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: Why do people love this mixer?
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm a SAHM who cooks almost all our meals and love to bake so I'm wiling to pay money for a quality machine that will make my life easier. This mixer isn't it! The design is horrible--unless you buy the extra pouring shield, it is nigh impossible to neatly add ingredients without turning off the mixer and removing the bowl. The beater-junk! The plastic chips off almost immediately, and heaven forbid you drop it. The bowl design is also terrible--there's a big hump at the bottom, which creates a well that causes dry ingredients to stay dry. This occurs even when I use just the bowl and a spoon to mix. Terrible!
And why do they only include one bowl? Every mixer I've ever bought came with two--a small and a large, which is very handy when mixing dry and wet ingredients separately. For the price they couldn't include one more steel bowl? Because of the one size and design of the beater movement, forget scraping the sides with a spatula. You'll have to remove either the beater or the bowl to do it with this design.
I have, however, had ok luck with the dough hook and making bread dough. Except that the dough hook's plastic is chipped along the seam, which is odd since I've used it maybe a dozen times. So while my motor hasn't burned out as others have complained, my bread has contained little flecks of white plastic coating.
I don't understand why people rave about KitchenAid mixers. I have a Cuisenart food processor--that's worth the money. It's clearly better than any other processor I've owned, I use it almost daily and it's still in perfect shape. But my KitchenAid mixer is a heavy hunk of junk that I can't even Craigslist because it's missing plastic on the attachments. I should have gotten a Sunbeam.
Customer Review: Lots of mixer for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd always wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer, but in the past they always seemed over my budget. I got by making batter by hand with a spoon, or with a small hand-held mixer that could handle single batches if the batter or cookie dough wasn't too thick. Amazon recently reduced the price of the classic 250W mixer to fit my budget, and there was a nice rebate to boot. I use it about twice a week to make French bread, quick breads (like banana bread), cookies, and waffle batter. I've thrown in up to eight cups of bread flour and the dough hook kneads the mixture with ease. In three to five minutes I have perfectly kneaded dough, and eventually two huge loaves of French bread for less than $1 of ingredients.
There seems to be plenty of power to spare, and this is only their basic, "entry level" mixer. I don't make two double batches every day, but for the average, nonprofessional, occasional baker, it's all one would ever need. The unit is easy to clean, just wipe it down after use. It is quite heavy, over 25 pounds, so this is not an appliance to pull out of a cabinet when needed. Better to give it its own permanent home on the countertop. On the other hand, the mixer is sufficiently heavy that it won't "walk" along the counter when kneading heavy dough.
The unit and attachments are easy to clean. My only suggestion would be to put a handle on the bowl (one can buy an extra bowl with handle as an accessory) to make it easier to seat/unseat the bowl on the base. I'm considering buying an accessory three quart bowl, which should be more convenient to use when making a single batch. Other than our coffee maker, this has quickly become the most-used appliance in the kitchen!
Customer Review: I Love it (and I got mine used!)
Summary: 5 Stars
I found my Kitchen Aid at a garage sale, believe it or not My older sister has always had one (since the early '70s) and I was somewhat envious of hers.
Mine is so old it probably made food and bread for the builders of the Pyramids. I think it's Harvest Gold or some other horrible '70s color but from day one she's worked like a champ!
I've turned people to the Kitchen Aid mixer and feel it's the absolute best money you could spend on a small appliances. The newer ones have attachments you can get that do everything except dress your kid (LOL)!
They are heavy, so make room on your counter. Heavy is good!
The best part of a Kitchen Aid? Their customer service is wonderful!! Really helpful, outstanding folks. When I bought mine, I needed to get a new paddle blade (it came with the original whisk attachment). I called the folks at Kitchen Aid and they told me all the stuff they STILL carried for my model!! "Yours isn't the oldest model we get questions for, " the nice rep said.
(And no, I don't work for them.)
I bought mine used about 5 years ago and use it every week. I make cookies, mix meatloaf, whip mashed potatoes, etc. I am Bread Challenged but I understand it's great for that as well.
I'd get a new one in a New York Heartbeat if this one dies, although I think I could send it back to the factory and they'd repair it.
Still made in America (thank you, Kitchen Aid!) and I recommend this mixer with no hesitation.
If I told you what I paid for mine, you'd die. Suffice to say, it is my best Garage Sale find EVER!
Customer Review: A mixer that is absolutely unbeatable
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm one of those lucky people who has a kitchen full of top-quality appliances because I love to cook. Over almost 50 years of preparing meals and catering parties for family and friends, I've worn out several mixers. When the last one gave out I decided to try the Kitchenaid. After all, the brand had produced a dishwasher that I loved and the mixer certainly seemed sturdy enough.Actually "sturdy" is an understatement; this is the most rugged, most solid mixer I've ever owned. It attacks the heaviest ingredients with efficient dispatch and never "walks" on the counter. On the other hand, it can be gentle with more fragile ingredients and processes. Its versatility is amazing.
The machine itself is no lightweight -- too heavy to move around much so it really needs to be easily accessible on top of a counter. Fortunately it's attractive enough to keep in full view!
There's a locking mechanism that attaches the bowl firmly to the base so it won't move when you turn the motor on. The three mixing attachments lock in place with a slight twist and are easy to remove. The paddle attachment is great for mixing cake and cookie batters, whipping potatoes, and blending any combination of ingredients. The wire whip incorporates air into egg whites or other blends with an impressive efficiency and the hook makes quick work of yeast doughs. It's easy to shift the speed lever even when the machine is operating so the cook has complete control of the process.
If you love to cook and you have a limited budget you can't go wrong if you splurge on this mixer. This machine is a winner.
Customer Review: Great product!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to say first of all KitchenAid makes great mixers of all kinds I love both my hand held and my stand Classic KitchenAids. I wanted to write this review to let individuals know KitchenAid makes multiple mixers for multiple jobs heavy and light. If your mixer is the Classic 250 you don't make bread with it everyday..Duha! Its really not made for that its a good sturdy everyday light mixer. You should have bought a bigger higher powered model they have Clasics, Arisan, Professionals, and Hand Helds and many others. I say this because there are so many people complaining about their mixers and its just not this brand. Read up on the mixer before you buy it and find out what it can handle before you purchase it. I have had my mixer for almost 20 yrs. I liked the ones they had in cooking class in high school so for Christmas I asked for one. Here I am almost 20 yrs. later with my mixer still going strong. I use it for many holidays, cookies, birthdays, and sometimes when I just want something baked homemade and my mixer handled it like a champ thank you KitchenAid. Makes cookies with the smoothest dough and cakes with ease I have made bread dough with my Classic and loved the results. I have also purchased an extra bowl and guard which eliminates splashing and allows you to add ingredents. And if your getting flour all over try adding less at one time and allow it to be blended in before you add more. I stress this seriously PLEASE buy the mixer and the power you need for the tasks you are going to do heavy or light and for the amount of dough, cakes and cookies you are going to make.