kitchenaid stand mixer
kelly | 20 December 2006 - 6:51pm
Sometimes I find myself lusting after an item for no good reason. I will see it in a store but talk myself out of buying it, only to obsess about it for weeks, trying to justify in every possible way why I actually do need it. The reasons I come up with are weak at best. But then I go back to the store and buy the thing anyway. It always, always ends that way.
And so it came to be with the KitchenAid stand mixer. A few of my friends have them prominently displayed on their kitchen counters, and every time I see one I rush over to it exclaiming, "Ooh, a KitchenAid!" I caress its enamel-coated body and run my finger along the rim of the bowl. It is, to me, a thing of beauty, with curves and chrome like a classic car.
My friends say they use theirs all the time, but when pressed for specifics, all they can come up with is, "Well, you know, when I make cookies and stuff." Thing is, I don't make cookies and stuff. Of course, when Rob points this out, I say, "But, if I had a KitchenAid stand mixer I would make cookies and stuff all the time!"
However, I do make bread. And one of my friends in the bread share has a KitchenAid and she cannot stop raving about it. It was she who finally convinced me that spending a couple hundred dollars on a kitchen appliance is perfectly acceptable. Necessary, even! I mean, what am I supposed to do? Knead the bread by hand?!
Still, I had reservations about plunking down $200 for one. (And that's for the least expensive model!) Rob was completely against it, arguing that it would take up a large amount of prime kitchen counter real estate and I'd use it only rarely.
But then, the weekend after Thanksgiving, Target had their KitchenAids on sale for $159. This was the sign I'd been waiting for. $40 off! Clearly I was supposed to own a KitchenAid. Of course, by the time I got there, they'd all been sold. But I was not to be deterred. I asked about getting a rain check, and after hemming and hawing they finally printed one up for me. See? The KitchenAid was my destiny.
For the next several weeks I checked the kitchen appliance aisle at Target every other day or so, waiting for them to restock the KitchenAids. I had told myself that I'd use this time to really consider the purchase, but my illogical longing only increased tenfold. There's nothing I want more than something I can't have, something just beyond reach.
And then, one glorious day, as I walked past the coffeemakers and crockpots at Target, my eyes fell upon a row of KitchenAid boxes. "Yay!" I exclaimed. The lady at the other end of the aisle glanced up in time to see me, beaming, grab a box with both arms. I rocked it back and forth in a bear hug and then placed it lovingly in my cart.
When Rob came home, he noticed it immediately.
"Uh-oh."
"Isn't she beautiful?"
"Where are you going to put it?"
"Right where it is."
"In the middle of the island?!"
"Rob, it's the focus of the kitchen."
He rolled his eyes. Clearly he has no appreciation for functional art.
That night I made focaccia and used my brand new KitchenAid. I stared, mesmerized, as it mixed the dough flawlessly, reaching every part of the bowl without touching the sides. (How does it do that?) And then I attached the dough hook and watched in wonder as it kneaded with ease. "Look, Rob, no hands!" I exclaimed giddily. And I have to say, it was the best damn bread I ever made.
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ooh--congratulations. i would love to get one, but kitchen counter real estate is the reason my mom won't allow it =/. and i bake and stuff, too! anyway, do you have any bread recipes to share? the only bread item i've baked is cinnamon buns. i mostly do cakes and cookies.
omg. i want one sooooooooo badly. have for years and yet the funds are just not there. sometimes i want to get married just so i can register for a kitchenaid stand mixer, but no man has made the cut so far.
A few things.
1. I love the fact that you describe it like a clasic car.
2. You Wrote "There's nothing I want more than something I can't have, something just beyond reach." I just want to point out You CAN'T have Nilbo (turns to Nilbo for the high five like The Todd from Scrubs.)
3. Functional Art rocks.
ME TOO! I have wanted one for years. I covet them. They are sexy as hell. And this is coming from a person who does not cook or bake at all and didn't even have an oven for 6 1/2 years. I not only do not own a electric hand mixer but I also do not even own cookie sheets, measuring spoons, baking powder or oven mitts.
God.
But they come in colours! Bright lovely colours. And they epitomise domestic bliss. I know people who have inherited their mom's because they work forever. It is a freakin' family heirloom.
FYI-in Canada they cost $350-375. Just slightly less then I paid for my first car.
What colour did you get?
gora_kagaz, I have some recipes I can email you. If that's okay, drop me a line at kalkik at verizon dot net so I have your addy.
Screw waiting around for a man, anna. Register for one now! It can be the Because Anna Is Fabulous registry. :)
Hee, The Todd! Awesome, William. And functional art does rock. My favorite part of my college art class was when we studied industrial design. I love that kind of thing.
You get it, Kranki. Completely. I wanted a red one, but it didn't match my current kitchen (although it totally matches my future all-in-my-head kitchen). Plus, the model that comes in an array of colors costs more. The low-end model that I got only comes in white. Someday I hope to upgrade to an awesome red one, although the white one will surely never die and so that will never happen. As you say, they become freaking family heirlooms! I mean, someday my cats will make tuna cupcakes with the thing!
