Conference turris::cooks

    I use my hand-held electric mixer about once or twice a month. 
    Knowing the frequency of which I would be using it, I bought the
    cheapest one I could find.  I think I got it at Woolworth's for
    around $12.  I have no complaints so far.  When the time comes that
    I will be using one more often, I will invest in a better model.
    
    The self-standing models appear to be more durable and more convenient
    - people I know who cook alot absolutely swear by them.  I know
    they are faster for whipping cream.

    
    If beating egg whites is a primary reason for the mixer, buy a cheap
    hand held mixer and get a copper bowl. Beating egg whites in a copper
    bowl makes them stiffen up real fast even with an old fashoned hand
    beater.

I prefer the free-standing mixer.  You can add ingredients easier without 
stopping the mixer, you can work on other things while something takes a
few minutes to mix up, it is easier to scrape the bowl with a spatula
while the mixer is running, lots of advantages.  I had a small hand-held 
one but got tired of holding it and wasn't powerful enough for some batters.

Judy

BTW, I have had my Mixmaster for 14 years and not a problem yet!

    
    
    I really like a free standing mixer. They are much more durable
    than the hand held mixers. They are especially good for a heavy
    cookie dough or something that you have to beat for a long time.
    I have also had good luck with Sunbeam mixmasters.

    I have both the hand mixer, and a Sunbeam Mixmaster. They both
    have their place. I use the little one for the time that I am only
    whipping a little cream or a few egg whites.
    I am fond of the older Mixmasters, but I have a newer model with
    the electronic control (silly little module in the base). But it
    gave its life for a batch of orange cookies. After it has been running
    for a while (10-20 mins.) it will just stop. If I let it sit, it
    starts working again. I guess I will have to fix it, someday.
    
    Bert
    

    Well, sometimes things actually work out.  I found a Waring mixer for
    $30 that comes with a stand but is detachable.  Best of both worlds.
    Now I don't have to decide.
    
    
    				-- edp 

I got  one  of those Oster kitchen centers one Christmas - you know, the one
with  the  attachments  that  make  it  a blender, mixer, meat grinder, food
processor, ice cream maker, etc.

It was really great for about a year, then something sticky spilled on it. I
wiped  off  the surface but apparently something got down inside it, because
the next time I tried to use it, I smelled the motor frying...

I kept  meaning  to get it fixed, but since we had a fairly small kitchen, I
wasn't in any hurry to do so.  I finally gave it away.

Aren't these things supposed to be made so food can't get down inside them?

Anyway, if  you're  going to get an expensive standalone, make sure it can't
get gunked up easily.

- Brad

    
    I vote for my Kitchen Aid upright mixer.  It has a powerful, rugged
    motor.  I use mine for mixing and kneading bread dough, grinding
    meats, pureeing veggies, whipping cream, beating egg whites,  well
    you get the picture.
    
    I've had it for years no problems at all.  Just try to pick one
    up.  There is no plastic used on the mixer itself, all steel.
    You can't beat it.  I recommend the 5 quart model with the stationary
    head, as opposed to the 4 quart model with the hinged head.
    
    Vin

    I have the same Kitchen Aid model mentioned in .-1, and I swear
    by it.  If I had anything negative to say about it, it would be
    that the motor is so powerful that it's easy to overbeat something
    like a cake, and you have to be careful and cut down the beating
    time recommended in most recipes.
    
    One of the biggest beating jobs I used to have was whisking egg
    whites in a copper bowl.  My arm would ACHE by the time I finished.
    Kitchen Aid makes a copper liner to fit the 5-quart bowl, and since
    the mixer comes with an electric whisk attachment, beating egg whites
    for souffles, etc. is now a trivial task!
    
    I also have one of the little cheap portable mixers, and use it
    for all sorts of little jobs like whipping a little bit of cream,
    etc.
    
    If you cook very much, I'd recommend owning both types.
    
    							Pat

    Beating egg whites in a copper bowl creates a far more stable,
    longer-lasting concoction than beating them in anything else, and no
    cream of tartar is necessary at all.  The copper reacts somehow with
    the egg whites; I'm no chemist, so I can't explain exactly how. You
    must expose as much of the bowl's surface as possible -- I clean the
    bowl with a paste of salt and vinegar immediately before using to
    remove any surface oil that might shield the copper from the egg
    whites.  That's a trick I learned from attending a souffle
    demonstration by a master chef one time. 
    
