Electrolux Assistent (Magic Mill) - Happy V-day to me!

18 years ago

Day before Valentine's Day, my hubby surprised me with his idea for my Valentine's Day gift (not that he's not a gift every single day): a new mixer for making/kneading bread. My 8 year old KA just isn't up to the challenge anymore, and me man wants his bread! :) We'll keep the KA for ordinary kitchen tasks (we have a lot of the attachments) because it works well for tasks such as egg-whipping, meat grinding, pasta making, cheese grating, etc., and I haven't killed it just yet.

DH was originally considering (based on reports and reviews by the LA times, Cooks Illustrated, etc.) the Viking and the DeLonghi, but after I mentioned the rave reviews I've seen of the Electrolux Assistent (Magic Mill) here, we expanded our horizons. I researched this machine, read through posts on the Yahoo group Mixer-Owners, watched some home videos of it in action and we debated the relative merits (and demerits) of all of the above. Thanks in large part to the positive, detailed and well-thought out reviews by TriciaE, and the recommendation of the Cooking Forum's AnnT, I ordered the Electrolux Assistent/Magic Mill last night through King Arthur Flour's The Baker's Catalogue. Woo-hoo!

The unexpectedly fun bonus was that there was a "10% off your next order" coupon for the Baker's Catalogue online, plus I got an automatic "5% off volume discount" for a +$500 order. Shipping was only $16.38, and due to their very clever marketing (I'm very aware that I'm a sucker for marketing), I added an additional 11 items to my cart without changing the shipping cost. I spent no more than it would have cost to buy the mixer shipped at the regular price, and I'm also getting a lame, 4 stainless scoops for my flour bins, Pain de Campagne starter, Fiore di Sicilia, Vietnamese Cinnamon, bread salt, a good oven thermometer and looking at my reciept, it looks like maybe some sort of gift? Yippee!

I just wanted to say how grateful I am for all of the information so generously shared here. I look forward to using my machine, and being able to post some useful information as well. Maybe even pictures! Thanks so much!

Susan

Comments (11)

mercedes_stewart
18 years ago
That's a great machine. Enjoy!
mrsmarv
18 years ago
Enjoy your new "Assistant" ;o) I purchased the Viking mixer from King Arthur's Flour?Baker's Catalogue, and their assistance and ability to answer all my questions was so beneficial. They stand by their products, as well. My KA mixer totally bit the dust, so I was looking for a mixer replacement as well as one that could handle mixing bread dough. I've had it since early January and I've been very satisfied.
I purchased a scale, Bakewell Cream and a lame, as well. You have to love their "see what else you can buy without adding on to your shipping charges" tact! I made a boule for dinner company this past weekend using my lame...our guests asked me where I bought the delicious bread! It tasted perfect and looked beautiful. That compliment was such joy to my ears, and DH was absolutley beaming!
Enjoy your new addition to your kitchen...may you have many years of happy baking!
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cookiemonsterdh
18 years ago
Have to admit, they had her targeted perfectly with the "no additional shipping charges" and 5% volume discount in addition to the 10% first time order discount. ::grin::
Have to admit to a certain amount of concern over both an article in the LA Times AND in CI pretty much panning the Electrolux, but it seems like improper use was the problem in at least ONE of those cases, and I'm not sure about the other, though I take a lot of magazine testing with a grain of salt. I don't always agree with the judging criteria, and it's amazing how often the testers make mistakes using something that's substantially different from the norm. We'll have to try it out once we get it and see how it works for us. The nice thing is that Baker's Catalogue is likely to be pretty decent about a return if we change our mind and decide that the Viking would be a better choice.

I definitely like the idea of the open top on the bowl making adding ingredients etc a LOT easier than with any of the other choices...

James
cookiemonsterdh
18 years ago
Soooo... I'm not going to be stigmatized as giving an insensitive V-Day gift along with the hordes of guys who nearly get hit with the blenders they buy every year? ::grin::

James
garden_of_darwin
Original Author
18 years ago
NOT when it's something a woman loves! Thanks cookiemonsterdh! (That's my DH, everyone) Besides which, didn't I give you a table saw blade for our anniversary one year? Just don't use it to chop me up! :)

Susan
mrsmarv
18 years ago
You two are too cute ;o)...hope your Valentine's Day was perfect! One year Mr. Marv gave me a sewing machine and I gave him cordless drill for Valentine's Day. Someone made a remark that a sewing machine isn't a very "romantic" gift...I just laughed and said "to me it is, and that's what matters".
violet37
17 years ago
Just wondering what's happened with this mixer since February. Did you get it? Like it? I just read the LA Times review, and that scared me. I wonder how you feel about the points it made, particularly about the difficulty creaming butter and cleaning the unit... I don't see any mixers but KA on the King Arthur site now, did they stop selling the others? Appreciate your thoughts. I've read the rave reviews here about the Electrolux, which is apparently now the Magic Mill, but I'm concerned at how few places actually sell it...
Marigene
17 years ago
Here is a link that may be helpful. I love my Magic Mill for making large batches of cookies or bread. It is quite a large investment but worth every penny. I have had mine for about 20 years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Magic Mill
triciae
17 years ago
I love my Electrolux Magic Mill 'Assistant'...

I have no idea what they mean by "hard to clean"...the darn thing just goes in the dishwasher...what's "hard" about that? Seriously, all of the parts are d/w safe. The unit is smooth with no little nooks/crannies to collect "stuff" so it just needs a quick wipe down.

I have no trouble creaming butter/sugar. I use the roller with the scrapper in place & it works terrific.

Bosch also makes a fine mixer & it too is difficult to find in local stores. Americans want KA because it's all most know. Also, KA gives very attractive financial incentives to stores for selling their products exclusively.

Tricia
cyberima
17 years ago
I could really use some help with this machine. I've had it for a couple of years and haven't mastered it yet. Here are some of my questions: 1) When I use 5 lbs. of flour for baking challah bread, the dough creeps up the dough hook and becomes uncontrollable. Should I use the roller and scraper instead? 2) Can I substitute spelt and whole wheat flours for white bread flour cup for cup? 3) What do I need to do to adapt a bread machine and/or conventional recipe to the Magic Mill? 3) Is there an "official" help desk for the Magic Mill? All tips/suggestions/help will be greatly appreciated. Please reply to -- cyberima@aol.com
Thank you.
harritt67_speedyquick_net
12 years ago
Has anyone heard about problems, service issues when you have to send them back to New Jersey? Thanks.