I still want one.

I waited a long time for my KitchenAid. My hubby never regretted buying it for me. We use it a couple of times a week.

His favorite thing to use it for is making meatballs. He no longer has to "get meat under his fingernails" lol...

But every single point above is correct. Especially making sure you have the counterspace for it. You won't use it if you have to pull it out each time to use it.

my boyfriend got me one for christmas for our new house- he couldn't resist giving it to me to see how it would look on our countertop.

so now- it sits there mocking me because I'm not allowed to use it until christmas.

we got a pro-series for $300, down from $450. cdn.

it was expensive. but we're west indian and my sister assures me its a breeze to mix roti in.

I just bought a KitchenAid Pro 600 6qt stand mixer. It's my very first stand mixer and I've already used it three times. I made cookies, banana bread, and even used it to mix spinach artichoke dip because the ingredients were hard to mix. I love that I can "set it and forget it" meaning put something into mix and go about my business somewhere else. Well worth the $$!

I received a pro-series Kitchenaid as a present. Even though I cook and bake a lot, I've only used it twice. Because I live in a small city apartment, it unfortunately sits on a shelf, and I have only a tiny bit of counter space to move it to when I want to use it and it's heavy enough that I rarely feel like pulling it out.

A group of church ladies pitched in and bought us a Kitchenaid for our wedding last year -- so thoughtful of them! I definitely would not make bready type stuff without my Kitchenaid. I don't like kneading and love that I can let it knead the dough while I do other stuff! I use it for whipping egg whites, mixing pizza crust...I wouldn't say I use it once a week but it's very welcome. And yes, it does have to be out all the time. We have an otherwise awkward little scrap of counter space that we've dedicated to the mixer...just enough space.

I got a KitchenAid Artisan (in shiny black) a couple of years ago when Lowe's misprinted an ad and had to honor the price ($162 instead of $262?! Yes please!). Once I got it, I used it fairly frequently and thought it was totally worth it, or even more than I actually paid ... until it stopped working mysteriously. There's some sort of loose connection inside, so it'll work for about a second, then quit, and on and on. This Christmas, my boyfriend surprised me by taking it to the shop! I will have to think of something awesome to make for him when it is repaired ...

My suggestion, though, is to read reviews and find out which ones are trustworthy and/or have good warrantees! It's a very expensive and heavy waste of counter space if it's broken!

What sold me on the KitchenAid is the attachments. I have the ice cream maker and the food grinder and they're both fantastic. It's also nice to be able to dump ingredients into the bowl and just let it run.

I want one. They are so lovely.
I don't need one. I don't have room for one. Seriously. Do not.
I make bread often--and have never needed a mixer to do it. Ditto cookies. So I don't need one. But I still open every post about them and sigh, OH! I'd LOVE a stand mixer!

I went from a KA Classic to a Cuisinart 1000W monster recently, and I'm delighted with the change. So far the Cuisinart has torn through everything i've thrown at it - I make break just about weekly, and zero problems. I had to adjust my usual methods for a larger bowl size (which makes a big difference), but other than that the transition has been seamless.

If anyone is thinking about the KA Classic - I read up on a bunch of baking forums that KA's used to be made by Hobart, but they have since outsourced some of their engine components. The older KA's are legendary because they just would not die - they were Hobart tough. But now things may be different. Can't say for sure, but it's always worth doing some research before investing. Happy baking y'all!

Sorry, I apparently need more coffee - typo - 'I make BREAD weekly', not 'I make break weekly'. D'oh!

If you intend to mix a lot of bread dough in your stand mixer, DO NOT get the tilt-head kind (i.e. the KA Artisan). Because the dough is heavy and not evenly distributed in the bowl, the mixer head will bump up and down when the bread kneads, causing the screw in the head to come loose. While the screw is easy to tighten again, it entails constantly flipping the machine over, and the screw will eventually get stripped. Bread bakers should choose the fixed-head type, where the bowl lifts up.

Even so, I do love my KA...I just might have to trade up to a better model someday.

What I like about having one, is htat i go ahead and make things I probably wouldn't if i had to knead or whip by hand. I might not miss it if I didn't have it, but I enjoy cooking a variety of things I might otherwise not, because I do.

