Still in pain. But instead of doping up and laying in bed, I doped up and went to work today. I figure if I'm going to be miserable, I might as well try and be productive.
It didn't go very well. I got some stuff done, but never felt like myself. Sometimes in the middle of a project I'd forget who I was and what I was doing. Then I'd have to start all over again, which is the opposite of productive. Oh well. At least my mind was taken of my brain exploding. Kinda.
In happier news, I bought a new heavy-duty KitchenAid mixer for making bread...
Previous loaves were mixed by hand... but I could never get the recipe-stated 7 cups of flour into the mix. My arms would start to die at 6 cups. But this mixer easily manages to take the 7 cups, which makes for a much nicer, more elastic dough.
And now for my review of the KitchenAid KV25MCX Mixer (which is a model made for Costco).
I have mixed feelings on this product, and really wish I had researched more before making my purchase. The only thing I did know was to make sure I got a "fixed-head" mixer instead of a "tilt-head" mixer. "Fixed-head" mixers are supposed to be more powerful, which is what you want when you are kneading bread. I also heard that KitchenAid was a high-quality, made in the USA brand.
The problem is that this model has a "wide" bowl, which is what you don't want when kneading bread. Apparently, wider bowls allow for too much slop, which makes the bread want to climb up the hook more easily instead of staying in the bowl. The problem is nowhere near as bad as I've read, but it does happen every once in a while during the mix. The good news is that wide bowls are better for just about everything else. Except I'm going to be using it for bread 95% of the time, so I guess I should have looked for a more appropriate model.
In non-bread-making news, the mixer is awesome. The wire whisk aerates like a champ. The flat beater is nicely designed to mix thoroughly, quickly, and with minimal mess. I like the controls. I thought I'd be unhappy not having a tilt-head, but the bowl-raise alternative isn't bad at all, even though it's a bit less convenient.
When it comes to build quality, my initial impression is favorable. It's looks tough and feels solid. KitchenAid claims the gears are metal, which should make for good longevity. The problem is that customer reviews claim that not all the gears are metal, and some people are reporting that their gears are stripping after 4-8 months of use. Needless to say, this would suck ass when I paid $330 for a professional, high-quality mixer. But KitchenAid has a one-year warranty, so hopefully I'm covered.
If I was starting all over again, I would have probably invested the extra $110 and got the Pro Series 600, which apparently excels at bread-making. Oh well. Live and learn, I guess.
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My cheap white $150 Kitchenaid makes bread just fine, what it can’t make is BAGELS. (Bagels are specifically verboten. I think it’s in the manual.) Make a bagel for me!
I have 2 tilt-head Kitchen-Aid mixers (we each had one when we married) and I love them but would trade both for a Pro series. In fact I might do that with part of my tax return. I’ve been making a lot of bread lately too, and mine are ok at kneading but I would like the larger bowl and MOAR POWER that the Pro offers.
Nice mixer!
I’m always enjoying my mum’s Kitchen Aid when I’m at my parents’ place. It just seems to sturdy and gets the work done with no effort …
My mum’s has a detatchable bowl and she just bought a huge wide one and a smaller one. Yours looks a bit differently (compared to what you see here) on the picture, so I’m not sure that’s an option for you.
I dislike the pro series. I’m not a fan of the lifting bowl thing. I like the tilt head. I bake bread at least 3x a week and I use the KA to knead the dough.
I make much smaller batches. My recipes generally call for 5 cups of flour because unless you’re using dough conditioners, homemade bread doesn’t last much beyond the day after then you have to toss it or turn it into french toast or bread pudding or something.
You get the dough climbing when there’s more dough. Seven cups of flour is a lot. What’s that make? Three or four loaves? Climbing will happen regardless of the bowl shape or size. None of my 5 cup recipes climb but my Challah recipe which is 7-1/2 cups climbs every time.
Red Star Platinum yeast has dough conditions that allow your bread to last twice as long and imparts a nice flavour but you can’t buy it in bulk which makes the cost the same as if you were buying actual platinum. I buy the 1 lb bag of Fleischmann’s Instant yeast from King Arthur. You can keep it in the freezer and it lasts forever.
There is nothing so fine as the smell of fresh baked bread…except for maybe the smell of a baby’s head.
That nothing so fine part just made me sound like George LeBay in Christine. Only less obscene.
Sweet! I inherited my grandmother’s Kitchenaid from the 50’s. it weighs 500 lbs… and is a beast. It still fascinates me that of all the accessories available, she purchased the silverware polisher. I’ve had fun with it, but have been eying the pro series 600 too. Happy bread making. Guest post?
You just need the pasta maker attachments and you’ll be set.
I have a Kitchenaid Pro HD that I’ve had for 8 years. A friend told me to not get the tilt head. And then I remembered that the Kitchenaid my grandma had had did not have a tilt head. I use mine mostly for cakes and cookies. I absolutely love it. Oh and I haven’t made bread since college. I know about the tired arms.
I’ve had my KA for over 10 years and it gets used a LOT. I have yet to have any problems with it. It needs to be oiled (it was laid on its side during our last move and leaked oil) but other than that, I’ve never had a single issue. And that issue isn’t KA’s fault – I’m blaming the movers.
I’ve been eyeing a kitchen aid mixer and some of the attachments. I’ll definitely be putting one on my wedding registry but I still have some research to do (and lots of time). But I definitely want the ice cream maker that you can buy for it. Yum!
Some folks that have been wearing out their mixers abuse the heck out of them. Doing things like using the grinder attachment to grind bushels of wheat. Odds are you’ll be fine with yours. Reading your post makes me want to make sourdough bread…..