Advice on mixers

[Wanttobake]

I have always baked but wish to be equipped with better tools for it. I will like to invest in a good mixer but while all my friends rave about their K-Aid and it looks great, it is out of my budget. Can anyone recommend another cheaper brand/model that I can explore, preferably with dishwasher safe parts? The current mixer I am using is a just handheld one and I really want a proper one. Thanks!

[depends]

I will second the motion for Kitchenaid.

It depends though on what kinda job you want to do...

In a perfect world you will have a kitchenaid and a bamix.

[Kenwood]

Not sure how readily available Kenwood is here but they are great and last forever.

[Wanttobake]

Thanks for the advice so far.
To Kenwood, this is a brand I am considering and it's not difficult to buy one in Singapore. But it has many different ranges and models from each range to choose from. Their K-Mix range appears to be closest to K-Aid but in terms of price too which means I can't consider it. Do you happen to use a Kenwood and if so, which model are you using? Thank you!

[Kenwood]

Current one is about 10 years old so not sure what the equivalent is now.  It is a very basic model with bowl, dough hook and egg/cream beaters.  For me the size of the motor is key.

If you make pasta and bread dough you need a fairly heavy duty engine so that it doesn't burn out quickly.  Also the ease of getting the attachments on an off helps to avoid frustration

You need to think of your long terms needs.  If you are an avid baker and have been for years and continue to do so I would bite the bullet and go for the Kitchen Aid, which is what I will do when the Kenwood bites the dust - mind you my mum had one for 30 years so I may be waiting a while yet.

[kitchenrealistic]

To add to previous comments, i enjoy my k-aid but it is by no means ideal and I still find myself opting for older, simpler pieces of equipment, especially with smaller quantities.

For dough mixing, I find it is good for getting the dough started but if you are making serious bread I have found I'm better of removing the dough to finish by hand more often than not, if the dough quantity/consistency is not just so for the k-aid mechanism.

Re the smaller quantities thing, I'll even opt for hand-whisking cream or egg whites if it's not a large enough volume for the k-aid to do it efficiently.  I believe that you can get attachments that literally "scrape the bottom of the bowl" but I have been told, rightly or wrongly, that this stresses the motor more and reduces the longevity of the appliance. 

I think the most important thing that having a heavy-duty, expensive piece of equipment like the k-aid has taught me is: there are no shortcuts in life or baking!!!

 

[wanttobake]

Hello all,

I enjoy baking but by no means very good at it so thank you for all the helpful advice.

I think I definitely need to make a list of my needs and combined with the advice given shop around for abit more before making a decision!

Happy baking to all!

[marriedguy]

Thanks for the advice so far.
To Kenwood, this is a brand I am considering and it's not difficult to buy one in Singapore. But it has many different ranges and models from each range to choose from. Their K-Mix range appears to be closest to K-Aid but in terms of price too which means I can't consider it. Do you happen to use a Kenwood and if so, which model are you using? Thank you!

I have a Kenwood Chef Titanium mixer model KM010 which is not the top of the range model, but serves my needs perfectly. I bought it two years ago at the Christmas sale at Tangs. If you do buy one, look for one that has some bonus accessories thrown in. I got the spice mill and blender thrown in. Paid around $900.00 if memory serves.

I know a mixing bowl is a mixing bowl, but I think the Kenwood is better simply because of the range of accessories that you can attach to it. I have subsequently purchased the mincer as well as the juicer.

The range of accessories in the shops is pretty useless, but if you go to the distributors office in Jalan Pemimpin you can get all the accessories there. Other than that, buy online, but be careful as not all accessories fit all models.

Hope this is helpful.

[fatmouse76]

So which is better to buy ,is it Kenwood or Kitchen Aid ?

[Joseph27]

They are both great mixers and you cant go wrong with either....   

Kenwood has more of a range which is useful if you only want a smaller or middle range model.... Their top end is $1398 which has all the bells and whistles and a rock solid engine... if you do pastas, or a lot of cooking - thats the best to get but obviously not cheap.  They go down to below $400 for entry level which is still very good if you only cook in small batches. 

The kitchen aide is also great - I had one back in Aus but family back home has it now.  I loved it for bigger recipes but for a small batch of anything, it seemed a bit of overkill and I could never reach those corner bits properly.

There is also the Bosch - its a heavy duty machine for $1299 - very strong motor and its beater gets into every bit of the bowl. I got the lower end model when I came to Singapore - however its completely crap if you want to whisk egg whites, seriously struggles and I generally end up using a cheap hand mixed I have as backup. 

Too much info but PM if you need more help or want a discount

[Concierge]

I was told that the best mixer to get is the Breville Wizz Planetary Mixer - maybe you can check it out.

[kitchenaid best]

As nic.

Also, if you find it doesn't reach bottom of bowl there is an adjustment screw to raise and lower the attachments.

Can also get grinders, pasta rollers etc which fit to it.

[fatmouse76]

What so good about kitchen aid.I just saw it being sold in Jurong Point at $799.

[EGNB]

Mainly the KitchenAid is so expensive here because it is an imported product.  You can get equivalent models in the U.S. for about $200 less.  But, it is a very good mixer, and I think worth the price.  We swear by it for mixing cake batter and icing, cookie dough, and pasta.

We didn't ship our U.S. one here, and ended up getting a new one locally for about S$600 at Mayer's during the Great Singapore Sale.  I think Kitchen Culture will have the same specials during that time period.