I am in the process of choosing items for my wedding gift registry and I'd love to get a Kitchen Aid Architect series (it comes with the pyrex bowl plus a stainless bowl). But it currently is $549 CAD. TOO EXPENSIVE.
I would make break weekly if I had a strong mixer as most recipes I enjoy require a lot of kneading and come with the disclaimer that a mixer should be used.

I'm torn on which model to get... I wonder if the Artisan would be sufficient and if I REALLY need that pyrex bowl or not. It sure is pretty!

I absolutely love my KitchenAid. I use it often for both baking and making fresh pasta. One recommendation if you are looking at the lower end models: the KitchenAid Artisan series is the least expensive. The next up is the Professional 5 Plus series, but many retailers only carry the 600 series. The 5 Plus is only about $20 more and gives you the extra height which makes scraping down the bowl so much easier.

http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KV25GOXER-Professional-5-Quart-Empire/dp/B0001HLTSE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292354319&sr=8-1

KitchenAid also sells reconditioned machines on their website. They are usually a really good deal compared to the new mixers.

Our favorite accessories for the KitchenAid are the meat grinder and the vegetable strainer. They make homemade hamburgers and tomato sauce super easy. We probably use the mixer more for the accessories than for mixing.

I found refurbished accessories from an online store that were a third of the price of brand new and looked like they had never been used.

I bought my KA off of Craigslist- the only way I could justify it. I think it was a wedding present for this couple and was rarely used- I covet that darn thing.

The fact that I can and do make everything already with my two hands and/or a wooden spoon has kept me from getting a KitchenAid. Even though they're SO PRETTY. I just don't NEED it and I don't have the space for it.

A hand mixer would be lovely so I don't have to make whipped cream with a whisk though...

I have always wanted one. I will never get one. If I can't make it with my hands and a spoon, with an electric hand mixer or with a food processor, then I just can't make it. I cna't fit anything else in my kitchen! Sad, but true...I will never make my own marshmallows :(

I got my Pro series as a wedding gift in August, and I've been using it at least once a week since then. This last weekend I used it to churn out multiple batches of cookies while baking with friends; my friends were so surprised at how fast I was able to churn out cookies with the KA. I use it for baking bread once or twice a week. I blame it for starting me on my quest to perfect homemade ciabatta bread. I've also been designated the dinner roll maker for family events, because everyone knows I have one and knows I love to make bread. We also used it to make applesauce and tomato sauce for canning in September with the food mill attachment.

To be honest, I start to feel guilty if I've gone a few days without making something with my mixer. It's so red, shiny, pretty, and powerful. How can I resist?

My roommate had one in our tiny NYC kitchen and it lived on the counter, and we STILL didn't use it even once during the entire year (and we're both avid cooks). Its just not necessary. I can't really think of any reason to use one (tho i admit i always coveted one... until i had it). Mixing banana bread, really? Artichoke dip!??! Come on, people!

I got my mother's old Sunbeam mixer when we got her a Kitchenaid a few years ago. It must be 40 years old, but it's still going strong!

My KitchenAid doesn't get enough use with our current setup (it lives on a shelf and has to be hauled over to the one small patch of open counter near an outlet every time I use it). It is great to have when I need it though, and one day I'll have a better setup for it. At least it looks pretty (shiny red) for now ;)

I used to love my 6 quart KitchenAid until it broke after 4 years. The customer service dept was no help, I have to take it to a KA service center to have it looked at. The closest one is 50 minutes away (I live right outside of NYC). Minimum price to fix it is about 200 bucks. UGH. Very annoyed and will probably not buy another KA. Thinking about getting the big Cuisinart. Anyone have anything good to say about it??

@berkelybaker - I must have the non-Hobart motor version. 4 years and it's done. Sigh.

@Miss Moshi- My mom also has the old sunbeam mixer... about 40 years old and still works great! However, my dad wants a KA to mix/knead his favorite pizza dough.

I have a KA (drop-bowl), and I love it. Admittedly, it is a luxury and not a necessity in my household, but I still love it.

You know, people made bread and marshmallows before stand mixers were invented -- and before electricity was discovered!

I bought my kitchenaid five years ago, and I couldn't be happier. The ice cream maker attachment for it is also really awesome.

@trish1980 and @katlian ...

Yes! I'm getting a factory-refurbished KA for Christmas this year - honestly the price was too good to pass up. I have a tiny loft kitchen with negative counter OR cabinet space too, so I'll have to get creative with where I put it!

