Buying A Mixer
A fair number of people have told me they’d love to bake more but they don’t have a stand mixer and can’t afford one.
First of all, a mixer is a convenience. Okay, if you want to make something very wet like ciabatta or brioche, I’d say it’s a mental health requirement. You can do most recipes by hand. In fact, watching the Great British Baking Show one time a contestant had two mixers at their station and they were kneading everything by hand. One of the judges asked her why. She said something to the effect of, “I don’t have a mixer, so I do everything by hand and know how it should feel. Not sure how to do that with a mixer.”
Secondly, they’re really not all that expensive in the scheme of things. A “professional” grade Kitchen Aid one is more and like $329 at Costco the last time I looked. I understand that’s a fair chunk of change. But I’ve seen “professional” ones like that which have been refurbished for $250. How I bought my first one. (And then sold it when moving. That was dumb.)
Also, there are plenty of used ones that are perfectly good. And hardly used.
I wanted a mixer so I looked on Craigslist or Facebook’s marketplace or something and found someone selling my current mixer for $125. They’d literally just posted it. I fired off an email asking if they’d take $100 cash if I came right away. They would.
When I got there the husband had it at the door for me. Had it plugged in even so he could turn it on. It worked. Looked great. I asked if it’d been used a lot. “Not sure it’s ever been turned on. The electrical cord still has that tag on it.” I then asked why they were selling it. “My wife has redone our kitchen and the blue doesn’t match now.” I saw an unused one of a new color in their future, if it wasn’t already taking space on the counter.
Thinking on this, that means I paid more for the pasta maker attachments than I did for the mixer.
I just looked and there are a number of ‘like new’ ones for sale. $180 for a “professional” 525-watt one, $125 for an “artisan” one like I have. I imagine there are ones online but the shipping would kill you; these things are heavy, so it’s probably a better idea to find one local.
Now I’m speaking about Kitchen Aid. I’m sure there are a number of good mixer makers out there — I just don’t have any experience with any of them.
I will say that Kitchen Aid mixers have some great add-ons. The pasta maker attachments for one. I’ve used — but don’t own — the meat-grinder attachment, too. Very slick.
Also, there are really only a couple of times I’ve wished I’d had the “professional” one — the bowl is a bit larger, the motor is a bit stronger. It also takes up a bit more space, and it’s a little more awkward to deal with the bowl at times. Pros and cons.
So, yes, they’re more expensive than the latte you get every morning but they’re not something you have to fill out loan paperwork for. And decent ones are available used — and often virtually new — for a fraction of the cost.