Kitchen Aid Mixer

[Winterrider]

Leaning toward the purchase of a kitchen aid mixer. Any highs or lows of the Artisan or better off with the Pro 600? Looking for 5-6 qt . Also those using the meat grinder attachment, is the plastic sufficient or go with the stainless?

 

[tropics]

Leaning toward the purchase of a kitchen aid mixer. Any highs or lows of the Artisan or better off with the Pro 600? Looking for 5-6 qt . Also those using the meat grinder attachment, is the plastic sufficient or go with the stainless?

I have the pro and the grinder I would go with the SS my plastic has a crack, so I bought a Kitchener #12 for grinding

Richie

 

[73saint]

Yep, what Richie said. I’ve got the pro and the stainless grinder does great.

 

[rexster314]

If you're looking at the 5-6 quart, get the 7-8 quart models. Gives you more options All attachments will fit the larger machines

 

[dave schiller]

I use the KA Artisan for bread making and love it. Don't know anything about the Pro 600. The Artisan consistently rates as the best kitchen stand mixer in reviews. I guess the choice depends on what and how much you'll be making.

 

[chef jimmyj]

My Artisan struggles with bread or pasta doughs using 24oz ( 6Cup) of Flour and 24oz of Water. My daughter's Pro 600 has no issue with 24oz of each and up to 32oz (8Cup) Flour and 32oz Water recipes.
If you need or make larger batches, go bigger...JJ

 

[SonnyE]

We have the Pro 600. I ordered a SS Meat Grinder/Stuffer accessory yesterday for it.
There are several "Horror Stories" about the plastic grinders breaking in use. So when I started looking and discovered Aftermarket grinders in metal, I tried looking for Stainless Steel attachments and found many.
So I browsed around and found what I thought was a good deal in SS and ordered it for ours.

Now there is the flip side to having an attachment that may be stronger than the Power Head driving it. And that is if it is fed to fast, or too much, instead of the accessory failing, the drive train might break.
Some of the video's I watched, the power head sounded like it might be laboring as it was grinding meat.
So for me, I'm going to be careful about feeding it too fast. Maybe use it in steps?
A course grind, then a finer grind, stepping down to try and make it easier on the unit?
After all, it is a Mixer being tasked to do a pretty tough job.

The last thing I want to do is to break her mixer. I couldn't convince her to buy a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. But my Daughter did. She's had several, and as she got a better unit, the one's she's had got handed down to their kids. They are all still working.
So my wife got the Professional 600 that the Daughter has, and recommended, to her.
So far, it basically gets used for Christmas Cookies. But she suggested I look into a grinder attachment for it.
She didn't have to ask twice....

I saw in one of Disco's video's that the Old Fat Guy uses their Kitchen Aid to grind his Breakfast sausage (OFG). (And a lot of other snosages.)
Being of sound mind and sound body I can follow a lead and try and do the same. Besides, I have more time than any other resource. So I figured I could sneak an accessory under her nose easier than a big new grinder.
And at my age, I've come to like the Dog House.

I want to make some snack sticks for the doghouse.

 

[daveomak]

DON"T overload the meat grinding attachment....

 

[SonnyE]

DON"T overload the meat grinding attachment....

View attachment 386312

OMG, Dave! Warning Heeded!
I feel your Pain!
Did you repair? Or Replace?

 

[mosparky]

I need to show that to my boss. He's always saying I should just get a mixer with grind attachment. He loves multi-taskers. Sometimes he's a little too tight for his own good. Fortunately I read enough here, I ain't going down that path.

 

[SonnyE]

I need to show that to my boss. He's always saying I should just get a mixer with grind attachment. He loves multi-taskers. Sometimes he's a little too tight for his own good. Fortunately I read enough here, I ain't going down that path.

I don't know if that picture is Dave's, or from the Internet.
But I do know there are people who can break an Anvil with a Glass Hammer out there.
(I've done it with destructive testing. Make it fail to find the weak points.)