Sarabakescakes, if customer service is important to you, don't buy cuisinarte. Their customer service is horrible. Way worse than Kitchen Aid.

My mother had a Kitchenaid mixer 60 years ago with the ice cream maker attatchment and meat grinder. She gave it to my sister. I have one that I used when I catered and loved it. They are THE BEST on the market. I prefer the tilt head over the other one.

I have one and to be honest, haven't used it much quite yet... but I recently got a whole box full of grapefruit and oranges and wondered if it would be worth buying the juicing attachment. Does any have one or used this before? Does it work well enough, or would just buying a juicer be better?

I have one, and yes, I don't use it all that much. But it's soooo much better to use than a hand mixer or kneading dough by hand, so I'm ok with my occasional use monster mixer. I guess the fact that I can afford the counter space for it makes me more ok with it than someone who must carefully consider every sq. ft. of their teeny kitchen.

I've been drooling over a KitchenAid for years now, but this list is pretty much exactly why I don't have one. I definitely don't have the counter space for it and although I do have to storage space right now, that might not be true a year from now. At this stage of my life I'm moving every year or two, so the less stuff I have, the better. At this point, I've done without one for so long that I wonder if I would really use it if I had it... Nah. I'd use it all the time.

I'm just waiting for the counterspace

Maybe you won't need it for banana bread, but if you have, say, a cake that requires the creaming of butter and sugar and the whipping of egg whites to stiff peaks, you may find the KitchenAid very useful indeed. I've done the egg white whipping with chopsticks before, but it takes a lot of arm muscle to pull that one off.

I've had my kitchenaid for almost 20 years and even though it sits in a high cupboard and is a PITA to bring down to the counter to use, I'm extremely grateful for it. I probably only use it 6-8 times a year (birthday cakes, bagels, whipping a ton of egg whites).

Cooking and baking are a passion of mine, but I don't have one, and I don't ever plan to. If I have a few extra hundred dollars you can bet I'm spending it on airfare to somewhere interesting. Or books.

I get very frustrated with recipes written only for them, especially when the instructions are given in increments of time ie. "knead for 5 minutes" without alternative directions. Sometimes it's possible to divine what you need to do, but I have passed over many potentially awesome cookbooks rather than deal with the frustration. The Kitchn is guilty of this too :( but thanks Faith for posting an update on the sugar cookie recipe.

I don't use mine more than once a week, as a matter of fact, I can go a few weeks without using it.

I don't have the counter space. It sits on the bottom shelf of my kitchen cart under its cover.

I don't use it for anything other than baking. At least, not that I can remember.

It was the first thing I packed in my CRV when I moved to Chicago. It is a permanent fixture in my life. It frees me up from standing and holding a hand-held mixer, allowing me to multitask, which saves a lot of time. It allows me to make batch after batch of cookie dough, buttercream, cake batter, nougat, whatever without having arm fatigue. And you have to turn off hand mixers to add stuff, unless you're good enough to do it one-handed (alternating dry and wet additions).

I especially like the comment about people making cakes and such before stand mixers. Chances are they were housewives. I work all day in a kitchen and bake wedding cakes and other goodies out of my home on the side. I really doubt I'll come home to cream butter by hand (before mixers) with a wooden spoon and a bowl, thankyouverymuch.

I have had my KA stand mixer for at least 12 years and use it often -- at least once per week, often more than once per week. I have a small kitchen so it sits on a small stainless steel cart that is close enough to an outlet. I do move to the counter when I use the pasta attachments.

I have a Krups 3 mix 3000 hand mixer which was originally part of a stand mixer - who knows what happened to the stand and bowl. This thing is good for all but the sturdiest doughs and I bake a LOT for a non-professional.
I think it cost 5.99 at the thrift store - and that was when it had the stand and bowl! Unless you are into the heavy dough items and have a lot of counter space, you really don't need to spend a ton.

I have a kitchen aid professional series stand mixer.

I love it! At first it was a little weird getting used to a stand mixer than didn't have a tilting head, but I got used to it and I really needed the extra power this machine has. I make a lot of bread (a loaf or two a week) along with cakes and cookies

It takes up a lot of space in my little kitchen, but I do most of my prep work for meals on my kitchen table so its not a big deal.

