The History Behind Your Favorite Stand Mixer: The KitchenAid Stand Mixer
For more details please browse through the available options. There are details on where to buy cheap KitchenAid stand mixers as well as comparisons on what is the best KitchenAid stand mixer to buy.
KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Classic Plus Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Ultra Power Stand Mixer
KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer
Featured and much celebrated in the pages of Modern Bride Magazine, KitchenAid Stand Mixers still continue to be the most sought after kitchen appliance by cooking fans and even commercial establishments throughout the world. The KitchenAid Professional 600 Stand Mixer being one of the most popular options. It used to be and continues to be the iconic “must have” item on any bride’s wish list. KitchenAid Stand Mixers have gradually become the iconic, perfect day-to-day kitchen item genuinely appreciated by thousands of people because of its sheer convenience, amazing simplicity and the contemporary feel that emanates around it.
KitchenAid have built such high brand recognition that it has created an entire consumer classification all by itself; as recognizable as the most worshipped and appreciated items known to mankind such as Band-Aid, Kleenex or Q-tips. And in the cooking realm, Cuisinart pressure cookers, the classic Cuisinart Multiclad pro 12 piece cookware set and others well known items KitchenAid is up there with the most well known household names such as the best Santoku knives , the All American pressure canner, Sunbeam and Hamilton Beach, it is only appropriate to say that KitchenAid is the very first to have made a trademark. Having sold way more than a million mixers each year, it is quite amazing to see how this tiny piece of kitchen equipment grew in the last 100 years.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer History
In the last 100 years of Kitchen Aid’s existence, of course, there have been a number of changes. The mixers used to only come in one color—white; now, however, you can choose a whole lot more with more than 40 colors to choose from and has coatings from Cornflower to Green Apple. This is very appealing to any modern bride’s kitchen or for anyone looking to redesign their kitchen with colorful appliances but the inner workings of the kitchen item have not essentially changed at all. A pea shucker connection from 1919 still works perfectly in today’s contemporary KitchenAid Mixer models.
The Beginnings
The rudimentary history of KitchenAid’s ingenious mixers goes back to Herbert Johnson’s conception to make life in the kitchen much more convenient and to make everything faster without compromising the taste or quality of the food itself. The idea of making such a magnificent invention came to him during the year 1908 when he saw a professional baker going to such a lot of trouble as he combatted making a dough with only a bowl and spoon in hand. Johnson, the originator of Hogart Manufacturing, created the very first 80-quart Hogart Model mixer during the year 1915. The first mixer Herbert Johnson created for the company displayed a kind of “planetary action” where one whisk rotated in one direction while the bowl rotated in the other direction.
KitchenAid Mixers For The Home
Whil the 65-lb Hogart mixers initially served their use in industrial settings, especially in bakeries; a person named Egmont Ahrens created an idea that would incorporate the mixer in the home setting by modifying the size and design of the mixer. Consequentially, the idea made the price of the mixer cheaper, from the original price of $189.50 to a much more affordable price of $55 in the year 1936. The innovative and fresh design made the mixer look so befitting and even appealing on kitchen countertops that they decided to patent it; granting them the sole rights to the design.
Progression
In the year 1919, Hogart Manufacturing gave mixers to some of their executives so that they could have it tested themselves in their homes in the hopes that they could create potential names for the kitchen appliance. One of the executives’ wife said that she wondered what people were going to call the appliance because she thought that it was the most outstanding “kitchen aide” her hands has ever laid upon. The rest is history.
Setbacks
At the time, Kitchen Aid’s mixers didn’t sell too well. In the year 1930, Ivar Jepson made the Sunbeam Mixmaster which was only priced for a mere $15. Times were as hard then as they are now. Sure enough, people wouldn’t even think of purchasing an expensive mixer when there was a much cheaper brand available. Kitchen Aid had a tough time promoting and selling their mixer.
KitchenAid Fame
In the year 1986, KitchenAid made a huge overturn by selling their properties and patent to Whirlpool Corp. This immensely helped more than it could ever do harm to their reputation as an innovator for kitchen appliances. Ever since then, an estimate of 308 million KitchenAid Stand Mixers were sold since the year 1988. Their reputation rose to an all-time high and the name KitchenAid has become very common in every single household.
