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bluekitobsessed

KA v Cuisinart mixer?

bluekitobsessed
15 years ago

I'm considering purchasing a mixer. I have used Cuisinart food processors for years and very comfortable with them. Two questions:

First, what does the mixer do that the FP can't, or would I simply be engaging in appliance overkill/needless consumerism/whatever?

Second, does anyone have any experience with the Cuisinart mixer? The KA is very well known. I don't know anything about the cuisinart mixer.

I usually hang out at the kitchens forum, so apologies if this has been hashed to death or OT.

Comments (6)

  • breezy_2
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Do a search here on the KA mixer. They are getting bad reviews from serious users since being acquired from Hobart. Without rehashing the issues, it seems even the most expensive KA mixer that boasts all metal gears, doesn't have an all metal assembly which results in failure with any serious users. I will let you look and see for yourself. Happy hunting.

    As an aside, I called my mother when I read the earlier posts and asked her to look at the one she has had forever. Sure enough, the manufacturers tag read: manufactured by KitchenAide, a division of Hobart Industries. Hobart's current entry/countertop mixer model starts at about $1,800.

  • kandt
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Bluekitobsessed:

    I do have a kitchenaid that I like and have never used the Cuisinart mixer.

    For what it's worth: Are you familiar with Cook's Illustrated Mag and/or America's Test Kitchen? They do equipment tests and rated the Cuisinart above the KA. Unfortunately, you have to pay to subscribe to see their equipment reviews online. You can get a free 14 day trial. Maybe you can look in the library for back issues of their mag?

    You can also search their bulletin boards for free. There's a discussion that briefly discussed the KA vs. Cuisinart mixers. I tried to give you the link but I guess it's not letting me do that. (I am very new to these beards--lucking and reading lots, but not posting hardly at all).

  • chefkev
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dear Bluekitobsessed,

    I don't think it's overkill to have both. A FP will perform many of the tasks that a mixer will perform, but a serious baker will want a mixer. Reasons include:
    - Mixers are generally better for larger batches of doughs and batters & a good mixer will handle some of the heavier doughs like biscotti or pasta dough better.
    - The whisk attachment on the mixer is better for aerating things like whipped cream and meringues. The variable speed is also a help, especially with meringues, as a real baking geek will start out at slow speed and then raise speed for better volume. (I'm momentarily forgetting the science behind this - I'll of course remember it right after I hit the submit button.) You're not going to be making souffls with your FP.
    - The paddle and dough hook attachments are more gentle for making artisan breads where you don't want to work the dough as aggressively as a food processor might even with the dough blade. For the same reason, you can use the mixer's paddle attachment to "whip" a large batch of mashed potatoes, whereas the food processor will give them a wall paper paste like texture because a sharper blade can damage the gelatinized starch granules. (I've never forgotten the shock of wrecking a batch during a graded final in cooking school.)
    - I like a mixer with paddle attachment for cookie doughs that have nuts and/or choc chips because it's less likely to crush them provided you add them at the end and mix just a tiny bit more. I also think the mixer bowl is easier to scrape (It can also be a help to have more than one mixer bowl).
    - Another advantage of mixer bowls is you can put them in ice baths to quickly cool and hot water baths to heat or apply a gentle flame to them which can be helpful for Swiss and Italian meringues or melting chocolate. I confess I've been known to hit the outside of the mixer bowl briefly with a kitchen blowtorch in order to soften butter I'm creaming if it's just a little too hard. (If it's a lot too hard this isn't a great idea.)
    - Mixers have some cool attachments that FPs don't have. You can grind meat and make/stuff homemade sausages with the right mixer attachments (The FP is sometimes better for grinding/emulsifying, but you can't stuff sausages with it. There are pasta rollers and cutters you can attach to your mixer that are very cool. There's even an ice cream maker sleeve that you can put in your freezer and then use to churn homemade ice cream. FPs, however, have slicing attachments that mixers don't and I love the grating wheel FP attachment - It's a big time saver if you're grating a lot of cheese.

    To me these are just a few of the reasons a well equipped kitchen will have both a FP and a quality mixer. I don't know what mixer to recommend to you. I have an old (Hobart era) KitchenAid that I love, but the new ones I've used aren't great and KitchenAid doesn't provide good customer service if something goes wrong. The Kenmoore mixers of 6-8 years ago (I also have two of these) were great, but quality dropped after Delonghi took them over. I don't have experience with the Cuisinart Mixers. I do subscribe to Cooks Illustrated online and highly recommend them. They just updated their mixer reviews this March & liked the Cuisinart, so if I had to buy now, I'd first go garage sale hopping to try to find a Hobart era KitchenAid and failing that I'd take a chance on the Cuisinart.

    Here's what Cook's Illustrated said:
    "The KitchenAid Professional 600 ($399.95), earned its spot on the test kitchen counter in 2005 for mastering tasks that ranged from churning cookie dough and kneading bread and pizza dough to whipping air into heavy cream and egg whites. We wondered how three newer models would compare. The West Bend 12-Speed Stand Mixer ($99.99) was disqualified during round one (kneading bread dough) when its dough hook caused the machine to shudder so fiercely it almost fell off the counter. Brawnier rivalsÂthe Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer ($349) and the Wolfgang Puck Bistro Stand Mixer ($249.90)Âwhisked their way through all manner of tasks (though the Wolfgang Puck machine tended to tremble while kneading). Both models sport an ingenious disk that caps their nonstick dough hook and prevented pizza dough from riding up and sticking, as it did in the KitchenAid. Add that to CuisinartÂs handful of modern perks and itÂs clear why this mixer has overthrown KitchenAid for a place on our countertop.

    HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
    Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer
    Price: $349
    Source: www.cooking.com
    Comments: In addition to acing its way through heavy tasks like kneading bread and pizza dough and churning cookie batter full of oats, nuts, and dried fruit, this machine offers a host of modern updatesÂa digital timer with automatic shut-off, a fold function for incorporating ingredients delicately, and a splash guard attachment with a built-in feed tube."

    Best wishes - HTH!

  • ci_lantro
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ditto what ChefKev said. The new Kitchen Aid mixers are trash. Find an old one from the Hobart days and know that you have a quality machine. I've used mine to mix everything from paint and plaster to Angel Food cakes.

  • rhome410
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I found your question about it being possible overkill to have both a mixer and a food processor interesting, because I don't do ANYthing with one that I do with the other. (Very thorough and wonderful answer, Chefkev.) I had a mixer (wonderful Hobart KA) for years and years before having a FP, so maybe that's why. I do all baking tasks with the mixer, and only chopping and shredding veggies, making smoothies, and maybe making salad dressings with the FP...For me a blender and the FP could be interchangeable, but not the mixer and the FP. It is often interesting to discover how others do and view things! I must be missing something about tasks my FP can do.

    I have looked at the Cuisinart mixer myself. I am looking, though, for a 7 qt or larger, because although my KA is wonderful, it's 4.5 qt capacity is a bit small for our large family and the rate at which we can go through a 'normal' sized batch of cookies or bread. Best wishes on your mixer search!

  • bluekitobsessed
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you, thank you, thank you for those very thoughtful replies, esp. chefkev (who's obviously earned his name)!

    FYI, some things I do with the FP: sugar cookie dough; pie crusts (yeah, I know, but they work reasonably well); cheese and potato grating; onions, garlic, and the like; pesto (still use the original recipe that came with the FP); whipped cream; royal icing; a cool citrus juicer attachment. I really love this machine!