Yeah. Can't have me. No sirree. Can't just crook your finger and expect me to leap over chairs and tables, pushing elderly woman and children in strollers out of the way in my determination to get to you. Not a chance. No, sirree.
(Thanks, William, but you know this never fucking works.)
We have a PROFESSIONAL KitchenAid. The big-un. And if we ever got a divorce, there would be a custody battle over it. Although David doesn't really cook, so I'm sure the judge will totally see things my way.
Oh, and William? You know that The Todd is gay, right?
I so want a mix master Kitchen Aid, even though I'm not a cook. I can totally appreciate yours being the focal point of the kitchen, sigh.
Glad to see Target came through for you. I wish I could know what that woman in the aisle thought when you squealed with delight! Only thing is now you have to come up with another excuse to go to Target every other day - which I'm sure will be easy. Hopefully I will get one for Christmas - and since you have a head start you can tell me all the yummy things you have made with it - since I really have no clue what I will make with it - I just wanted one!
i got one as a wedding gift, and like you, i wasn't completely convinced i would use it all the time. i have used it several times in the last few months though, and i am constantly amazed at how well it works! i've only made cookies and whipped cream so far, so maybe i'll try bread next :)
I was in Target last night...
that's all.
:)
(if they made a chocolate matte mixer, I might want that...or burgundy...drooooooooooool)
Oh, the jealousy. It's eating me up inside. EATING ME UP, I say! I was just telling my boss today that I've been dropping I Want A Kitchen-Aid Real BAD hints on TGIM like NOBODY'S bidness, but I'm pretty sure he'll still get me a frikkin' CD or some silly shiz.
*sigh*
I'll just be over here envying you and whatnot...
Kitchen Aids bring sexy back to the kitchen, for certain.
I want one. I'm going to start saving my sheckles.
oh, if only my husband were as easy to please as you!!!
we have both coveted a kitchenaid mixer for quite some time, and i have been prepared to buy one multiple times, but he will never let me buy the $200 model!!! oh, heavens, that model isn't nearly good enough for him!!!
this is the trouble with cohabitating with a chef/ food snob. each time i find myself looking at it longingly, he quickly pulls me away, telling me that model is "merely for amateurs", and "is not made for the professional cook." oh no, he can only have the one with all the bells and whistles, the one that tenderizes meats and can practically bake a whole loaf of bread all on its own!
for the love of god, i just want my kitchen to be sexy, too! but i realize that there may never come a time when i have $400 - $500 of extra money to spend and i choose to buy a kitchen mixer that does things i could do with my own two hands for free.
so sadly, i think we will be coveting our kitchenaid mixer for a long, long time....
And you, Nilbo, can't just chop your finger and expect me to rush to your side, all "Poor Nilbo!" and "Let me kiss it!" and "What can I do to distract you from the pain?" Nice try, dude. But dangling thumbs sorta gross me out.
Oh wow, Ern. That is awesome. So what do you use yours for? (And don't say cookies and stuff!) :)
It gleams in the light, kristen! It's a thing to behold.
And when I went back, HFD, I had a $5 Target coupon, so I actually got it for $154. Woo! And omg, I am so happy for you, getting one for Christmas!!
Did you use the whisk attachment for the whipped cream, geeky? I haven't used the whisk yet, but that shit looks seriously fun.
Ooh, a chocolate matte one would be nice, Doreen. Although I sorta like the white one since it's the classic. Makes me feel very 50s housewife which, for some odd reason, I've always wanted to be.
I had no idea so many women shared this lust, cat. When you eventually come to visit, you can totally use mine! Maybe hit TGYM over the head with it until he gets the point...
They are definitely the sex symbol among countertop appliances, Amy.
Yeah, nicole, the only feature the expensive ones have that interests me is pretty colors! But you know B is using one at work, getting some stroking in on the side, while you wait at home KitchenAidless. Shit ain't right.
I regret not registering for one when we got married - or at least using some of our gift money to buy one. But at the time, it seemed frivolous to get one just for cookies. Which is honestly all I'd ever use it for, I think. Well, the whipped cream too, if I'd known about it. But that would only be every few years. I fear it would become one more thing to dust.
Anyway, I lust after the red one too.
Congrats on your new baby!!!
I got mine last month and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her. She's made all kinds of goodies and seems to have (somewhat) lifted my inability to bake decent cookies.
I lusted after mine for a good year and pretty much threatened all my coworkers until they chipped in and got me my beloved cobalt blue KitchenAid mixer off my wedding registry. But realistically, even if they hadn't, I would have convinced my ex to buy it for me anyway. After all, it worked in the past with my Cuisinart!
I so lust after one of those mixers. My over worked hand mixer shit the bed just after Thanksgiving, in the middle of a chocolate cookie baking bonanza. Sucks to be me.