I have the pasta press, use it two times a month or so (pretty much every time I have pasta) and its amazing.

The Kitchenaid Artisan with glass bowl etc, retails at the moment in Switzerland at about $1200. How it can cost so much is beyond me. We're just not meant to bake.

(having said that I have one, which I bought before moving here - wouldn't trade it for the world!)

I bought one - never used it - just like to look at it. Kitchen jewelry!

My stand mixer (Kitchenaid Artisan) was my big lust item as a single girl, and the first expensive item I bought for myself. I use mine about 1-3 times a week. This time of year, I often whip up fresh cream for cocoa, and its the only mixer that can handle certain cookie doughs. We also have the noodle attachment and the ice cream bowl. I'm almost about to let my bread machine go bc I use my mixer so much more!

But I agree with the above- it's a heavy, expensive item that doesnt make sense unless you really use it. I dont own a coffeemaker for example- so its really all about how YOU cook.

I love our 6 quart lift mixer and it only gets used approximately 1x per month. I received mine as a wedding gift and wished we had it before the wedding since we made our own wedding cheesecakes.
I still kept the cheap hand mixer for really small cooking jobs, but the stand mixer is great for kneading dough, I have even made scones that turned out light and moist. Definitely a must-have if you have the space.

I've had my KA for 22 years. My then husband bought it for me when the cobalt color was on a close-out. I happen to HATE blue, so it has never lived on my counter, but I have absolutely loved owning it. It's one of those kitchen workhorses you will never regret buying. If you amortize the cost into years of ownership, it is a remarkable value.

We use our mixer's pasta roller attachment at least once a week to roll out fresh pasta. It is a great help.

Yesterday, I got a long coveted Orange KitchenAid Mixer.
And on the same day, a new Orange Boyfriend.

Both exciting firsts for me! Perfect that they were lined up.

I have an ancient kitchen aid that I was gifted from a friend about ten years ago and she had it for years before that!!! I use it everyday at least once!!! With eight kids we are always baking or making bread or playdo (never make playdo without one!!!) and well it is on our counter for a reason!!! Frankly if a tool isn't out it isn't used - if I had to lug this in and out of a cupboard to use it then I never ever would.
Now a food processor, we don't have one because it just looks like so much extra washing up... Are they worth it???

I have the classic Kitchen Aid one. It was a 3-way hand me down. Dad's gf's mom, to gf, to dad, to me. So it's old. It got passed because no one used it. Same with me. Once in the 4 years I've had it, ha. But, I have a butler's pantry, so it sits there pretty and peaceful. But that thing is a TANK. I never used it until recently because it was on top of the fridge at my old apartment, and it was just too hard to take it down, ha. Sometimes I use just the bowl, haha.

Getting a refurbished one from the Kitchen Aid website is the way to go. I got a 4.5 qt model years ago and it has never given me an ounce of trouble. The only accessory I really recommend for it is the pouring shield.

I only use my Kitchen Aid once or twice a month, but when I do, I usually make 3-4 things. Baked bread can be frozen, although I usually give a couple away to my family. Unbaked pie dough can be frozen, so can unbaked cinnamon rolls.

So everyone who has one, go try something! You can make all different kinds of bread or sweets and freeze them.

Also, my tip here is to measure the vertical space between the counter and the upper cabs. Some of the mixers are taller than you think, and it may or may not fit under your cabinets.

I opted for a Vintage Kitchen Aid when they were made by the Hobard Co. My boyfriend purchased it at an antique shop. We reoiled it, changed the cord and painted it candy apple red. It doesn't have the ability to use all the new attachments, but for me it was the perfect match. I think we spent a total of $50 and it is more than worth it.

I don't have the space, the money, nor the time to devote to a stand mixer. Is it my dream Christmas present? Absolutely.

We got a Kitchen Aid for our wedding, 8 1/2 years ago. I love it! I grew up with hand mixers, so never understood them. We don't use it all that often, maybe once a month. But when I do use it, I'm glad I have it. Honestly, I'd NEVER have bought one myself. Now, if someone would please get me a dutch oven...I keep asking...

I'm not sure what I did before I got my Kitchen Aid, I think I cursed a lot and had mean flour accidents. I bought my mother the stand mixer and she gave it back to me once I came back from Germany stating she never used it, "you take it" (and I did). I have cookie recipes that yield over 7 dz cookies, try using a hand mixer on those...ITS NOT FUN!