    Anyway, when you're doing something like a souffle, or really anything
    requiring stiffly beaten egg whites to be folded into a batter, you get
    somewhat better (e.g. lighter) results by using the copper bowl method.
    I've even assembled dessert souffles and left them on the counter
    during dinner -- they'll sit there without falling a lick if the egg
    whites are beaten using that method.  You can then quickly cook
    the things after dinner and serve them immediately.
    
    							Pat

    Where can you buy copper bowls at a reasonable price?
    
    Lorraine

    
    Reasonable price is  relative. They cost between $35 and $50, and
    can be purchased in specialty stores or through catalogs. I have
    seen them in William Sanoma and The Chef's catalog.

    You can get a lightweight set of 3 at Service Merchandise for something
    like $10 - $15.  They aren't very thick copper, and probably won't
    be around for you to pass down to your grandchildren, but for normal
    home use you'd probably get a reasonable amount of wear out of them.
    
    .-1 was right -- if you go to a kitchen store you're going to pay
    a whole lot more for a high-quality, heavy, thick bowl.
    
    							Pat

You can get heavy duty copper bowls (with a ring on the side to hold while
you're whipping egg whites) for between $10 and $20 at Reading Glass and
China in Kittery, Maine.  This is a kitchen and china discount outlet right
next to all the other outlets in Kittery.

It's worth the trip.  This weekend I picked up a set (16) of everyday drinking
glasses for $3.99.  They also had some excellent copper bowls for $13.50.

Ron

    I have used both the Kitchen Aide 4 and 5 qt mixers.  I have the 4qt
    one now.  If I ever need to purchase another one I would definately
    spend the money and get another Kitchen Aide they're great!  I do
    prefer the 5 qt mixer verses the 4 qt.  It's easier to add ingredience
    by just dropping the bowl down.  With the 4qt you have to stop the
    mixer.  They do have a pour shield to help eleminate this problem.  I
    will purchase one of those in the near future.  An FYI for Kitchen Aide
    owners.  Spags sells the attachments for the mixers much cheaper than
    an Kitchen Stores that I have been to.  You just have to hit it right. 
    Last time I was there I was going to by the pour shield, but they were
    all out and were waiting for another shipment in.
    
    Debbi

	re: .18

	Well, I'm not the author of .17, but I can tell you where 
	Spags is. 

	It is not a chain. It's kinda like a big warehouse of all
	kinds of items (clothes, hardware, food, toys, etc). 
	Basically, you can find just about EVERYTHING at Spags,
	and usually at a pretty good price.

	Spags is located on Route 9 (Westbound side) in Shrewsbury, Mass, 
	and is easy to get to from I-495 and the Mass Pike.


	From 495: Go I-495 to exit 23B (heading North) or exit 23A 
		  (heading South). Signs should read for Route 9
		  West (towards Shrewsbury/Westboro/Worcester). 
		  Follow Route 9 for about 8-10 miles thru Westboro,
		  Northboro, and into Shrewsbury. Look for a Ground 
		  Round restaurant on your left. just thru the set 
		  of traffic lights there you'll pass a small used 
		  car dealer and a place called Frosty's (the best 
		  soft-serve ice cream this side of the Mason-Dixon).
		  Spags is next to Frosty's. There's lots of parking
		  if you take the road just past the store. 

		  The kitchen items (last time I was in there) are
		  located near the front of the store (which faces 
		  Route 9).

	NOTE: It does get VERY crowded. if you're claustraphobic, try
	      to get there early or before the store closes. I think 
	      store opens at 8am; not sure what time it closes. And 
	      it's not open on Sundays. Also, this place is famous 
	      for the fact that they don't have shopping bags at the
	      checkouts. Most people find used cardboard boxes in the 
	      aisles to load their goodies into. 
	      
	Happy shopping!!! I know it's always the highlight of relatives'
	visits in my house!!!

	-Marc.

		...Oops! Forgot about directions from Mass 
		Pike. I beleive the exit number from the 
		Pike is 11 or 11a (should be for I-495).
		Go I-495 North to exit 23b and follow the
		directions from the previous note to get 
		you there.

		-Marc. (who lives in Shrewsbury too)

    The Ground Round and Spag's is on the right side of Rte. 9 when
    you are heading westbound towards Worcester.
    