Who could possibly know what is in store for a huge brand like KitchenAid and its mixers in the contemporary period. Their promotional crusades now focused much on giant retailers like Macy’s, Sears, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond; all of which are renowned retailers for all types of people, including bridal registries. With the rapid advancement of technology plus the global demand and appreciation for all-around convenience and ingenuity, the simple and humble mixer has now been turned into a food grinder, ice cream maker, sausage stuffer, vegetable & fruit juicer, and pasta maker among all other things.
Picking KitchenAid Mizers
There are a number of models of mixers to pick on. While all of these models have different qualities that makes each one of them stand out among the others, all have similar characteristics. For example, all of the mixer models have a 10-speed motor in them and includes exactly the same attachment hub. The 10-speed motor translates to more control of how you want your recipe to turn out and the similarity of these attachment hubs means that you could connect the pasta maker, sausage stuffer, ice cream maker or juicer without hassle. Aside from this, all models come in with a one-year warranty.
Differences
Basically, the models can be categorized into two families. Between the two models families, the Tilt Head Mixers are the ones considered more for home use. With this family model the head basically, as its name suggests, tilts or inclines at an approximately 45-degree angle to provide fast and convenient access to both the bowl that is anchored to the base and the beater attachment. Again, the models that fall under the Tilt Head Mixers are designed more for the household.
Among the models that fall under the Tilt Head Mixers, the Classic Series is the smallest in size which comes in a white 8-cup model. The Artisan Series and the Custom Metallic Series which are bigger versions, on the other hand, come in with a 9-cup bowl. The difference between the two, however, is that the former is painted while the latter is made from metal which looks smooth and classic if you appreciate that kind of thing. To promote the fight against breast cancer and the cause of finding for a cure, KitchenAid has also created a special edition for the Artisan model, which they named the Cook for the Cure. The model comes in pink and for every sale made, $50 goes to breast cancer research.
KitchenAid Professional
The other model family is the Bowl Lifting mixers. The models that fall under this are considered to be more for professional use. The models tend to have bigger motors and bowls that could accommodate bigger batches. As you would know, a lever is lifted or dropped to put the bowl into a mixing spot. The smallest is the Commercial 5 Series that have 11-cup bowls and comes with a special hook for the dough. The Professional 5 Plus Series is pretty much similar to the smaller Commercial 5 Series except that the former has a much bigger bowl and have different beaters and wire whips. The largest model that KitchenAid has is the Professional 600 Series that includes a colossal 14 cups and the customary flour pouring shield is included as well.
These two families are categorized either for home or commercial use but any of these models can be the right fit for you depending on your needs and demands. The two designations are merely names that point out what they are best suited for but it all still depends on what your preferences are. There are restaurants that are doing very well using the household models every single day while there are also commercial models being used as well in a lot of households.
In the next part, we will look into the nitty-gritty aspects of these different mixer models and their accessories.
Extras And Options
One of the functional extras that KitchenAid has that basically made the whole kitchen experience very conventional, time-saving and even fun, eventually making the brand a common household name is its accessories. All the mixer models virtually have the same accessory hub so if you purchase some of the accessories, you can easily attach it. There is no need to worry about mismatches as all of the accessories work for all the different types of KitchenAid models ever created. The accessories mentioned here are the very popular ones but there are actually quite a number of it available in the market.
Pasta Maker
Once you have made and tasted a freshly made pasta, you don’t ever want to go back to eating the dried pastas in packages sold in supermarkets. With the pasta maker in hand, you can now definitely make a pasta right from scratch with the easy-to-use pasta maker in five minutes or even less. You can purchase the pasta maker separately but you can actually save more if you purchase the pasta maker that comes in a kit.
There are two kinds of kits that you can look at. The Basic Kit comes in with a pasta roller, linguine and fettuccine cutter. The Basic Kit can be used to make lasagna as well. The Advanced Kit, on the other hand, includes the same equipment that the Basic Kit has plus it can be used as well to make thick egg noodles, ravioli and angel hair pasta.
