654618 Thu Sep 24 07:15:45 -0700 2009 20 41 Cookware 0 5054693 Kohl's has them at a price I couldn't refuse: $299.99 - 90.00 (SAVE30) 30% off code 209.99 -40.00 (Kitchenaid Rebate - link on kohls.com website) $169.99 before taxes THEN you get an additional $10 in Kohl's cash for every $50 you spend. That means you get $40 in Kohl's cash (based on the 209.99). And free shipping on orders over $75.00. I have searched here and online for links, sites, posts on how to best use it but if any of you can think of any favorite sites, I'd appreciate them. I look forward to using it for biscotti dough BUT the last thing I need weight-wise would be using it exclusively for what most people seem to associate with Kitchenaids: cakes, pies, and bread. Plus, I want my wife to hopefully use it. She hates them... feels we don't need one, and says they take up too much counter top space. Thanks... Thu Sep 24 07:15:46 -0700 2009 18981 Jimmy Buffet 1 5054754 Tamale masa. The hardest part is beating the fat, or beating the sough after all ingredients are combined if the dough still needs beating. I haven't yet, but I plan to make sausages with the attachments. LOTS of sausages. Thu Sep 24 07:44:12 -0700 2009 5054693 111530 gordeaux 2 5055230 The grinder attachment is great. Obviously to grind your own meat, etc. But the sausage stuffer is a pretty frustrating attachment. Don't get me wrong, it works. But it takes a long time. If you get into sausage making, you'll eventually want a stand-alone stuffer. Aside from sausage making, the grinder is great for other meats. I never buy ground meat anymore. Thu Sep 24 10:04:23 -0700 2009 5054754 157056 grandgourmand 3 5055351 Please elaborate whenever you get a minute or two. What takes a long time? Set up? Stuffing the sausages? Does the thing pump out slowly? Is it difficult to work with? What part is difficult? Thu Sep 24 10:42:15 -0700 2009 5055230 111530 gordeaux 4 5055523 It's mostly slow. Some batches more than others. The first few sausages come out pretty well, but when the auger (thing that drives the meat out) gets sticky with fat, the second half of your batch can be painfully slow. And pushing the meat down the feeder tube gets annoying after a while. Each time you push down, half the meat squirts back up. You push the same meat through a few times, it seems. Don't get me wrong. It'll get the job done. And for $15 or whatever, it's a cheap investment to make. I've made a lot of sausage with it. But I decided that the hobby needed a step up and got a 5lb vertical stuffer. Does 5lbs (typical batch size) in less than 5 minutes. Alton Brown had a sausage episode. he used the KA stuffer and made it sound like it was faster than it actually is. Makes me believe that he's not actuallly an expert in everything (no kidding). If you have plans on trying emulsified sausage like Weisswurst or frankfurters, it'll be very difficult with the KA. Might sound like I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth (or typing with both hands) but I would suggest giving the KA stuffer a whirl. It will do the job and is cheap for someone starting to make sausage. If you really get into it, then think of the bigger investment (in $ and space). Thu Sep 24 11:36:59 -0700 2009 5055351 157056 grandgourmand 5 5078280 I agree - the sausage stuffing attachment is a huge disappointment. Takes FOREVER to stuff your casings. Sun Oct 04 11:41:51 -0700 2009 5055523 124908 jeanmarieok 1 5054771 i don't know if the attachments are included but you can make sausages - not traditionally done with a mixer Thu Sep 24 07:49:45 -0700 2009 5054693 1106176 epabella 1 5055298 the entry level ka's aren't as stout as the history of the brand might suggest. the company is good about replacing them, but they do burn out under a big load. bread dough is the usual culprit. notice that the company instructions usually call for a shorter kneading time than most published recipes citing stand mixers. Thu Sep 24 10:26:41 -0700 2009 5054693 270283 silverhawk 1 5055551 Having grown up with KA mixers, I can't *stand* having to use hand mixers. Stand mixers are so much less messy, so much easier to use. They're definitely worth the counter space, but there are available mixer lifts to easily house the mixer in a lower cabinet. I dream about having a kitchen large enough for one of those, but I don't want to give up a whole lower cabinet! Cookies and cakes are great in the KA (not pies, unless you're talking about a whipped filling). I'd never make a meringue buttercream (Italian or Swiss are common) without a stand mixer. Great tapioca pudding. Whipped cream. The juicer attachment is fabulous when I'm juicing the bounty of our lemon and orange trees. The pasta attachment is so much easier than using a counter-mounted hand-crank version. Just try to make a stiff dough like for gingerbread houses without a stand mixer! My arm hurts just thinking about it. I've heard mashed potatoes are great in a KA. I've never tried it myself, since I hate mashed potatoes. I think the only place where a hand mixer is a better option is when making a stove-top 7 minute icing. In every other case, the stand mixer is vastly superior, in