    Also, be aware that Spag's only takes cash.  No travelers checks,
    personal checks, or charges, so make sure you bring plenty of money.
     Though now that they have ATM's right next door, I've been having
    a hard time staying within the budget.
    
    Cathy

	Has anyone ever used a Kenwood mixer?

	Still better, does anyone have experience with Kenwood and
	Kitchenaid?

	What do you think?  Power?  Ease of adding ingredients?  Splash?
	Cleanability?  Reliability?  Parts?  (Especially parts!  I just
	called the "National Parts Center".  They said a pair of brushes
	for a K5A is $20! ...minimum purchase.)

	Regards, Robert.

  I have a 5-Quart Heavy Duty KitchenAid mixer.  All I can say is that I 
absolutely love it!  It's one of the best additions I've made to my kitchen!
And I definitely have increased the amount that I bake since getting it, since
it makes the job so easy!  (Compared to the Sunbeam that I had before)

  The plastic guard that sits on top of the bowl does a good job of keeping
the ingredients in the bowl.  

  At first, I found that the steep sides of the 5-Quart bowl were a little
awkward to scrape down.  But, now that I'm used to it, it's fine.  (I used
to scrape horizontally with the Sunbeam, and now I scrape downward)

  I haven't had to order any parts, but I did speak with the KA customer 
service folks once, and they were very helpful.

--Sharon

                                           
    Another vote for KitchenAid.  This is the only mixer I've ever had that
    could do a double batch of yeasty sweet bread dough and not work up a
    significant sweat.  MUCHO more power than the Sunbeam top-of-the-line.
    
    The mixer is all steel plate, shaft, and gears, with aluminum castings. 
    Even the bowl is stainless steel- and locks very satisfyingly onto the
    base.  A glass bowl would shatter in seconds in one of these mixers-
    the power is just overwhelming. 
    
    My mom has had her KA for 6+ years now, and makes bread at least once a
    week.  No problems whatsoever.  My sisters is newer; only 4 years old,
    no problems.  Mine is about 6 months old, no problems.  All three are
    the 4.5 quart UltraPower units with hinged top (same power as the 
    fixed-top units but lower profile... the hinged top is nice because you
    can raise the top and let the beater drip freely into the bowl.  The
    4.5 quart unit is also a lot easier to store and will fit under the
    kitchen cabinets (the 5-quart unit is several inches taller and won't
    fit under some counter cabs.).  
                                                    
    [I understand the basic KA design of a single-blade mixer with a
    planetary gearbox (by Hobart) is about 40 years old- it's one of those
    things you just can't really improve. ]
    
     	-Bill

	Thanks for replies!  You folks sure love your KitchenAids!

	Now, just to be provoking...

	The KitchenAid is _terrible_.

	The motor gets too hot.  Right?  Admit it!  You can't touch it after
	a few minutes.

	Ingredients splatter out of the bowl, so you have to put that
	aluminum flange on the top, which means you have to add ingredients
	with a teaspoon.  Oh sure, you can stick that chute thing on the
	lip of the bowl, and then you have a complicated contraption of
	clattering parts.  This is fun?

	The speed control lever is untrustworthy.  It springs from "Off"
	to "1" spontaneously, so you have to unplug the machine before you
	fiddle inside the bowl.

	The bowls on the up-and-down model have a base thats 3/16" diameter.
	... Oh, all right, so I exaggerate.  It's really about 2" diameter.
	You're supposed to rest a 5-qt bowl on that?  C'mon.

	Where are you Kenwood people?  Are you going to let the KitchenAiders
	do all the talking?

	Regards, Robert (whose K5A is at least 16 years old, and as
	exasperating as any old friend...)

    I just got a Krup's mixer last week.  Anyone have any views on this
    one ??????

    Jack

    re: .26, views on getting a Krups:  You should have gotten a KA :-) 
    :-)
    
    ed

    I took a look at a Kenwood- it's plastic.  Even the "metal" Kenwood is
    plastic... chrome-plated plastic.  Ugh.  In the fine print on the box
    they admit that it's (and I quote) "metal-finish".  
    
    Buy the KitchenAid.  Heck, if you're interested, I'll sell you my 4.5
    quart fliptop KA and buy myself a 5 quart vertical lift with the bowl 
    chiller. :-)                                                     
                                                            
    	-Bill

On the other hand, plastic can be an advantage if you plan on storing the unit
anyplace else but on the counter.  The KA's can be heavy!  Especially the 5qt
... Bill mentioned.  Perfect if you have the counter space to permanently 
dedicate to it.

