Posted: 4/6/2026 1:03:54 AM EDT
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So I have recently gotten into baking more seriously. I bought a Kitchen Aid Artisian mixer with high expectations. Unfortunately it seems way underpowered. It can't mix much of anything especially bread dough. Yes I did the dime test and have tried it with multiple recipes and it generally sucks. Maybe I got a bad one but who knows? So looking to step up my game and looking for a mixer that can handle whatever I throw at it. Currently the Ooni Halo Pro is topping the list but would appreciate whatever recommendations anyone has before I drop the $$$. TIA |
I've been using a Kitchen Aid Pro 5 Plus (bowl lift) since...I dunno, 10 years ago? I can't kill it: If you're good with 5 quarts, it'll knead whatever you throw at it. I make bread and pizza dough on the regular. |
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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I do not have one - but these were raved about on various sourdough groups. When my kitchenAid Pro dies I will go with one. https://www.ankarsrum.com |
Hobart commercial  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I48VTDC?tag=arfcom00-20 |
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One of these https://www.ebay.com/itm/137200845485 They don't sell them anymore, the new model looks strange. I'm really happy with mine, I didn't get the kitchenaid because I saw them breaking all of the time at places I worked at. |
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I bought a KitchenAid K5SS in the 80's. Still going. There's a guy on Youtube that will rebuild and powder coat them. I looked into it and it was about $1K!! Will probably go the Ankarsrum route if it needs replacing. |
I've often said that Democrats are the only reason to vote for republicans.
Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell
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I mean...if you're done wondering and never want to think about this question for the rest of your life...
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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I have a tilt head Kitchenaid Artisan from twenty years ago. It’s the 350 motor version. It’s a bit underpowered for the kind of breads I like. I protect it by stopping my kneading once the warmth is felt on top from the motor. It might take me a couple cooling periods to get the full knead. If I had to do it all over again I’d get the KA with the biggest motor in the drop bowl style. |
The only hyphenated names I like are cartridge names......30-06, 30-40, 38-55 etc.
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Ankarsrum The history of the KitchenAid mixer since about 1986 when Hobart stopped making them doesn't look good: Did Planned Obsolescence... ...KitchenAid Mixers? But, you might be able to replace the weak internal parts and make them great again... see here amongst many other sources of similar advice: https://www.mrmixer.store That said, if it was me, I'd avoid all that and just get an Ankarsrum. Mainly because the Swedes that make these avoided the planned obsolescence model, and make their mixer like old Maytag washers, with all parts simple, robust, industrial, long lived, and easy to get at and replace. I want to encourage this behavior in manufacturers. |
But then again, I just need to get my post count up.
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I've been using a Kitchen Aid Pro 5 Plus (bowl lift) since...I dunno, 10 years ago? I can't kill it: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/51536/IMG_2596-3742053.jpg If you're good with 5 quarts, it'll knead whatever you throw at it. I make bread and pizza dough on the regular. I have one as well. It is a beast. |
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We got a Kitchen Aid stand mixer (post Whirlpool buyout) as a wedding gift. In the first year we had it my wife took it back to Bed Bath and beyond 3 times for replacement. The plastic internal gear would strip when mixing bread dough or using the Kitchen Aid grain mill attachment. There may have been a time they were well made, but that was a long time ago. A quick search online showed that it was a common problem. She ended up getting an old, used, dedicated mixer for making bread used off of ebay, Jupiter brand I think. It's a powerful machine. She also got a dedicated grain mill. The Kitchen Aid mixer has done fine for light jobs and held up fine for over 15 years once relived of those 2 duties. |
Ankarsrum  Testing Heavy-Duty Stand Mixers: KitchenAid vs Ankarsrum | America's Test Kitchen We have a ka artisan lifting bowl and the Ankarsrum. For bread the Ankarsrum wins hands down. Wife usually uses the KA for cookies. Having nearly complete access to the bowl is awesome. Made a triple batch of sourdough hot cross buns this weekend with it. No problem at all - right at 2kg of dough. |
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I've got a 30yo+ kitchen aide 350w thats still kicking. Use the meat grinder & grater attachments fairly often. My woman still makes several loaves a week and cakes etc. Figure I'll check https://www.amazon.com/?tag=arfcom00-20 when I need something new, theres plenty of 500w to 1200w commercial dough makers & stand mixers at decent prices. |
I'm sorry, did I just roll my eyes out loud?
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I've had one of those and liked it, but they are not for people with weak backs. It takes a dedicated spot, which I didn't have at the time,I traded it off for something and bought a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and never looked back. 
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What did socialists use before candles?..........Electricity
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Originally Posted By rwilkins01: I've had one of those and liked it, but they are not for people with weak backs. It takes a dedicated spot, which I didn't have at the time,I traded it off for something and bought a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and never looked back.https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/large/78178/2961885.jpg Originally Posted By rwilkins01: So I'd probably go this route, if it broke too often.
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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Originally Posted By rwilkins01: I've had one of those and liked it, but they are not for people with weak backs. It takes a dedicated spot, which I didn't have at the time,I traded it off for something and bought a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and never looked back.https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/large/78178/2961885.jpg If you can do this it's the way to go. Stand mixer lift. EBR |
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Originally Posted By EBR666: Originally Posted By rwilkins01: I've had one of those and liked it, but they are not for people with weak backs. It takes a dedicated spot, which I didn't have at the time,I traded it off for something and bought a KitchenAid Commercial Mixer and never looked back.https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/large/78178/2961885.jpg If you can do this it's the way to go. Stand mixer lift. EBR  I also think it'd only make sense if you really did have a bad back, or counter space really was at an uber-premium. Because it introduces a new problem, depending on your kitchen layout - you've now got a door and a mixer jutting out into a traffic area. Before I spent the $250, I would dry-run doing some actual cooking and baking with my cabinet candidate's door left door open. Still GTG? Buy it!  EDIT: Depending on your level of perceived effort, I suppose you could also just move the mixer on/off the counter from there, and close the cabinet. Still an improvement over crouching down and pulling the mixer out of the cabinet unassisted. I guess I'm saying - think deliberately about it.
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And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
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We got this for our KA Pro a couple years ago when we redid the kitchen. Prior to that the wife would seldom use the mixer due to the weight. She uses it often now and leaves the mixer on the lift when mixing. I slide it off onto the counter and close the cabinet.
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For a people who are free, and who mean to remain so, a well-organized and armed militia is their best security.
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
Thomas Jefferson
"He didnt punch anybody. He punched an idea." DrFrige
I'm sorry, did I just roll my eyes out loud?
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I feel like this is where I'd go, if I ever needed to replace mine. So far, I haven't needed to. And even if mine broke, all of the parts are readily available, and cheap. They're not hard to service. So I'd probably go this route, if it broke too often. Originally Posted By Subnet: Originally Posted By rwilkins01: So I'd probably go this route, if it broke too often. There's a face book group that's very helpful: KitchenAid Mixer Repair Help. Lots of really good info on the subject. |
What did socialists use before candles?..........Electricity
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Originally Posted By Subnet: I've been using a Kitchen Aid Pro 5 Plus (bowl lift) since...I dunno, 10 years ago? I can't kill it: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/51536/IMG_2596-3742053.jpg If you're good with 5 quarts, it'll knead whatever you throw at it. I make bread and pizza dough on the regular. Killed our 5pro after ~6 years of heavy use. Of course they are easy to work on and parts are cheap so I fixed it for $20. The gears are sacrificial and mine stripped out. The tilt-heads are basically cookie/cake powered. Bowl lift can handle doughs in single batches (dozen bagels sized essentially). |