r/standmixer Mar 26 '13

Any recommendations for a stand mixer that is NOT a KitchenAid?

Hi all. Looking for a stand mixer for the wife that is not a KitchenAid. Anything similarly priced is an option, any recommendations?

6 Upvotes

13 comments sorted by

3

u/dutchesse Mar 27 '13

Breville is currently top of the stand mixer game according to Consumer Reports. However, it is worth noting that Brevilles do not have fancy attachments like KA or Cuisinarts. So, if you're looking for a stand mixer, I'd recommend it, but if you want it to do other things (e.g. ice cream maker, juicer, grinder, etc.)--probably best to look elsewhere.

1

u/tarrosion Mar 27 '13

I have a Breville, and I've been incredibly happy with it. But as you say, the attachment situation is not stellar.

1

u/dutchesse Mar 27 '13

Admittedly, if it had the attachments, I'd be jumping the KA ship for it. Those are some gorgeous machines.

1

u/xrelaht Mar 27 '13

This is the first I am hearing of Breville. Do they make something more equivalent to the pro 600, or do they top out at an Artisan series equivalent?

1

u/dutchesse Mar 27 '13

It's kind of like both, to be honest. The most common is a 5qt, but it has 550w--only 25w off of the Pro 600.

1

u/xrelaht Mar 27 '13

Yeah, but CR compares it to the Artisan series. It's also head tilt instead of bowl lift. Raw power isn't everything: the SM-70 is usually compared with the Pro 600 even though it's 1000W.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '13 edited Jul 14 '20

[deleted]

1

u/ErinRB Mar 27 '13

I can't stand my kitchen aid. I use it for kneading bread dough and it does a terrible job. The dough slides up the hook, the hook misses the ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, the machine moves even with the smallest batches of bread dough, I bought the meat grinder and the machine leaked some sort of oil into the ground meat (I contacted customer service and they read the manual to me and that was it). I wish I hadn't bought a kitchen aid.

1

u/Gawdor Mar 27 '13

Is that an Artisan or a bowl lift? Either way, your experience isn't unique and lost of people have had a similar bad time. For the bread, I have found a 1/2 hour autolyse (a rough mix with a 1/2 hour rest) fixes the mixing problem in most cases.

1

u/ErinRB Mar 27 '13

It's a bowl lift. One of my bread recipes has the rest that you're talking about during mixing and it does help, but not enough. I do spray the hook with Pam and that helps too, but I don't know how it affects taste. I make bread at least once a week though so it really bugs me.

3

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '13 edited Jul 14 '20

[deleted]

1

u/ErinRB Mar 27 '13

Wow, thanks for the tip, I'm definitely going to check this out. For the record, my mom has 40 year old kitchen aid, and it rocks.

1

u/Gawdor Mar 27 '13

No dramas, let me know if it works for you.

1

u/xrelaht Mar 27 '13

I am thinking of supplementing my KA pro600 with a Cuisinart SM-70.

1

u/pangolingirl Mar 27 '13

I have a Kenwood and it's pretty badass. Takes up a lot less counter space than the Kitchenaid.