my opinion. KA got a bad reputation there for several years, when they switched to some plastic parts instead of the metal they'd used for decades. Mine is from the 60s probably, one of my grandma's old ones (she was a professional cake decorator, and replaced her KA every 10 years, and kept the old ones in the basement as backups). Mine is still a fabulous workhorse. I've heard that KA recently went back to all metal innards after *so* many complaints, but I haven't confirmed that myself. In any case, I'll echo the earlier statement that says that KA has been truly excellent with their customer service, and I've known several people who were sent brand new units, no questions asked, when their mixers burnt out kneading bread. I hope your wife decides that it's worthwhile! I'd swoon if my husband brought home a Globe mixer for me. ;-) Thu Sep 24 11:47:21 -0700 2009 5054693 155583 modthyrth 1 5056191 I have the pasta roller attachment and love the results - it's easy and fun to make pasta.....I'll make it for the two of us in under 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting time for the dough). Just ordered the meat grinder - thanks - your posting reminded me I wanted to get it. Thu Sep 24 15:15:01 -0700 2009 5054693 12828 ElizabethS 1 5059946 Then there's the ice cream attachment. Mr Shallots can eat Ice Cream by the quart, but when it's home made, it goes a lot farther because he has started to realize that he may have to make a quart last a week. I got the ice cream attachment so I could have some of the sherberts I love that our only local grocery store never gets (raspberry, lemon, strawberry). I can control the butterfat going in and the ingredients as well. Right now, I'm learning from the Bread Makers Apprentice and the kneeding hook is earning its keep. (Good bread has gotten very expensive.) Sat Sep 26 09:27:15 -0700 2009 5054693 79896 shallots 2 5060843 Ditto the ice cream maker and dough hook. These make the investment in a KA mixer worth it! Sat Sep 26 18:18:19 -0700 2009 5059946 133968 rouxmaker 1 5064595 maybe this is related to the size of my jeans, but i use the grater attachment all the time. i NEVER use my juice attachment. it was a MESS! i'm DYING to get a pasta attachment. literally!!! and kitchenaid IS wonderful about replacements. when mine broke, they sent me out a loaner to use until mine was repaired. when it was discovered that mine was unrepairable and they didn't have that coolest ever gunmetal grey finish anymore (WAH!), they let me choose which color i wanted. they shipped me my cool red mixer and i shipped the loaner back. when i opened that cool red mixer, they had sent me copper instead of cayenne. )c: but they told me to use the copper until my cayenne arrive. GREAT customer service!!! (i wrote a letter.) Mon Sep 28 12:53:54 -0700 2009 5054693 266222 raygunclan 2 5064879 How funny--I think the juicer is a glorious gadget! How did it make a mess? I should mention that I don't use the silly little removable strainer thing, and instead just juice into a big mesh strainer sitting in a great big bowl on the counter. I can imagine it would be a big mess if I didn't use a large receiving receptacle. When I juice, I make a LOT of juice (lemon tree+5 year old with a passion for running lemonade stands), so I never even tried with a little bowl. Is the grater attachment easier than whipping out the food processor? Mon Sep 28 14:13:32 -0700 2009 5064595 155583 modthyrth 1 5064640 I find the pasta extrusion attachment a big waste of money. Pasta rolling attachment is valuable for many. One word of warning: when using the mixer for bread doughs, be VERY careful to use only the specific setting (neither higher NOR lower) your manual indicates for that use. If you do not, you will likely burn out the circuitry and have to get it replaced by a certified repairman for over $100.... Pay attention. RTFM. Mon Sep 28 13:07:08 -0700 2009 5054693 13819 Karl S 2 5075204 Agree about the extruder - doesn't work - but the pasta roller and cutter is great. Fri Oct 02 14:02:18 -0700 2009 5064640 12828 ElizabethS 1 5064901 I LOVE my kitchenaid! Once you have one you will never want to mix anything with a spoon or hand mixer again. And you can have whipped cream with everything! I have the ice cream bowl attachment and it's great, too! (I used to have a cuisinart ice cream maker and the engine used to burn out before the ice cream was churned all the way...with the kitchen aid it never dies, so the ice cream is always just right!) Mon Sep 28 14:23:18 -0700 2009 5054693 448441 bluemoon4515 1 5075223 start grinding meat for hamburger (or lamb burger) and making pizza dough, and your life will never be the same. Fri Oct 02 14:10:22 -0700 2009 5054693 11892 tommy 2 5075455 I foresee ground beef pizzas! Fri Oct 02 16:24:54 -0700 2009 5075223 18981 Jimmy Buffet 2 5076580 Picked up the grinder attachment today. Oh boy... Sat Oct 03 11:20:06 -0700 2009 5075223 18981 Jimmy Buffet 3 5077183 I used mine for the first time the other day - started with a mix of chuck and pork fat - the resulting hamburgers were quite creamy - and delicious! Sat Oct 03 18:08:58 -0700 2009 5076580 12828 ElizabethS