Stand Mixer: Cuisinart v. KitchenAid

Mine is a 5.5 quart, and is big enough to handle double batches of most cookie doughs, easily. I have one cookie recipe that I only do partway in there, because it’s too big and stiff with all the additions. Overall very happy with KA, and for our needs it’s a good size.

For me, one of the main reasons to get a stand mixer is to bake bread.

With a stand mixer that’s smaller than six quarts one can only make small loaves of white bread.

I prefer to have the ability to make larger loaves and/or whole wheat bread.

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Not to get too OT, but what are your favorite breads to make?

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Here are some that I make routinely.

I make both the no knead bread, which in my view is a vast improvement over the Lahey recipe, and the challah.

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Ooh thanks, they look delicious. I’ll save to Paprika. I love making Challah, will have to try the Ottolenghi one.

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I have a 5 quart stand mixer (lift bowl) for over 40 years and regularly make 2 lbs loaves of bread. I double my bread recipes all the time and using my hook attachment have no trouble at all. Just made 80 chocolate chip cookies using my paddle with no trouble. I consider this dough pretty heavy. Last year for the first time i brought it in for a tune up and the guy said to me do you ever use your mixer. I thought he meant it was all worn out but what he meant is it looks like brand new. I have been using it at least twice a week.

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I make double.batches od chocolate chip cookies in mine…leas often now, but at one time twice a week…somebody calculated it as somewhere over 500 cookies a week

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I have a 5-quart bowl lift KA that has served me well for a few decades; nothing wrong with it. Then several months ago I bought a 6-quart one (KA as well) from Amazon; marginally larger, but I could used a larger bowl, and it was on sale. When I turned it on, it did nothing; this happened every time. Then several seconds later it started hesitatingly. I also could not adjust the beaters to my liking. I returned it.

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I love guys like this on YT who tell you how to fix… literally everything. This guy with the KA worm gear. Some other guy with the master fuse on your (any) microwave. Some other guy with why your clothes dryer stopped heating, and how to figure the problem and fix it. Yet another on how to re-key your deadbolt. Why your wife’s Expedition’s A/C stopped blowing and how to fix it. Why the truck was losing coolant. (These are all real examples I’ve used - I’m sure I’ve used more.)

Edit to add - the guy you linked has a video about the coin test, which is what finally showed me that my KA does not dip deep enough no matter my adjustments.

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It’s fantastic. Saved many a service call.

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Volvo repair is one of our favorites.

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Yep/agree.

But also, long before YT was a thing, there were in the early 1990s these DIY fora with appliance techs who were willing to help noobs like me and others diagnose and fix their appliance problems.

I’ve been a “beneficiary” for decades. :smiley:

Edit - I guess I should add this. I’ve done thousands of dollars worth of repiping/plumbing stuff for free (other than my own time) based on help from these guys below. Stuff I’d never guessed I could do, but who helped me figure it out. Sorry if this seems like spamming but it’s just a DIY info website I found really helpful.

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We used forums to diagnose our tankless water heater problem, order the replacement part, and install it ourselves YouTube. My husband uses it for camping trailer upgrades and repair. I consult YouTube for dishwasher and other appliance issues.

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Same here with the camper thing. Had a few things go crazy over the years and fixed them ourselves.

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Really simple fix…

And if you’re more industrious…

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Thanks Scott. I’ll give shimming (first vid) a try but I’m doubtful - I don’t know if you saw but in another thread I commented that even a dime and quarter stuck together fail (but 2 quarters pass), so there’s a lot of clearance to delete. Maybe the bowl will still lock into place with roughly 3 mm thick shims. I’ll find out. What I have done before is popped the bowl off the arms and held it up manually. This doesn’t work with the spatula because I kept causing it to bottom out, but it worked okay with the hook. But it also made me nervous.

The second video I think you’ve posted before (I know I’ve seen it before and pretty sure a HO brought it to my attention). Pretty good solution, but more work than I want to attempt right now when my more typical “on the fly” remedy works okay - I just poke around the sides with a silicone spatula (avoiding the moving paddle or hook) knocking the ingredients down until they get mixed in.

Maybe go from the bottom. The bowl locating pins are friction fit and have a step in them just above what fits into the arm hole. Remove them, add a washer (indicated in red) and reinsert.

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I’d like to suggest the Swedish Ankarsrum. I used a Kitchenaid for years, made in the days when Kitchenaid was still good, but it can’t compare to the Ankarsrum. For example, the Kitchenaid can make bread dough with one kilo of flour. The Ankarsrum can take 3 kilos. I have never made bread with more than 2 kilos, but I do that all the time. With the Ankarsrum the bowl turns, not the beater, so the result is closer to hand kneading. I didn’t buy any of the attachments, so I can’t comment on them. But a friend of ours did, and she is happy with them.

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That looks lovely and way out of my price range.

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Don’t remember what I paid, but I’m extremely pleased with it.

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