Ice Cream Maker
Anyone who has not had the chance to savor the taste of a home made ice cream or sorbet is absolutely nuts, and for those who love it they shouldn’t ignore KitchenAid’s Ice Cream Maker. The accessory comes in a very large 2-quart bowl attachment that can be used to create ice cream, sorbet and any other frozen treat that you can think of. The whole process will only take around 15 or 20 minutes, after which you are free to enjoy on your frozen creation and share it with your family and friends.
Grinder, Slicer and Shredder
This accessory is considered to be the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of Kitchen Aid Stand Mixers. You can do a lot of things with this. From grinding meat or coffee, chopping up veggies, slicing cheeses and fruits, shred vegetables; and even as seemingly ridiculous but marvelous as making flavored butter, you can do all of these plus more with the accessory.
Grain Mill
As if making your own flavored butter isn’t enough, why not try experiencing the feeling of eating freshly baked bread? The Grain Mill is definitely your main tool for an ultimate fresh baking experience. Using this accessory, you can grind any type of non-oily grain your hands could ever get hold of and turn into, well, flour. Purchase your own organic, natural grain and have it turned into the freshest loaves of bread your brain could ever think of and your tongue could ever desire to taste.
The last section will talk about the different reviews about KitchenAid Stand Mixers that were acquired from different internet sources.
At one time clients felt discontented and as a result sent in letters to the company who makes KitchenAid Stand Mixers to voice their dissatisfaction. People just felt that the maker’s attempts to utilizing plastic as a cover for the mixers was too frugal and made the world-renowned kitchen equipment look very cheap and substandard even. Rumors, however, point out that KitchenAid is dedicated to fulfilling the need and value the opinions of its loyal consumers by shifting back to metal gear covers in order to regain their reputation for durability which KitchenAid has always been known for.
Even more recently, KitchenAid and Whirlpool have carefully decided to run a campaign in support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation that aims to make people aware of the devastating effects of breast cancer and is determined to find a cure for it. In reverence to the breast cancer survivors, the mixers come in pink and 10% of the sales goes to the foundation. The hosts also are having activities to promote breast cancer awareness that they named “Cook For The Cure” that also acquire donations for the foundation.
Critics and people who regularly use the stand mixers genuinely acknowledge that the KitchenAid Artisan Series is the best stand mixer among all the other models in terms of doing heavy tasks like mixing up and manipulating tough dough. While this type of model can be very much depended upon for heavy duties, it also does a great job at making whipped egg whites and heavy cream. The KitchenAid Artisan Series come with a 5-quart stainless steel bowl plus three attachments that comes in the form of a whish, dough hook and a flat beater. The 10-speed motor control plus the chute with a splash guard that functions as a way for easily putting in ingredients looked very appealing even among the toughest consumers. Not to mention, the model comes in 25 different kinds of colors. You can be certain that you can have your KitchenAid Stand Mixer in your favorite color.
Cheap KitchenAid Stand Mixer
If you are on a tight budget, you might want to purchase the KitchenAid Classic Series model, it is almost as powerful compared to the Artisan model but comes in a smaller 4 & ½ quart mixing bowl.
If you are looking for reputable websites and publications that give spot-on reviews for the KitchenAid Stand Mixers, we have found a few that can give you an assurance of what the product really is all about. ConsumerReports.org and Choice magazine offers reviews for the model series. There also are consumer reviews available at Epinions.com, Viewpoints.com, Amazon.com and Cooking.com. A good website that supplies detailed reviews and information on any kitchen appliance and gear you could ever lay your eyes and hands on is Only-Cookware.com.
KitchenAid Stand Mixer Reviews
Among the positive reviews that we have read from other websites, consumers and professional critics strongly agree that KitchenAid Stand Mixers provide the best value for your money. The strong features of the models are too numerous to be counted. But there are a number worthy to be pointed out.
First of all, the power of the KitchenAid Stand Mixers is commendable. It can definitely mix and knead even the thickest and toughest doughs. The mixers are very easy to clean and ingredients can be combined without putting too much work in to it. Perhaps the most popular reason why people choose KitchenAid Stand Mixers is its reputation for durability.
It is as if KitchenAid Stand Mixers last forever and rarely need attention. Lastly, its customizability and the vast options from color to highly functional accessories makes it the number one choice for different people with different needs and demands. KitchenAid Stand Mixers absolutely are the best and and many just can’t seem to have a functional kitchen without one.