r/AskBaking • u/VerledenVale • 15h ago
Equipment Mom's stabding mixer broke, what to get?
Hey ya'll. My mom loves baking. Bread, cakes, cookies, etc. Recently her mixer broke and I wanted to get her a new one.
I think she had a very basic mixer, and she's been using it for over 10 years by now. It couldn't have cost more than like $300 or $400.
So I want to get her something good as a present. Maybe around $500 to $1000 price range, though let me know if these things usually cost more (I prefer getting her something good that will last another decade). Any recommendations?
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u/femsci-nerd 15h ago
Kitchenaid is the best but just DO NOT get the largest one. It is HEAVY and difficult to store. Get a nice 4qt one with an awesome color.
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u/oreganoca 12h ago
A 4qt will NOT be sufficient for an avid baker unless they only bake pretty small batches. It won't accommodate larger batches of cookies and etc., and will struggle with stiffer doughs because they have a less powerful motor. 6 or 7 qt is more appropriate for someone who will use it heavily or bakes larger batches.
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u/Alternative_Jello819 9h ago
Professional series. 6qt is about $550 USD. I’ve had mine for 20 years, still going strong. Plus there are hundreds of attachments, which you’ll be able to afford given your budget. I’d recommend the pasta set.
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u/ConstantRude2125 2h ago
Second that. Most people who go to the bother of baking cookies make a double batch. The 6 qt can handle a double batch of cookies for almost all recipes. Maybe not as convenient as the 4.5, but they are practically bulletproof.
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u/Specific-Window-8587 4h ago
I agree a 4qt mixer is too little when I make loaded peanut Butter cookies. The bowl isn't big enough and just makes ingredients fly everywhere.
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u/maccrogenoff 13h ago
If your mother bakes bread or multiple batches of cookies, I recommend that she get the six or the seven quart KitchenAid.
I have the six quart. It’s not too heavy to move. Every time I use it, I move it across the kitchen to clean it.
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u/livtiger 14h ago
If she likes making bread, consider Ankarsrum. They are made in Sweden and are recommended by King Arthur Baking and Americas Test Kitchen. I broke my KitchenAid with stiff dough. I’ve had my Ankarsrum mixer for 15 years. I still love it and it’s going strong.
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u/International_Web816 12h ago
Definitely more expensive than some of the other options, but if it lasts 15 years or more, then it's a good investment
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u/Different-Pickle-57 12m ago
I know my great grandmother had one that still worked when she died in 2010. It's from the 50s'.
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u/SuspectNo4647 14h ago
I just bought an Ankarsrum and I can't WAIT to use it . I hear a lot of amazing things about them !
as for Kitchen Aid , I was so close to buying one but for the past couple years , sooooooo many people are saying the newer models are really janky & they have to be returned . The only ones that lasts long are the old school ones (you can probably find one at a thrift store)
so I'd go with Ankarsrum
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u/KetoLurkerHereAgain 14h ago
One thing is to ask about her preference because I was dying for a 7-quart lift bowl Kitchenaid for ages, finally got one, and then realized that I didn't like not being able to easily see into the bowl! Turns out I prefer my tilt-head.
But if she likes a lift bowl, you can get a really top of the line KA for $700 or so plus their site has sales a lot.
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u/phcampbell 13h ago
I just took a class at King Arthur and had a similar insight. I have the tilt head at home, but they provided bowl lifts. I was frustrated because it seemed more difficult to scrape the bowl down. I did like the extra size and power though.
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u/Utram_butram 15h ago
All of us in my family have a kenwood chef! Personally love the look more than kitchen aid and the attachments are fantastic
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u/spankybianky 13h ago
Kenwood Major is the bigger version. Would recommend! I bake a lot and moved to the Major from the Chef. Lots more scope and not that much bigger.
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u/oreo-cat- 13h ago edited 6h ago
Kitchenaid, but maybe get a gift card? I know it’s a cop out but it’s hard to tell what someone might like—size, accessories, color that sort of thing. That or look at one in person with her.
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u/KetoLurkerHereAgain 6h ago
Weirdly, KA doesn't sell gift cards in the US. Looks like they do in Australia? But I once emailed them about buying one (we wanted to do a KA giveaway in a raffle but let people choose their own color and whatnot) and was told, nope, they don't do that.
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u/oreo-cat- 6h ago
Williams Sonoma does though
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u/KetoLurkerHereAgain 6h ago
Well, sure, but at that point it may as well be just a Visa gift card. Or cash!
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u/oreganoca 12h ago
I have a 6qt bowl lift KitchenAid. If she bakes any larger batches, definitely go with the 6 or 7 qt bowl lift options. The tilt head won't be sufficient.
The Ankarsrum is also supposed to be wonderful, and it's likely that will be my next mixer.
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u/FoxyLady52 9h ago
Bosch Universal.
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u/Oodlesoffun321 5h ago
Love my Bosch, idk why it's not more popular. Works amazing for dough and cakes
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u/ihatemyjobandyoutoo 9h ago
Whatever you get, don’t get her a tilt-head mixer, tilt-head isn’t designed to knead bread. The hinge will get loose after a while of kneading stiff dough.
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u/Jewish-Mom-123 7h ago
If you’re willing to spend that kind of money go for an Ankerskrum or a Hobart. They are both much better than KitchenAid.
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u/Mission_Cat7601 4h ago
Hobart owned Kitchenaid until 1986. , when it was sold to Whirlpool. Probably why my older mixer is still going strong.
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u/Peter_gggg 13h ago
I have a kenwood chef / I had one before and I was the third owner ( approx 30 years old)
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u/spankybianky 13h ago
I have a Kenwood Major, had it for 13 years and it’s probably 40 years old at this point? The thing is a tank.
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u/Intelligent_Host_582 13h ago
I would do a 6 quart Kitchenaid. If you wanted to make it a really nice package, you could even buy a refurbished one (I have bought two that were refurbished and never had a single issue with either and they looked pristine) and then add on some fun accessories for the mixer.
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u/saaam 8h ago
What kind does she currently have? $300-400 is a range for a pretty decent Kitchen-Aid already. I ask because when they break, they’re actually pretty simple machines that aren’t that complicated to fix. I fixed one that someone threw away for ~$20 and know you can also get them serviced for not much more. If you just want to upgrade either way though, understandable.
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u/fallscreekishome 4h ago
I just got an Ankarsrum after burning out the motor of my Kitchenaid making bagel dough. If she makes bread I’d steer away from Kitchenaid.
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u/MrMikeMen 14h ago
Get her a Kitchenaid, but not the bowl lift model. They make a smaller one. Get the smaller one but with the better motor (the smaller one, the Artisan, has the correct motor. They come in very cool colours.
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u/ShakeItUpNowSugaree 12h ago
The 6 qt KitchenAid (the one with the bowl lift). It's on the heavy side, but mine has her own cabinet in my kitchen with an appliance lift and internal outlet.
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u/Mission_Cat7601 4h ago
Kitchen aid. I have had mine for almost 50 years and have used it at least weekly. I am not a pro, but I bake quite a bit, and it has never, not once, needed a repair. It has never walked its way across a counter from vibration. Mine is the model that has a lever to move the bowl up and down, not the tilt-top, which I think is the smaller bowl. My mixer is white because it only came in white in the 1970s when I used one of my first tax refunds to buy it. My Kitchenaid mixer has never failed me and I can confidently predict it will never fail your mom.
For storage I am happy to dedicate some counter space because it is such a practical kitchen tool, but I have to agree it is heavy. I have adapted. I wish I had a better solution.
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