Congratulations! Best purchase you'll ever make for your kitchen.
Merry Christmas!
I am envious. A red one would match my kitchen. sigh. Maybe someday.
I will make those cookies, though, even without a fancypants KichenAid mixer.
Merry Christmas, kalki, rob and kitties. xxx
Merry Christmas, Kelly, Rob, Bridget, Simon, and Maylee! Love and hugs to you all!
Merry Christmas, Kelly and Rob. Coming here to read and laugh about what y'all are up to is always such a bright spot in my day. Thanks for the giggles and the friendship.
xxoo Cat
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Merry John Stamos day or whatever it is you celebrate. Be happy and healthy whatever you do!
Danielle, it didn't even occur to me to register for one when we got married. What was I thinking?! With the bread share, I know I'll use it at least once every couple weeks, but if I didn't have that I probably wouldn't have bought it - dust magnet, like you said.
Yay! I like hearing from people who use and love theirs, TKW. It's good for Rob to read, too. ;)
Ooh, cobalt blue. Nice, jessica_deva. I don't have a Cuisinart, but Julie in Julie & Julia uses hers all the time.
My hand mixer's motor starts burning 2 minutes into mixing cookies, Strizzle. I can relate.
Will it make pie, mrtl? :) Merry Christmas to you, too!
I think you'll like the cookies, Susie. And Merry Christmas!
Right back at you, LadyBug.
Thanks, cat. And we love you guys. Merry Christmas!
Hee, Merry John Stamos! I like the sound of that, janasayqua. And to you the same!
Merry Christmas, Kalki!
Okay, I'm totally late on this one (not like it was freakin' Christmas lately or anything)...
Someone in my house got the Heavy Duty Plus Kitchen Aid for an early Christmas present. It was the after-Thanksgiving sale at Mervyns (Target's older sister). Yes, my husband has wanted one F-O-R-E-V-E-R and I always said no. The usual.. "We don't have space for it!" and "What are we going to do with it besides make cookies?" and "How much does it cost?!?" But although I am the voice of reason in this relationship he went ahead and got it anyway (like always). I found out about it when he brought it home and said, "I already bought my Christmas present" and then appealed to my sale-driven weak spot by telling me it was less than $200. I mean if he ever really had to have one at least he got a good deal on it so I wasn't too ticked off.
I have to admit it was handy making all those Christmas cookies and he has used it twice this week to whip mashed potatoes. I cleaned out a cupboard and took down one of the shelves to make room for it (honestly, we have a tiny kitchen and NO counter space so it could only stay if I found it a home somewhere out of the way). I also have to admit my interest was peaked when he mentioned the fact that other attachments could be purchased. I make cranberry relish twice a year which is not often enough to warrant the purchase of a food processor, but if this new thing has a grinder that will do the job I will admit I was wrong and become a Kitchen Aid worshipper too.
Oh... and Merry Christmas!
A day late, but hope you had a very merry chrimpus and All the best to you and yours! and have a great New Year!
Please help decide if I should a the Mixer with the tilt head or the
that the bowl moves up and down.
Thank you, Andrea. And happy new year!
Dang, he got the heavy-duty one for less than $200? That is a seriously good deal, Di! And yes, there are all kinds of awesome attachments. Like a pasta maker! And a can opener! And a grinder, too! Wooo!
Annejelynn, thank you. And the same to you, dear!
Dawn, I didn't know there was one with a bowl that moves up and down! That sounds pretty fancy. The tilt-head is a must, but I would think it would come standard on all of them. But I don't really know. I only considered the least expensive model. Sorry I'm no help!
After ten years of lust, drool, whining, begging and pleading, I had given up on ever owning the timeless classic work of art known as the KitchenAid. I registered for one when I (finally) got married - no dice. I stopped asking for anything else - birthday, anniversary, Christmas... nothing. I told relatives, friends, and total strangers about how I wanted, no, NEEDED a KitchenAid. Years passed. I coveted my friends' KitchenAids - and they didn't even use them. I, on the other hand, bake like a fiend: breads, cakes, scones. Delicate mousses and hearty kugels. Biscuits and baguettes. All by **&%$ing hand. I didn't even buy a hand mixer, out of stubbornness. After all, if I can't have my KitchenAid, what's the point??!? Finally my father (who had somewhow managed to NOT EVEN KNOW that I wanted one (?!??!?) found himself gift-less on Christmas Eve in the mall, and wanted to get all the present-buying over in one feel swoop. There was The Box. He bought me the Artisan, in black. It is now on my counter in The Place Of Honor, where I polish it lovingly every morning and have begun The Great Bake-o-Rama. I even took two days off of work just to make stuff with it. (I haven't taken a vacation day in 11 months). So there you are. I just wanted to share my obsession with people who understand. Cheers!
Congrats, LR! And cheers indeed. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story.