	Re .28: '... they admit that it's (and I quote) "metal-finish".'
    
	What's annoying isn't so much the fact that it's plastic, but that
	they mislead, even slightly.  "Metal-finish", indeed.

	I think the 7-qt is metal.  A lightweight mixer has its advantages,
	unless it wobbles and wanders when you mix a heavy load, like a
	clothes washer.

	Bill, what do you mean by "bowl chiller"?  Is there an accessory
	I missed?  Something new?
                                                            
	Regards, Robert.

    
    The bowl chiller is a second bowl that the 5-quart stainless bowl fits
    into.  You put ice cubes, cold water, etc. into the gap between the
    inner and outer bowls and thusly chill whatever it is you have in the
    inner bowl.
    
    I understand it's used for some pastry and egg dishes...
    
    	-Bill

    I'm considering getting the attachment package for my Kitchenaid 
    mixer that contains the meat grinder, vegetable strainer, and the
    slicer/shredder.  (I don't care about the slicer/shredder, but the
    first two bought separately add up to more than the package deal!)
    
    Questions:
    
    	- What do people think of the meat grinder attachment?
    
    	- Is the vegetable strainer a substitute for a food mill?
    
    Thanks,
    
    	--Sharon
    

    
    My mother has had her kitchenaid for 35 years.  She loves the
    grinder for chopped liver and gfilta fish.  (Gfilta fish is
    a mix of 3 types of ground fish.  After the fish is ground, you
    make fish balls and boil).
    
    I am going to try her grinder out on my new machine (only 2 years
    old) and I HOPE!!! that it fits.  I WANT! it!
    
    We don't have any experience with the vegetable strainer.
    
    		aud...
    

    We've used the meat grinder to make ground beef out of chuck roast, and
    it worked fine.
    
    Haven't used the vegetable strainer.
    
    Steve

    I have the attachment set. 
    
    I use the meat grinder to make ground beef out of all sorts of roasts.
    Round makes a very lean ground beef... make sure you leave the fat in
    or you won't get hamburgers that stay together at all. I've also used
    the fine plate to make breadcrumbs.
    
    I use the strainer to do tomatoes from the garden, making them into
    a thick tomato juice that I can then boil down into sauce. Works very
    well. I've also made applesauce using it... cook the apples and then
    strain... and pumpkin for pumpkin pie filling. It's a lot easier than
    using one of those hand cranked thingies like mom used to.
    
    I've used the shredder for a lot of things. The finest cone makes 
    very good shredded hard cheese, like parmasan. I've used the coarser
    one when I needed quantities of shredded chedder, and also for 
    shredding zucchini/summer squash for breads or for freezing to make
    breads later in the year. The gating factor in using this attachment
    is quantity - cleaning takes some time so unless you're doing a lot
    of shredding it is easier to whip out the hand grater and use it.
    I imagine that if you make sauerkraut or coleslaw this attachment
    would be wonderful. Oh, I also used the fine cone for grating nuts
    when I made a nut torte where the grated nuts take the place of the
    flour. 
    
    --Louise
    
    

    I use a food processor, but the same principle applies.
    
    It's highly useful for making potato pancakes.  Grating them by hand is
    a daunting prospect.  
    
    Now if I can just find a way to prevent the smoke alarm. . .
    
    Laura

    I'm looking at getting a mixer as all I have now is a hand mixer that's
    getting tired.  I looked at the Kitchen-Aide 4 1/2 and 5 qt models in
    Lechmere, but the salesman was pushing the Kenwood 5 qt, so now I'm
    also giving that serious consideration.  I think I've got it down to
    either the Kenwood or the 4 1/2 quart KA because I think I'd prefer the
    head to move up vs. the bowl moving up and down, but the Kenwood has a
    few good things going for it that bear some thought.  For instance, the
    Kenwood has a 600 watt motor vs. the 300 watts that the KA provides. 
    And the bowl is 5 qts vs. the 4 1/2 qts on the same type of mixer (i.e.
    the head rotates up and down).  Also, the Kenwood included the pour
    shield and an extra bowl which seemed nice.  Price-wise, they are
    about the same, so it comes down to which I think will do the job
    better. 
    
