UPDATE January 17th, 2009:

I was happy with my Jenn-Air Attrezzi Stand Mixer up until yesterday, when it quit. I have every reason to believe it has quit for good.

I went to whip up a batch of bread dough. I poured all the ingredients into the bowl, rotated the dial, and hit the "On/Off" button. Nothing. The light on the top to show the mixer was "On" was lit. I checked the power cord to make sure it was inserted tightly. I checked the rotators to make sure everything was attached correctly. Still, nothing.

A quick Google search led me to realize that I was not alone in this situation. It seemed as though the culprit could be several things: a blown fuse, bad connections, or a piece breaking off the mechanism that tells the mixer when the head is down (as opposed to up, when it should stop running).

I have contacted Jenn-Air but at this point don't expect much. The mixer is three years old, well out of warranty, and from my understanding Jenn-Air no longer makes these products.

It's sad that in today's world things fail so easily, considering before this mixer I had an old Avocado Green mixer from the 70's that still was working, I just wanted an upgrade for my new kitchen. Three years compared to 30 years. Sad indeed. What was once a 5-star review has now been significantly reduced.

Original review:

My husband and I recently remodeled our kitchen. Our "before" kitchen was original to our 1940's house, and in a word it was terrible. I was embarrassed of it and had absolutely no pride in the way it looked.

After replacing everything was sleek and modern cabinets and appliances, I realized that maybe my Avocado Green stand mixer from the 1970's (handed down from my mom) wouldn't look so great on my dark grey countertops. Not to mention that while it still ran okay, it tended to make a funny burning smell when ran on the higher settings.

I began looking into a new mixer. I had always been kind of a fan of the Kitchen Aid Artisan Mixers that it seems like everyone has (my mom included, which is how I was stuck with the Avocado Green). However, would it look right in my ultra modern kitchen? I took a peek at Linens and Things online. $269.00! Yikes. We had already gone over budget during the remodel, so I chalked it up as maybe something to put on my Christmas list. As I was about to click out of the window, I noticed the Jenn-Air Attrezzi Mixer. Immediately my jaw dropped. It was sleek. It was beautiful. It was perfect for my kitchen! But, it was even more expensive than the Artisan at $349.00!

A wave of disappointment settled over me. Why were mixers so dang expensive?

A few weeks later, I was clicking through Overstock.com, which admittedly is a site I'm not usually a huge fan of. But I was bored and perusing. On a whim, I searched for "Attrezzi" and low and behold, my beautiful mixer popped up... for only $167.99!! They had it in almost every color. I immediately placed my order, and in five days it was on my doorstep.


Colors & Style:

The Jenn-Air Attrezzi comes in a variety of colors in both the mixer and the bowl. I chose the pearlescent white mixer with a beautiful aqua beach (like a pacific blue) bowl. The mixer also comes in pearlescent black, satin platinum, stainless steel and antique copper. The bowls come in cobalt blue, merlot red, aqua beach, amber tortoise, dolce, verde green, clear-etched pattern and stainless steel. The clear-etched pattern bowl also really appealed to me, but I felt like the aqua beach would match my kitchen better. The bowls can also be purchased separately for around $59, in case you get sick of looking at the color you first bought.

The mixer itself is very sleek and stylish, as you can see by the picture at the top of my review. It's not quite as "robust" looking as the Kitchen-Aid Artisan mixers, so it's perfect for a more modern home.

The bowl is made of tempered glass that is both microwave and dishwasher safe. The bowl features two contoured handles and a lip in the front for safe and easy pouring. A stainless steel bowl can also be purchased, but it's obviously not microwave safe.


Features:

Along with a glass bowl, three mixer attachments are also included: a flat beater, wire whip and dough hook.


Operating:

The first time I used my Jenn-Air Attrezzi was the same day that it arrived in the mail. Unfortunately, I was home alone so it was up to me to get the 50 lb box into the house. I had to work through a series of three separate boxes and styrofoam, but at long last the mixer was in my grasp. And...I immediately dropped it (and the bowl) upside down on my hardwood floor. No worry, didn't even make a dent (in the mixer or the floor).

Since it's extremely heavy, it's the sort of mixer you'll want to keep on your countertop and not store away. No issues here- it takes up relatively little space (14.5 in. H x 12 in. W x 14.5 in. D) and as I said before, it's so beautiful that you'll want to show it off.

I hoisted it up onto the countertop. The three-prong cord goes into an adapter located at the back of the mixer, and then plugs into a regular outlet.

Attaching the attachments was a snap. First, you must tilt the head of the mixer back by using the safety lever located at the back of the mixer. Then, you line up the hole at the end of the attachment with the vertical bar that is hanging down. You push up all the way, then turn to your right, and it's locked.

The bowl slides onto the base and locks with another turn.

All in all, it took me only about 3 minutes to set up.

To use the mixer, there is a touchwheel located at the top of the mixer, which Jenn-Air called "Innovative". It's automatically set to "off". You lightly press the wheel to turn it to the different speeds (10 total) and LED lights light up in a cobalt blue color to show you which speed you're on. Once you've chosen the speed you would like, you press the "start/stop" button in the middle of the wheel, and the mixer whirs to life.

The mixer is built so that the attachment starts off slowly and gradually builds speed, to reduce any splattering.

The first thing I made was cookies. I had never used a "flat beater" attachment, my old mixer only had a set of wire wisk beaters. I couldn't believe how slick it worked!

I will have to admit that it caught me off guard- I was used to the old set-up where the beaters would whir and the bowl would spin. At first I couldn't figure out why my bowl wasn't spinning. Duh! It's because the actual mixer moves around in what Jenn-Air describes as a "planetary motion". This allows it to properly mix or beat whatever you have in the bowl, while keeping the dough (or whatever you're making) off the sides and bottoms. It works great.

The "stop/start" button also works as a sort of "pause" button, in case you need to add anything to your mixture while mixing. Just press the button once to stop, add what you need to, and press it again and it will slowly build back up to the speed you previously set.

The mixer also has a "safety feature" and will not run if the head is tilted back, in case you accidentally press the "start" button.

All of the attachments and the bowl are dishwasher-safe. The mixer stand can be wiped off using a damp cloth.

I have used both the flat beater (for cakes and doughs) and wire whip (for eggs, etc) attachments. I have not used the dough hook, which I believe is more for like bread doughs, because I'm not a huge bread baker...yet.


The Bottom-line:

The Jenn-Air Attrezzi Stand Mixer would make a beautiful addition to any modern home. It's a great stylish upgrade to the usual Kitchen Aid mixers you see everywhere. The only con would be the price, but you can't afford to miss out on the current deal at Overstock.com.

(As an aside, the KitchenAid Attrezzi line also includes a blender and a toaster. The blender match the style/colors of the mixer, and I have it next on my wish list!)


Other Products Purchased (and reviewed) during my kitchen remodel:

Whirlpool GR2FHMXPQ Top Freezer Refrigerator

Bosch SHX33A02 Dishwasher

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 167.99