I have a Kenwood Chef, bought for me by my husband in 1973, and still working perfectly. I broke the original pyrex-type bowl and replaced it with a new plastic one and I replaced the whisk beater as one of the wires snapped. When it was bought it cost £24.99 (about 50 dollars) but they now cost ten times that! I also have a Kenwood hand mixer which I use for small jobs but I wouldn’t like to be without my stand mixer for big mixes especially my Christmas cake which I have made this week. Do you have fruitcake as a Christmas cake in the USA?
Do you have fruitcake as a Christmas cake in the USA?
Yes, some people in the US do make fruitcake at Christmas, but I think more people joke about receiving and re-gifting the same fruitcake year after year because nobody wants to eat it.
I suppose I’m primitive, but surprise, I don’t own a stand mixer. I’ve had success using a hand mixer for regular-size batches of cakes and buttercreams, but I would be up a creek if I ever had to make a wedding cake. I knead all of my bread by hand.
I suppose I’m primitive, but surprise, I don’t own a stand mixer. I’ve had success using a hand mixer for regular-size batches of cakes and buttercreams, but I would be up a creek if I ever had to make a wedding cake. I knead all of my bread by hand.
Wow, I am surprised Matthew! After seeing some of your kitchen creations, I’m completely impressed.
I currently use the 5qt KitchenAid, but I’m seriously considering getting the 6qt for large wedding cake sized batches of buttercream and cake batter. I wish KA would make a 10qt - wouldn’t that be the best! I’ve found a few 10qt hobarts for sale, but they look so industrial (and not in the good way), and even heavily used ones are so expensive, comparitively speaking.
I use a 5-quart KitchenAid, and I have a small Sunbeam hand mixer that I use for “quick jobs.” I did without a stand mixer for many, many years, though.
I have the 6 qt. Kitchenaid. I don’t think it’s as good a machine since Hobart stopped making them for Kitchenaid. When this one bites the dust, I think I’d get a Viking. I really need a heavy duty one because I do all my baking from scratch.
What kind of stand mixer do you use, and what size is it?
I have an Kitchen Aid 5 Qt Artisan. It whips and creams like a dream.
I briefly flirted with the idea of buying the new Cuisinart stand mixer, but after seeing all the parts of it that are made of plastic (under the top cover), I ran back to my tried and tested KA.
I have 3 mixers. One old KitchenAid/Hobart Classic. One KitchenAid hand mixer. One KitchenAid Artisan (5 qt) mixer. I would love the new Cuisinart Mixer and get rid of the Artisan. I have been through 3 Artisan’s; they can’t handle too much load and don’t like to be pushed. But KitchenAid is good about replacing their mixers (within 1 year) when they blow up. Lorraine
Cook’s Illustrated rated different stand mixers, and their results can be found here. It’s about 2 years old, however, so the newer ones off the market won’t be in it.
I have an old 5-qt. KitchenAid ProLine I inherited from my mother when she bought her 6-qt. about four years ago. Prior to that, I had an old KA 4.5-qt.
Cook’s Illustrated rated different stand mixers, and their results can be found here. It’s about 2 years old, however, so the newer ones off the market won’t be in it.
Excellent info - thanks for posting these reviews!
