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: How did I cook without this??
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to think that Kitchenaid mixers were something that only grandmothers had in their kitchens to make cake with, until a few years ago when my sister got one and couldn't stop raving about it. Well, I got one too for Christmas a couple of years ago, and this little baby is great. You can get a lot of use out of this for so many tasks, from compound butter (anything with butter that needs to be creamed) to ethereal whipped cream, to egg whites, and there is also an attachment for yeast doughs. I used to make shortbread pastry by hand, but not anymore, the finished product comes out so nice and looks so much more professional. I want to cook more since I have my Kitchenaid; it makes all of those "little tasks" so much easier. I have also found that its powerful motor helps it to pulverize certain ingredients that are usually put in a food processor. While it is not interchangeable with a food processor, it is very versatile, and for those of you that are really hardcore, there are a bunch of attachments that you can purchase ( I have not quite ascended to that stage myself) The money spent on this machine is definitely worth it. Every penny. oh yeah, and this is really solidly built.Customer Review: I Never Realized Until I Got One.
Summary: 5 Stars
For years I had been cooking by using a great big bowl and a sturdy silver spoon to mix everything. I never realized the wonder of these KitchenAid mixers until I got one for myself. No longer do I have to struggle through thick doughs whether it be for bread, cookies, and pie crusts. My arms can have a rest while cooking and the KitchenAid does the work for me. It also helps conserve time, because while it is mixing, you can move to another spot of the kitchen and work on something else such as; getting the pie filling ready while the dough is mixing.Anyone who finds themself using a spoon and a big bowl often to stir should round up some money to get one of these.
They come in different sizes, and many different colors such as black, white, and red. That way if you get one, you can get it to match your kitchen. It's easy to use as putting the ingredients in, plugging it in, and pressing a button.
You see these used on cooking shows time and time and again. Why not have a KitchenAid for yourself? If you cook a lot, or even just a little, you owe it to yourself.
It is costly, but really helps in the kitchen. The name practically says it all: it's a Kitchen Aid.
Customer Review: Ok middle of the road mixer
Summary: 3 Stars
I owned this model for about 5 years and only used it occasionally. I had all the attachments, including the pasta accessories, but never used it for anything but mixing the occasional loaf of bread or batch of cookies. I did try to mix a large batch of rolls for Thanksgiving and realized the 4.5 qt bowl was entirely too small. My mom always made this same roll recipe, but she had a bosch and still has it 25 years later. This kitchenaid model won't handle the large recipes, so to avoid frustration, don't even attempt it. After about 5 years, I decided to try the pasta attachment. The motor became very labored and would quit periodically, but I did get a small batch of pasta. The second time around was my last. The motor burned up and to my disappointment, I realized it would be more economical to purchase a new mixer with a better quality motor than to try to fix the one I had.
Bottom line, for those of you who just like to piddle around in the kitchen and bake occasionally, this mixer will probably work fine for a couple years. For those of you who want a good, high quality mixer that will hold up and stand the test of time, go for a Bosch.
Customer Review: Hard to use if you aren't strong
Summary: 2 Stars
I have had this Kitchenaid mixer for nearly 7 years. I bought it because the high-powered Mixmaster, which I preferred, was not available at that time for a period of about 5 months in my area. While it is solid, and on many jobs does a decent job, it is very hard to use. The bowl is very hard to remove after mixing something, unless you lubricate it frequently, and even then is anything but a simple task. On top of that, its highest speed is pretty slow; fast enough for a lot of things, but not even close to the speed of hand mixers. It gets a lot of praise for its dough making ability. I have used it for that, and have no problem with it, but there are better ways to make bread, and I haven't used the Kitchenaid for bread if four years. People use stand mixers for cakes and cookies much more than bread. Being confined to the one large bowl is also a problem, as compared with the Mixmaster. Some mixing is better done in a small bowl.
Having put a lot of money in it, I am reluctant to buy a different one, but if I could give the Kitchenaid to someone who would appreciate it, I would do so, and buy a higg-powered Mixmaster.
Customer Review: KitchenAid "Classic" K45 has some drawbacks
Summary: 4 Stars
I have the KitchenAid "classic" mixer (4.5 quart bowl) and have found that without a plastic chute that allows you to pour ingredients into the bowl as you mix, you must stop the mixer and raise the beater each time you add another ingredient. If you try to add ingredients such as flour or eggs without stopping the machine and raising the beater, you risk a miss, a mess, and damaged fingers. A newly designed one-piece chute is now available for some KitchenAid mixers, and this would help considerably. Another problem with the KitchenAid is that ingredients at the bottom of the mixing bowl, the "dimple," don't always get mixed in, even if you try to loosen them with a spatula (after shutting off the mixer and raising the beater!). However, purchasing a special beater with a silicone covering that reaches into the dimpled area on the bottom of the bowl and also scrapes the bowl sides cleanly and continuously has solved this problem for me. Better mixing results in better baked goods, and I expect to rely on my KitchenAid mixer for a long time to come. It's been a real workhorse in my kitchen for 15+ years and counting.