Thread: Heavy metal

My 25+ year old Kitchen Aid K5 is still going strong. That's a real workhorse! No plastic gears and other Mickey Mouse Nonsense!

I usually do the final kneading by hand but sometimes I'm lazy and let it do it all!

Originally Posted by Razorfeld

I play with an old Kitchen Aid. Used to knead by hand all the time but like the convenience of the machine. Perfect for one or two batches of bread (recipe later in The Recipe Box for one loaf of challah).

And thanks, big for setting up the new sections.

Un-Braided Challah???? Sacre Bleu! Where I come from they would ride you out of town on a rail for that.

Fancy phrase for 'to lazy to braid'. And it fits in the toaster easier. Regardless of the form also makes great French toast.

I've used KitchenAid in the past but am currently leaning on a DeLonghi 7qt/1000watt model. I've found the KitchenAid models prone to more wear and tear issues. If the motor doesn't burn out on you, the speed switch will (or mine has). I still have the KitchenAid as I keep it around for preparations that require two mixers running at once or when I need to attach a meat grinder attachment. And with the limited use, I can see the speed switch going again. I like the whisk attachment on the DeLonghi better too. Maybe they have made improvements (KitchenAid) but when I was in school, they would not use them in the pastry kitchens because they would burn through one a week.

Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Maybe they have made improvements (KitchenAid) but when I was in school, they would not use them in the pastry kitchens because they would burn through one a week.

Aha...I had been wondering if you were a chef or in the restaurant business.

Originally Posted by Leatherstockiings

Aha...I had been wondering if you were a chef or in the restaurant business.

I'm not. I did go to school for it but most days I'm on a laptop in my living room working in a completely unrelated field. Since then I just cook at home to keep happy. Half of me is happy I never got into it full time, the other half very sad. But that's life. But I have had the luxury to see a lot of things from a professional perspective. And when I look to continue my learning, I seek out professional advice. If I buy a book, I'll select one that was written by an accomplished chef written at the top of his game. There's a lot of bad advice out there in print. The actual name brand of the mixers we used in school were Kenwood. But if you poke around on the internet you'll quickly see that Kenwood and DeLonghi are really one in the same.

Our KA pro 5 has been running great for at least 10 yrs,get used alot, no issues.

I like the attachments on the Delonghi more too. The KA ones are on the left, the Delonghi on the right. The whisk is made of thinner wire on the Delonghi and fuller. The hook more pronounced.

I had the KA K5 for years and it probably would have lasted forever but once I started with heavy bread dough it would simply stop. It couldn't handle it. There are really very few home machines designed for that kind of work. Unfortunately when Hobart got rid of KA things went south fast. I'm told westinghouse owns KA now but the quality still ain't so hot.

You could go all-in.
Up to 1600lbs/700Kg at a time.
Water cooled jackets for the heat gain.
You may need to re-think your oven set up..
I'm so glad that I have one of the older KAs...