    I'm looking for input from folks who may have a Kenwood as I can see
    that people with the KA really love them.  Has anyone used both who may
    be able to comment?  I'd like to get it next Saturday when Lechmere is
    having a 1-day sale, and the mixers will be 10% off, plus I can get
    another 15% off by applying for their credit card.  At that discount,
    the price even beats Spag's!
    
    Any comments, especially on the Kenwood?
    
    Cathy

About a week before Christmas my wife's Sunbeam went up in smoke.
Literally. I opened it up and the whole motor was fried. So I did what
anyone would do; I went out and bought her the 300W KitchenAid.

Now we have the two sets of beaters from the Sunbeam (it was their
biggest, chrome-plated, variable speeds etc.) to give away. Anyone need
them? We have the regular mixer beaters and the pastry hooks. Free, you
pick them up in my office (ZKO) or at our house (Amherst, NH).

Art

    I have to add my comments about the Kitchen Aid mixer. WE have the
    KMH90 (I think), one down from the biggest size. We bought it after
    debating for months over what to replace my Oster KitchenCenter with,
    since the Oster motor was slowly dying. After having the KA for 3
    months, I have to say I wish I'd bought another Oster. 
    
    The KA 300 watt motor is only half the wattage of the Oster (600 watt)
    and it shows when using the grinder for making my fig Christmas
    cookies. I don't like the splatter sheidl or even the wholebowl-mixer
    setup because its almost impossible to add ingredients while the mixer
    is going. You have to shut it off, lift up the beater, add the
    ingredients, then lower the beater and start mixing. What a pain. And
    if you do manage to add something like flour or baking powder while the
    beater is running at anything higher than STIR, everything comes flying
    back out and lands on the counter/floor/you. 
    
    The whisk is nice for whipping things, especially egg whites. And it
    took some getting used to the paddle mixer because it mixes things
    together so much faster than other standard 2-beater mixers. 
    
    My husband tried to make pasta with it (dough hook and pasta maker
    attachment) and didn't have much luck. We'll try again now that we have
    the KA cookbook, but his old recipe was too soft and all the fettucine
    noodles fell into one big mass of pasta after coming out of the maker.
    
    Already the motor is starting to make funny noises when running at low
    speeds. Is this normal? All in all I'm very disappointed in it and
    really wish I had just bought another Oster base. Then I could have
    continued to use all the OSter attachements rather than spending big
    bucks replacing them with KA.
    
    Debbie
    

I have to admit I've seen more stuff thrown out of the bowl by this
mixer. My wife has found that her tried & true recipes all need to be
adjusted, because they apparently need less mixing time now. I suppose
you could say that's good, less energy, but in the meantime she's not
happy with her cookies, cakes, etc.

All in all, she wishes she had her Sunbeam back. 

Art

	The KitchenAid mixer is the best small appliance purchase I've
	ever made.  Wouldn't trade it for anything.  I have the shield,
	but seldom use it, as I find that starting it off slowly and
	knowing how to add things correctly does the trick.  I have the
	model with the lifter arms, so that might make a difference -
	I don't know.  I think it's just grand.

	Di

    I second the last note - I wouldn't be without my KitchenAid mixer, and
    I have the same (smaller) model you have complaints with. Once you
    learn its' idiosyncrasies and how to compensate for shorter mixing
    times (and how to add ingredients and have them stay in the bowl),
    you'll find it's well worth the investment.
    
    To say nothing of the fact that it's one of the few appliances I've
    found today that's still made of METAL and not PLASTIC! This thing'll
    outlast me AND whoever I leave it to.
    
    	/Harry

Well, the 300-watt model (the one just below the one with the lifting
arms) is on sale at Lechmere this week for $179, and they have it in four
colors (red, white, blue, and black).

The first time I tried to use it for whipped potatoes (there, Dan) they
all glopped onto the beater and stayed there for the ride. I thought it
was cute, sort of, this potato-go-round. So I gradually increased speed,
and the spuds left the beater and got properly beaten. There is indeed a
learning curve. (Our sunbeam used to bog down when I whipped potatoes,
and I'd have to nurse it along; the Kitchen Aid never even notices them.

I asked my wife if it would help her if I bought the accessory kit. I
thought she could eliminate her separate grinder and veg chopper. That
idea met with resistance, although she'd love to reclaim the shelf space
in the pantry.