If it was a very common problem, such as the plastic housing failures of Kitchen Aid grinders, which who knows the percentages, I would think there would be a Pox on them.
But there isn't. In fact, quite the opposite. There are an number of grinder attachments offered from aftermarket suppliers.
For me, conservative use will be my approach.

To each his own. But several hundred dollars to go with a separate Grinder and Stuffer was not as appealing to me as trying the Kitchen Aid route.

 

[tropics]

Use a good food grade lube it will work easier.
Richie

 

[mike243]

Been using my KA with grinder for some where around 15 years,grinder is the plastic 1,I have ground up a deer or 2 every 1 of those years,I get the meat almost frozen and cut into strips thin enuf that I don't have to use the plunger to force the meat into the hopper. stuffing is a pain and I normally only stuff summer sausage these days,brats and Italian gets frozen in bulk then made into patties when time to cook ,I'm diabetic so bread intake is low most of the time

 

[SmokinAl]

We have a KA that is about 45 years old & still humming along, I think it's a 6 qt. Judy uses it at least 2-3 times a week & it has never broken down. When I first started making sausage I did use the grinder & stuffer attachments, but it was a PIA, so I bought a dedicated stuffer & grinder. I think the attachment we use the most is the pasta maker. It is very easy to make homemade pasta & a whole lot better than the store bought stuff. Of course she is always making some kind of bread or buns etc. If it ever breaks I would probably go with the commercial model.
Al

 

[gmc2003]

We haven't had any issues with the KA 600 pro. Although it doesn't get used to much - a couple times a year.

Chris

 

[daveomak]

Yep..... That's my mixer.... It took about $70 in parts to fix, if I remember correctly... Plus a Kitchener grinder .... I think that was about 6 years ago...

Mar. 2011 was when I broke it... Made a thread on the repair....
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/kitchenaid-gearbox-repair.104732/#post-610750

 

[Winterrider]

Thank you all for your input. I think I will go with the Pro model, big is better theory . Lol. Maybe down the road a ss meat grinder for small batches ( #12 Cabelas grinder already), and pasta attachment.
Made some zucchini bread the other day and just about smoked the wife's little HB stand mixer. Better step it up bit...

 

[bluewhisper]

KitchenAid is the consumer brand for Hobart which is a very well-reputed maker of commercial kitchen equipment. I have the K45SS (with a Hobart tag) which I inherited from my mother, it probably dates back to the early 1980s.

I have the plastic grinder, with a minor crack, but it works fine. I have the dough hook and I think I have the whisk somewhere. I also have the salad shooter. I want the paddle and I'm curious about the pasta maker.

For anyone who didn't know, that attachment point is a "power take-off" (aka PTO) like you see on tractors, to drive various attachments.

As for grinding in stages with different plates, yes that makes a big difference. I can tell with my hand-crank Chop Rite; the meat blasts through the coarse plate. That first grind also gives you an opportunity to blend in whatever seasonings you want.

 

[rexster314]

Kitchenaid was purchased by Whirlpool in 1986. There was a major uproar when the quality of the Hobart made mixers declined when Whirlpool started production. The Hobart branded Kitchenaids are sought out for their sturdiness even now

 

[johnmeyer]

I just looked at the KA product line and the Artisan appears to be a lower-end entry compared to the traditional two choices (with or without the bowl lift). The one I have had for almost forty years is probably the "Tilt-Head" series, and the pro is the one with the bowl lift.

I would definitely NOT get the Artisan, which it sounds like the decision you've made. I would not want any less power when using the dough hook or doing other things which strain not only the motor and gear box (yikes, what a horrible picture that was above!), but also the bowl and bowl mount.

As for the grinder, the answer depends on how often you use it and how much you are putting through it. I've had the plastic grinder for 3-4 years now and use it about once a month. I put 1-3 pounds through it at a time. In other words: really light use. It works perfectly and sure beats using my old hand-crank grinder. I've had zero problems with it.

If I was using the grinder several times a week, or if I was stuffing sausage, I would most definitely NOT get the plastic one and would instead get a stainless grinder (didn't know you could get such a thing) or, as others have said, get a dedicated grinder.