KitchenAid Mixer – Present to Myself
I love cooking and if you’d have met me 20 years ago, while my friends were out partying, I tended to be at home making a wicked Victoria Sponge cake. Baking was such a joy and it was like a version of chemistry that I both liked and could eat!
The History of Me and the KitchenAid Mixer
The first memory I have of the KitchenAid Mixer was the mum of an ex-Girlfriend having one. She made loads with it – bread, merengue and all her cakes. Hers was also decades old – testament to the ‘built to last’ quality that Kitchen Aid are known for. Another accessory she had that was used loads was the Ice-cream maker! Yes, it has one of them!
History of the KitchenAid Mixer
Originally designed in the 1910’s, it wasn’t until the ‘K’ model was released in the 30’s that we got the classic mixer that hasn’t really changed much in nearly 100 years. A benefit of this is that accessories you might have bought in the 50’s would attach, without any adapters, to a KitchenAid mixer you purchased today.
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Over the years (and decades!) new KitchenAid Mixers have been released and in the recent years a new range called the ‘Artisan’. This comes with a slightly larger motor, a slightly larger mixing bowl, and, more importantly for some people, a massive range of colours!
My Kitchen Aid Dream
Once I saw it in action, I knew I needed to have one. There was a huge problem and that was the price! They are very expensive. I’ve been tempted by getting a cheap mixer. You see them – 1000W+ but only £50. I also very nearly bought a K-Mix last year as it was on the Amazon Treasure Truck and I could get one for £150. But I didn’t. Those saucy mixers tried to tempt me away from my one true love but I didn’t stray!
This Christmas I decided that enough was enough and I wanted to bite the bullet and buy one, roughly 10 years after I first saw one. Sure, it would be expensive, but I needed it. Well, I thought I needed it, but possibly it is more a want. Either way, a KitchenAid Mixer would be mine, oh yes, it would be mine!
The Time Has Come
During the ‘down time’ between Christmas and the New Year I decided to make the purchase. A search online showed that a white Classic KitchenAid mixer could be had for £270, however my kitchen is full of chrome and black. Due to the this I decided on getting the Black version. Usually you’d have to get an Artisan model if you wanted a colour other than white however there are a few colours available in the ‘classic’ range.
Buying it in black, the price was going to be around £300 regardless who I purchased it from. Being an Amazon Prime member, I do quite a bit of shopping at Amazon and I would get free next day delivery with them.
I placed the order and waited.
Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
Less than a day after ordering, it arrived at my front door. Although the outer box had taken a bit of a knock, there was an internal box THEN the Kitchen Aid box so the mixer was well protected. I unpacked the mixer and admired it in all its glory.
Look at the black shininess! And the stainless steel mixing bowl. Some of the KitchenAid Mixers have glass bowls but I didn’t fancy one of those, least of all because they must be so much heavier.
Preparation
The instructions advise giving the whole stand a wipe down and that all the accessories need washing. The mixing bowl, dough hook and beater could all go in the dishwasher however the whisk needs hand cleaning so I hand washed them all.
What To Make First?
The plan HAD been to make bourbons like this recipe that I’ve made before. This changed once it was all set up. I’ve never made bread before so I decided to use the mixer to make a simple white loaf. You can read more about it on my blog post – coming soon!
The Reverend’s Final Thought
Some money websites have a ‘money mantra’ which is very sensible. This was not a sensible purchase but sometimes, if it wont cause you issues financially, you SHOULD treat yourself and this is definitely a treat.
It’s big. Too big for my kitchen really. It also only does a few jobs, not like some of the all-in-one mixers. And it was expensive. All that aside I’m VERY glad I’ve finally got my KitchenAid Mixer. Now I just need to use it!
Aside from it costing a bit to buy in the first place, do you find it is cheaper to make bread than buy it?
Hello Bella,
I’m doing a seperate post on bread making but I can give you a break down
7g Dried Yeast (one sachet) = 12p
10g salt = 1p
15g olive oil = 7p
500g Strong White Flour = 70p
Total = 90p
so about the same price as a loaf of supermarket bread. The cost can be brought down by using sunflower oil (-4p), non-organic flour (-35p), and probably buying cheaper yeast. This would bring the cost per loaf down from 90p to 50p-ish.
The benefit of making your own bread is that you know exactly what has gone into it. That for me is the biggest bonus. No preseratives. No additives. Just 4 simple ingredience.
It doesn’t last as long as supermarket bread does but that is what happens when it isn’t full of additives.
Thanks,
The Reverend