Well, after using the pasta maker for the third time on my old 4.5 quart Kitchenaid, it finally blew out after 8 years. I loved that mixer, and a pretty penny was put out for it too. So, that landed in the dumpster and I went out in search of a new mixer to be my victim. Now, note you, I am not Emeril, but I do appreciate a good quality kitchen appliance. So, after a good amount of research, and a closing sale at the local Service Merchandise, I was the proud owner of the Epicurean Stand mixer.

The unveiling

I got the box in the house, and quickly pryed it open, and after a few minutes of tugging and cardboard ripping, I managed to get the mixer out. It was a very pretty appliance, sturdy, and HEAVY. I lugged it up the countertop and tried to slide it under the overhanging cabinets. Low and behold, it was 2 inches too tall, so it got a home by the sink with no cabinets above it. I plugged it in, and it came to life with a quiet whirrring noise. So, I decided to find an excuse to use my new toy.

Mixin it up

The first pesky little quirk about the mixer that I noticed was the lack of the tilting head. There is a leaver on the side that can raise the bowl as well as lower it a few inches, but one must still remove the beater in order to get the bowl off. This mixer has 10 speeds, labeled from 1 to 10 respectively. The soft start feature is a blessing. Even it you try to jack the mixer all the way up, it still takes a 2 second delay on low speed before picking up, this reduces flour poof, or egg splashing. It worked fine with my pasta maker, although the pasta maker itself sucks. The pasta clumps together to make one great big noodle, about 1 inch thick, eeew. That 6 quart bowl sure could hold alot, and the mixer gladly mixed whatever was in it. I never used the dough hook, I only believe on hand kneading bread, period. The wire whip could work wonders with smashed potatoes, as well as whipping cream and eggs, but I dont like using a large bowl for whipping tiny batches. The flat beater is what gets used the most. This is the "all purpose" beater that is used for anything that needs to be mixed without getting whipped. I have yet to find a use for the hook. Oh, and I must mention the really comfy handle on the bowl, it makes the bowl, no matter how heavy, easy to hold.

Getting Attached

The Epicurean has a large attachment hub on the front of the mixer with a hinged cover on the front that is meant for attachment use. Now, Kitchenaid has a plethora of attachments for this thing, however I only own the pasta maker, which I am not at all satisfied with. You roll dough into a little ball and drop it into a hopper, and the mixer shoves the dough through a plate, thus the major strain on the motor. This has blown out my last mixer and the pasta sucks anyway. It clumps. The mixer is meant for mixing and that is the only thing I use it for.

The Epicurean Empire Falls

One day when trying to whip a batch of 10 dozen cookies, the motor started to smell, and the transmission in the mixer sounded like it was failing. Well, sure enough, it was. I called customer service even though the mixer was 6 months out of warranty. I held the handset down to the mixer and Kitchenaid confirmed that the mixer was shot. So, they UPGRADED me to the Professional 6 model and gave me the color I wanted (Empire Green) to boot! They paid shipping to and from and all was well. Please read my review on the Professional 6! I would buy this mixer again without looking back, just for the exemplary service. The Epicurean however has been discontinued, and the Professional 6 is the only 6 quart model available.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): $ 365