Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Kitchen Aid

It's been a while since I last posted about a kitchen item but I'm still inspired by Lindsey Bareham's trifle bowl so here we are again... My Kitchen Aid (which was an unexpectedly generous and very much appreciated birthday present) is easily the most expensive single item in my kitchen. For all the Le Creuset I've acquired I don't think I've spent as much on it as that one item would cost to replace, and though I've undoubtedly spent more on books over the years there are at least a lot of them. If I ever to have to replace the fridge or oven that were already in place when I bought this flat (the oven might need replacing quite soon, but fingers crossed it will carry on for a bit longer) the chances are that I'll buy the cheapest thing that fits in the space and that might well come to less than that one highly decorative food mixer.

Generally I really dislike spending serious money on something that won't last longer than I will (I would infinitely rather spend a thousand pounds on a picture than on a computer - and in the very unlikely event that I find myself with £1000 in hand that's exactly what I would do) but when the Kitchen Aid arrived in my life I was ready to do it. I think they're beautiful as well as functional, I'd wanted one for a very long time, and damn it I felt like I deserved it. In short it was a weak spot, but the tipping point was when I burnt out my 3rd or 4th hand blender (roughly one every 2 years) and decided it had to be something more robust.

It could have been a Kenwood but I have a prejudice against them - not really the Kenwood's fault, the kitchens I worked in as a girl all had knackered ones that were forever breaking down but they were domestic machines being used industrially so that's not really a reflection on the Kenwood's ability, more importantly I just don't find them as pretty. It could have been another hand blender - which would have been cheap and probably sensible, however looking at a hand blender has never given me a thrill of pride or made me feel that one of life's small goals has been achieved. (My mother always said she didn't feel truly grown up until she got her first Kenwood chef).

It qualifies to be mentioned here because it has had a very specific influence on how I cook. One of the, lets call it endearing, traits of a Kitchen Aid is that it needs a regular work out, if it doesn't get them the oil inside it starts to separate and leak (not desirable). Ironically since I got it I'm less inclined to bake cakes, I still make them, just not the cake a week of a few years ago. Nor do I whip a whole lot of stuff in it either - though when I do it's nice to be able to multi task around the kitchen rather than stand over those egg whites or whatever. What I have done though is experiment with more breads and that is a change. Any recipe that warns 'this is quite a wet dough' - which applies to a lot of sweeter bread and buns is much less icky in a food mixer. Chucking everything in the bowl and letting the machine do the initial hard work but still getting the hands on element when you knock back your dough or shape it is the best of both worlds.

It is a functional machine, it is rather nice to be able to put things in it and then turn your back on them for a bit, it does make some things much easier, and it is a thing of beauty if you're that way inclined. I can't really claim it's necessary, or even that it does the job better than anything else can but I love it - it's my pride and joy, and it's very much part of my kitchen.

14 comments:

  1. So happy you have it, and are enjoying it! I love mine. And it is the queen of the counter in terms of beauty! Mine is yellow.

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  2. Is it a deep eggy yellow or a paler primrose kind of a shade. I love all the colours they come in, rather hanker after something really bright, but also love the blue. I love using it and love looking at it, it makes me absurdly happy. Reading this back it's obvious there's a whole lot of love going on. It's one of those touchstones that on a grim day remind me that I'm basically a lucky woman in the general scheme of things.

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  3. It is such a beautiful object in itself - we have a pale pink one which my dad and I got my mother a few years ago: such a pleasure to look at, and I do think it is a miracle for whipping anything. I suspect we're mostly using it as the world's most expensive cream beater most of the time...

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  4. A new shiny kitchen tool is such fun! And you may be surprised at how long it lasts - I've had mine for at least 25 years. They are extremely well made.

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    1. That fills me with hope, I understand that since the company was taken over (?) a few years ago the quality isn't what it was, but on the other hand mine is hardly over used so it may last a long, long time.

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  5. Mine is the same color. I didn't know they should work regularly. I don't use mine very often (it can't sit on the counter, so I have to lug it out of a cabinet, hoist up onto the counter and back again each time), but perhaps now I will.

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    1. I got mine 2 years ago, when I was still making up my mind what to go for and reading lots of reviews the oil leak issue came up in a few comments, then when I started Christmas baking last year and after mine hadn't been used for a few months I noticed a very small oil leak from the back. When I read more about it, it seems to be easily fixed by running the machine regularly, I've made sure I've used mine more regularly since and I've had no more problems. I doubt it's a problem with all of them but it does seem to be reasonably common so I was pleased to find it was easily fixed/avoided. If yours is a bit older it may not be an issue at all.

      And blue - definitely the best colour ;)

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  6. I love my kitchen aid. And they come in such fun colors! I don't think I could live without it. I second what anon. says. Those things seem to last a lot longer than many appliances (don't get me started on the iron). And I didn't know that the kitchen aid would leak oil! I guess I use mine enough that it doesn't sulk.

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    1. I love mine so if all it needs to keep it happy is regular exercise I'm happy to indulge it. I really love the colours and can never decide which one (other than the dark blue I have of course) is my favourite. There's a pistachio shade I really like, but then all the yellows and oranges are great, and then all the greens, and can you go wrong with the classic red or cream? But then I've seen a pearly one that's rather fine... I've had a small leak with mine (see above) but it seems to have been totally fixed by rather more regular use. truly though it's been brilliant, I love having one.

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  7. I don't do much that needs a proper mixer - I rely on a hand one. Beautiful though it is, I'd begrudge it the worktop space (much as I do my rarely used bread machine).

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  8. It's by way of being my guilty pleasure - I could well have done without one and it's not the kind of extravagance I normally commit or encourage but I guess we all have our blind spots and this is mine! I had to get rid of my microwave to find space for it and I don't use it nearly enough but it still makes me happy!

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  9. Stand mixers, especially ones by Kitchen Aid, are worth the money. My sister had never been much of a baker, but when a friend gave her a used one she suddenly found a whole new avocation. When John bought me mine for Christmas one year he also got an extra mixing bowl which I wouldn't have thought of but glad he did.

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  10. Preaching to the choir! I git an extra bowl too and it's been really useful (it's the one that is jug shaped). If you like baking a good stand mixer is - well a luxury, but a very useful one, and if you're going to have one it might as well be the prettiest one right?

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