shoehorny's Full Review: KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250 Watts Stand Mixer
Review of the Kitchen Aid Classic Mixer (October 30, 2001)
My wife is a gourmet cook. She loves baking and she is one of the best bakers in the world (I have a small spare tire around my waist to prove it!). One of her big secrets to creating masterpieces in the kitchen is using the best tools. Kitchen Aid is considered to have the Cadillac of kitchen appliances, in most chefs' views. Their products are simply built better.
I first got this mixer for my wife when we got married several years ago. At the time, she was trying out various new cookie recipes and she needed a heavier-duty mixer than those already in her kitchen (we have at least six different brand mixers - ranging from stand-up/bowl mixers to hand held mixers). So, for Christmas that year, I got her a Kitchen Aid Classic Mixer. She was thrilled to get a new Kitchen Aid mixer; unfortunately, it was not the right mixer for her.
Kitchen Aid makes several different stand-up/bowl mixers - each at a different quality level for a specific type of chef. The Classic is a basic mixer that may be used for average, every day needs for the once-in-awhile type baker. It is best used for mixing sauces, pancake mixes, cake mixes and other "light-duty" uses. It is not a bad mixer! In its class, it is probably 99.9% better than all of the other brands of mixers on the market.
Kitchen Aid also has the Ultra Power series of mixers - a step up from the Classic model. Next comes the Heavy Duty series, which is a step up from the Ultra Power series. The mixers are both superior in quality to the Classic series model, yet still are made for average, every-day use. The Professional series is the choice of happy bakers, such as my wife. The Professional series will laugh as it mixes cookie dough - no problem.
I do not intend to put down the Classic series. It is a great mixer and many owners love their Kitchen Aid Classic mixers. They will swear they never had a problem using their mixers and they probably never will. The quality of construction is head-to-toe above the competition. It is a bit more expensive than other brands, but worth the extra money.
The mixer comes with a 5-quart stainless steel bowl that mate's well with the machine. It also includes a dough hook - used for stretching dough, a heavy-duty beater, and a wire-whip beater. You may also purchase other attachments separately including various pasta, grain and meat grinding accessories that transform your machine into various other machines. Another accessory available is the splatter guard cover. My wife and I find this attachment is not really needed and actually gets in the way. Batter rarely splatters from the bowl.
The machine is equipped with a heavy-duty motor that should last for years. In fact, my aunt and a friend have had their Kitchen Aid mixers for over 25 years - and they still look like new and work fine. There are ten different speeds on the blender to choose from, depending on what purpose you plan to use your machine for. The body is made of solid metal and sits sturdy on the counter on top of small rubber feet. When the mixer is operating, it runs smoothly and quietly with very little vibration.
I have since returned out Kitchen Aid Classic mixer to replace it with the Professional series model. I have used the classic model before at my aunt's house and at a friend's house. One of my wife's friends also had the Classic model and complained that it broke while she was mixing cookie dough. She returned it to the store and upgraded to an Ultra Power series and has no complaints.
Overall, I would recommend the Kitchen Aid Classic mixer to anyone who does occasional cooking and enjoys using quality tools. I would recommend anyone looking for a mixer to be used constantly to upgrade to the Professional series. I paid only $189 for the mixer - which usually goes on sale just before Christmas and is available in most stores that sell household appliances. Thank you for reading my review and have a nice day!
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