For years, I’ve heard people talk about their stand mixers as if they’re family members. Owners sometimes give them names. They talk about their mixers as if they’re a sous chef at the ready. And now that I have one, I totally get it.
I went for the KitchenAid Classic in basic black. It wasn’t an easy decision. I came close to choosing red and I was advised to stick to stainless steel. Now that I’ve seen a lot of flour-dusted onto the black top, I understand why. But I stand by my decision about my… stand.
It’s pretty, isn’t it? But it doesn’t have a name. Is Sir Mix-a-lot too predictable?
So far, it has made killer cookies, beautiful banana bread, marvelous muffins, and cauliflower pizza dough that Derek has asked me to never make again! (That’s not the mixer’s fault!)
I know a guy who uses his every night. He makes his own pasta and pastry and every kind of sauce you can think of. I’m still learning about all of its charms and I don’t know whether I’ll ever get that involved. But a quick Google search offers a world of stand mixer recipes and it’s been fun choosing a few.
I love the one-bowl cleanup and saving my wrists while the attachments do all the work. People have good reason to be in love with their machines.
My half-joking Facebook post about the “stand mixer lifestyle” attracted some funny responses, like this:
The only downside is having to deal with Derek’s disappointment that a batch of chocolate chip cookies only yields about six dozen! And on my Amazon Wish List: An aftermarket attachment that shreds and slices vegetables and the meat grinder, to use on frozen fruit!
This machine’s value has weathered the test of time. The first ones went on the market in 1919. Unlike my Instant Pot (tucked away in a cupboard) and George Foreman grill (behind the Instant Pot!) my mixer has a home right on the counter. It’s prime real estate for the king of all gadgets!
Love my Kitchenaid mixer. Mine is also black. Bought it for making pizza dough when we lived on Wortley when we had a pizza oven in the backyard. But I’ve used it for so much more. Most recently it’s been used for making Stryker’s dog food (http://theskyesthelimit.com/).
I’d highly recommend breaking out instead of breaking up with your instant pot. While I don’t believe that it can do everything from boiling an egg to creating world peace like the hardcore IP devotees on Facebook believe, I love mine. It can make bone broth for healthy soups in a couple of hours, rehydrate dried beans in less than an hour and one of favourites, yuba (dried bean curd – Derek probably wouldn’t like that ?) fast. I also love the slow cooker feature.
I’ll pull out the instant pot again in the fall, I’m sure. It is an excellent slow cooker and fast cooker! Thanks, Julia.
I use mine a lot. It’s such a timesaver and doesn’t heat up the kitchen like the oven does, so I’m an advocate for using it year round ?
I highly recommend the ice cream maker attachment!