Dough mixers

[archeryrob]

Anyone have a simple small one they could recommend? My wife has taken to making Empanadas and mixing the dough is kind of hard on her. I wanted to try and order one that would mix it all and she would only have to roll it.

 

[shoebe]

Kitchenaid. Not small, but is simple to use and has a dough hook that works great. It has lots of attachments which makes the price worth it.

 

[PerazziMx14]

Please delete

 

[kit s]

Anyone have a simple small one they could recommend? My wife has taken to making Empanadas and mixing the dough is kind of hard on her. I wanted to try and order one that would mix it all and she would only have to roll it.

Depends on how much, but she can use a food processor. That is what the plastic blade is for.

 

[Central PA Cowboy]

Agreed on the KitchenAid. Probably one of the best gifts we we're ever given.

 

[SonnyE]

3rd's on the Kitchen-aid.
Took darn near 20 years to convince the wife.
Finally, up in Washington, the Daughter used hers while we were there and sold her on the idea.
Christmas cookies are great with the right tool on the counter.

 

[scubohuntr]

Being firmly in the "anything worth doing is worth overdoing" camp, I hit one of those enormous "outlet center" strip malls when I was on the road a year or so back and found a refurbished Kitchenaid "Pro" 6-quart lifting-bowl model for $299. That's about the same price I would have had to pay for one of the bitty little 5-quart tilt-head units at Costco. I've mixed a lot of sourdough in it, and love it. I haven't used anything but the dough hook yet, as my cooking expertise is pretty much limited to smoking meat and (almost) baking bread. Once I get a stuffer, I'll be using the paddle to mix sausage meat. It's not small, unless you compare it to a Hobart commercial floor mixer, but it sits quietly on the counter until I need it. One of these days when I'm ordering something from Amazon, I'm going to get a set of decals for it so I can disguise it a bit.

A bread machine will do the job, but it's much less versatile and not much smaller. Lighter, yes. For smaller batches, if you're absolutely sure you'll never want to do a three-loaf batch of bread dough, the 5-quart model will do just fine. All the same attachments (meat grinders, pasta makers, juicers, ice cream makers, etc.) will fit it.

 

[myownidaho]

KitchenAid all the way. When you can afford it, add the pasta attachments.

 

[tropics]

KA You won't regret it!! They are heavy so I hope you have enough space on the counter.
Richie

 

[SmokinAl]

We have had a KA for over 50 years, and it's still going strong.
The pasta attachment is a must have too.
Al

 

[johnmeyer]

I have all three of the items mentioned: KitchenAid; Food Processor; Bread Machine. Which you should use depends on the nature of the recipe. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each.

1. KitchenAid. Advantage: can handle recipes calling for lots of flour. My small model (work bowl screws into base, rather than being hung in the external holder) can easily do recipes calling for 5-7 cups of flour. It has more power than the others. It mixes really well. Disadvantages: doesn't do small amounts as easily; takes a long time to finish kneading (ten minutes or more).

2. Bread Machine. Advantage: very little work because you just dump the ingredients into the machine, press a button, and walk away. It will take care of not only mixing, but rising, including controlling the temperature for optimal rising results. Disadvantage: relatively small capacity (3-5 cups of flour in my full-sized Zojirushi); not as complete kneading. You have to use a machine that has a "dough" cycle that doesn't include the bake cycle. I use this when I want dough for breakfast, but want to cook it in the oven. For this, I put the ingredients in the machine the night before, and when I get to the kitchen the next morning, I take the fully kneaded and risen dough, shape it into breakfast treats, and bake in the regular oven.

3. Food Processor. Advantage: really fast. I use it when making pizza dough, and it takes one minute to get the job done. Disadvantage: really small capacity (3-4 cups); can get the dough too hot, via friction (because it is going so fast), so you sometimes must use ice water rather than 110 degree water; must buy a specialty blade (the regular chopping blade it too big and can stall out the motor).

 

[myownidaho]

We have had a KA for over 50 years, and it's still going strong.
The pasta attachment is a must have too.
Al

Ah. You have one of the rock solid KAs built by Hobart.