I just got one for xmas after dreaming about it for the last few years. I'd planned to get one in a year's time when we have rebuilt the kitchen and might actually have space for it, but hey, I wouldn't turn down the gift! I hope I use it a lot because it's beautiful and is taking up what little counter space we have.

We got ours as a wedding gift and even though I right now don't use it weekly I love it! We have plenty of counter space for it currently so it's no big deal. I love that it is a forever piece.

I have my grandmother's white KitchenAid mixer, and though I don't use it once a week I wouldn't give up the counter space for anything.

I use mine all the time, especially since I have severe chronic pain in my hands and can't use a hand mixer at all.

I have the larger size, which I think is really worth getting if you're going for it. I've used the smaller size and it always ends up annoying me.

Seriously though, most people won't use it enough to justify the purchase. My sister uses hers for making whipped cream every few months. She's had room for it on her counter in every place they've lived but I've seen her more than once leave it sitting and pull out a hand mixer to make cake batter (this was INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING since she'd had hers for a few years before I got mine).

Here's my two cents about mixers and bread making. I did some research into it and found that not only is the cost of a bread-worthy mixer exorbitant, but I also couldn't find one in my price range (which was generous in my opinion) that had outstanding reviews. Instead, I purchased a FAR cheaper, but high-end breadmaker. I know, I can hear you all gasp. But I purely use it as a kneading machine...no different than a mixer. I have a horizontal one with double paddles, which does an excellent job of kneading. I only use the dough cycle, and even then usually just the kneading part of that cycle so that I can do the rising and punching down myself (I mostly make slow rise, sourdough bread). My bread turns out beautiful, with perfect crumb, and high rise. My machine has lasted several years now, and if eventually it wears out, it was significantly cheaper than today's hugely expensive mixers which (according to the reviews), wear down fairly quickly as well.

They're pretty and a breeze to use but a warning: I have a Kitchen Aid refrigerator, gas oven, dishwasher, blender, food processor and mixer. The blender never blended (even soft fruit like bananas and strawberries), the paddle attachment will no longer hook onto the mixer (after 4 years), the oven stopped working six months after buying it (after three fixes it was replaced) and my fridge (though not the freezer) stopped working Monday. I purchased or received these all within the past six years with the large appliances within three. Their like beauty queens: pretty to look at but require constant maintenance.

totally late to the party, but I have a handy tip for anyone who might be looking to buy one in Australia or New Zealand:
get a Breville. The price of Kitchenaids is inhibitory here, and having done some research buying mine, I discovered that the Breville BEM800 is actually a better model (planetary, tilt-head, but with a higher wattage than the KA Artisan). They are available worldwide, as well, but the company is Australian and everything seems to be more readily available here.
I've had mine for six months and I love it more than anything else in my kitchen. It's pretty and makes everything an absolute breeze. Ciabatta in the freezer all the time? Yes please.

And I don't keep it on my countertop, either. I heft it about and it's really not that hard - though having never felt the weight of a KA mixer I can't comment on those ones.

A final point: I didn't bake much at all before I had my BEM800. Now, I bake almost every day, and for cash. These things will make you want to bake, so asking yourself how often you will use it is kind of a moot point.

Usually the KitchenAid Professional does a good job, but it's patchier (for me at least) for some cakes which have butter in the batter, since the butter tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl, which the whisk tends to miss (maybe I ought to switch to the paddle at the end of the mixing? Recipes tend to start off instructing one to beat ingredients, so I just leave the whisk attachment on instead of swapping out in the middle, and scrape down the sides a few times). This has happened with a pound cake and a yellow cake recipe. A more common frustration is that it's really tough to beat less than 5 egg whites at a time, since the bowl is so large that the whisk just grazes the top.

I got my MIL a different brand of stand mixer. I have a Kitchenaid and love it, but honestly I rarely make anything where I need the horsepower except lately now that my husband is using the meat grinding attachment.

My MIL is a great cook but has been baking for years without a stand mixer, so I figured that she does not have that many recipes that would require one - she bakes mostly brownies and easy home cooking cakes.

A stand mixer is just a convenience for a woman who is getting up in years and her hands have started to shake. Her kitchen is tiny and I felt like something she could store and move easily would make more sense for her.