fix it and keep it around as a meat grinder since it has the power take off unit that can run the meat grinder attachment. One of the nice things about these mixers is they are completely serviceable, but I will replace it with a DeLonghi (Kenwood) DSM7 that is better suited for my kneads (pun intended).
As I said, this mixer is excellent for light use, and for a single loaf (or 2 small loaves) of bread at a time. If you intend to bake bread frequently, it would be wise to invest in something heavier duty. If I only used it for light use, I would have rated it a 5.
Customer Review: A workhorse, but...
Summary: 4 Stars
I inherited a Kitchenaid stand mixer that was already about four or five years old at the time, and have enjoyed using it these past seven and a half years. It has performed very well. Along with the mixer that came to me was a box of slicing and grating attachments that I never used until a few weeks ago when I finally gave up in frustration on trying to make my food processor work in spite of a faulty bowl and bowl cover. As a last resort I turned to those attachments as a substitute for the food processor.
Sure enough, the attachments did the jobs I needed them for, but grating carrots, for example, required a lot of elbow grease, since I had to apply a considerable pressure to the pushers to get the carrots to go through. In addition to that, I found that when the grating/slicing attachments were added to the front of the mixer the entire assembly became unstable and with each press of the pusher the entire mixer would try to topple over on me. I found myself having to rest one forearm on the motor housing to keep it upright while I exerted pressure on the two halves of the pusher with both hands to force the carrots through to the shredding device.
Grinding meat with the meat grinding attachment was a better experience, since the meat entered the grinder from a different angle leaving the machine more stable during that process. I notice when I'm in the stores that today's Kitchenaid mixers are configured just as my older one is, so I can't picture how they might have corrected the problems I have described above.
If you are looking for a powerful, effective stand mixer to use for bread dough or cake mixes, you will be pleased with the Kitchenaid, but if you have limited counter space and are considering buying the attachments hoping to get double duty out of your mixer instead of cluttering up your counter with a food processor, too, then you would do well to look for something with a better, more stable design.
Customer Review: I own this one, I also bought one as a gift
Summary: 5 Stars
I actually bought this same "bottom of the line" KA 4.5 quart white Stand Mixer about 6 or 7 years ago from a local store during the January clearance sales so I talked my husband into buying it since my birthday was coming up. He was just learning to cook and we really didn't have a good mixer - just a double beater hand mixer that was old and the "cheapest model" back then (probably 25 years old back when we bought our KA). He couldn't imagine using a stand mixer but after using it a few times for various pancake batters, omelets, and other "light" cooking projects, he really liked it and has never regretted the price.
I already owned a breadmaker so I hadn't even tried to use mine with the bread hook or to make bread with it. I'm happy to read the other people's experiences because I will watch out for that and see if we have a similar issue. Will doubtless continue to use my breadmaker though...
I grew up using my mom's old Sunbeam stand mixer so that's one of the reasons I wanted one, but I didn't like the two beater version and had enjoyed the Kitchen Aid when I tried out the one that a friend had. Her mixer eventually died and so when this went on sale this past November or December, us kids went in on one and delivered it to her. She loves it for the cookies and cakes that she frequently makes (she's always preferred to make her bread by hand, kneading it herself!!).
So for most things that a smaller family might need, this is probably more than adequate. But if you are into the "Artesian Breads" (think King Arthur Flour and their bread recipes!!) or other projects, you'll likely want to invest in the professional models like you see on TV.
I've also seen elsewhere on Amazon some cool graphics you can stick onto the mixer head and stand (like "flame" styles you'd see on a car or a cycle) so if this one is too boring a color, you might consider some decal enhancements! ;-)
Customer Review: Don't believe the hype
Summary: 2 Stars
Granted, I am not a professional cook (I only cook for my family and for the occasional guests), and there are many glowing reviews of this appliance, but I would not buy this KitchenAid mixer again.
1) It is very heavy. That's good for not bouncing around on the counter, but I have to move mine from the pantry to the counter, and it is extremely heavy. 2) I do not think that it mixes ingredients well. I always have to scrape the sides and get under the dough because there is often unmixed flour at the bottom. 3) My kids (5 and 7 years) like my old-fashioned MixMaster because they can see through the clear bowl and enjoy watching the ingredients mix. The KitchenAid has a metal bowl that is obviously not see-through and has to be hand washed. 4) The beaters must be hand washed. 5) Reaching into the bowl is a task, unless you don't mind being covered in batter. The bowl is narrower at the top, so there is not much room to get a spatula between the sides of the bowl and the beater. 6) Adding ingredients while the mixer is going is also a pain because of the narrow shape of the bowl. 7) You can get a splash-guard sort of plastic device through which to pour wet or dry ingredients. But why should I need a device for a mixer? There should be room enough to pour ingredients directly in. Also, then I have to store these plastic pieces, and they do not fit into the mixer.
My mother says she likes making bread with her KitchenAid which I haven't tried. But for making cookies, cakes, mashed potatoes, etc., I would not recommend the KitchenAid.
It blows my mind that so many people have bought into this mixer with its many inconveniences. I just pulled out the KitchenAid to give it one more try making cookies and was again disappointed. Next time, I'll stick to my cheap old MixMaster. Besides, my 2 girls each get to enjoy a beater a-piece with that one!
Customer Review: My favorite kitchen tool!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had a Kitchenaid for a couple of years now and recently purchased this model as a gift for a friend. She had threatened to take mine home with her after housesitting for me a few months back so I figured it was a perfect surprise for Christmas. I was right - she loved it!
I selected this model because she has limited counter space and it's a little smaller and lighter than the other models I had looked at. My aunt has had the same model for a number of years and uses it almost daily so I know it's durable. The only shortcoming it has is something I had not noticed before - the bowl does not have a handle and that makes it somewhat more difficult to remove and hold when pouring. I think that you can purchase a handled bowl seperately but that's going to add to your bottom line so you'll want to keep that in mind when comparing models.
Kitchenaids are HEAVY! The metal construction can make them hard to lift for people with limited strength and the flip-up head requires a good amount of space when open. It probably won't clear your upper cabinets so it's going to have to out in the open for use. Fortunately it is easy to push/pull once you have it located on the counter so you can pull it out for use and push it back when your done. There are heavy rubber feet to protect your surfaces.
Overall I think this is a good choice for even an advanced cook. The mixing action is superior to the brands I had owned before and it's "Made in America"! That point alone would get me to purchase another Kitchenaid! If you're looking for something more than basic white you'll have to fork over a few more bucks for the Artisen but that model has a handled bowl with a splash guard so the costs may about even out.
Having said that I'd buy this mixer again in a heartbeat!