Cookaholics Bulletin Board

For the past 6 months I've been baking breads to where we don't buy loaves from the market. Also really enjoy making cup cakes and the frostings and decorating. I don't eat them as much -- being diabetic I need to watch my sugar levels (I'm sure I'm not the only one) but I enjoy being productive on any level.

So here's my quandary; I don't have a stand mixer.
At this writing, I don't feel a need for one, but I am curious if the benefits are there.
Obviously if you're a professional, then DUH!
If you have a sizable family, yeah I see the VOLUME benefits.
In my case it's me, and the Mrs.
Our kids have grown and moved, hence my volume is low.

For most quick breads or cookies, it's a bowl, hand utensils and elbow grease.
For yeast breads, it's kneading by hand or if I'm lazy I'll use the bread machine. (I'll use it for kneading only, not baking).

Any whipping is done with a hand-held mixer with the two beaters.

Here's a concern: I've practiced enough with QBs and ccakes that I know I can over mix a batter. Example: I've experimented making cup cakes, mix the liquid and dry, fold until combined, into the paper cups and off the the oven as quickly as I can. I've also intentionally with held half, over mixed the batter a few minutes and cook those. It's alarming how fast you can ruin a batch by over mixing. My FEAR is that a stand mixer can mess up a batch as fast as it can make it.

I have no problem spending $300-400 bucks if I know I'll find beneficial use out of it.
At this writing, I'm not convinced. Maybe I just need to borrow a friend's and play with it.

Any advice?

If you've lived this long without one, then you probably don't need to get one.

That being said, I've got two, and wouldn't be without them. Mixers are efficient and don't get tired like your hands do (although you have to be careful not to overtax the motor with heavy mixing). I cannot imagine mixing certain doughs, e.g., bagels or multigrain breads, without one. I also cherish the attachments. I grind all of my own beef and make sausages via the attachments.

Amy

I love my stand mixer and I am just one (but mostly when I use it, it is when I am having guests). The thing I like most is that I can multitask....I don't have to stand there holding the hand mixer for five minutes...turn it on and go on to something else.
Ilene

Like Ilene, I especially appreciate the multitasking. My cusinart even has a timer, which at least you can set for the lower end of whatever you are mixing.

I also grind my beef with it, and used to roll pasta with it too when I had a KA. Thats a feature I miss.

I'm 51 and I didn't buy my first Stand mixer until about 6 years ago. Like you, I did everything by hand or with a hand held mixer. Now that I have one, I can't believe I waited so long.

Bingo. At Christmas during mega cookie mania I can prep the next batch of ingredients while the mixer is doing its thing. We use ours (well, I do) quite a bit albeit not daily.

I kind of giggled at the borrowing comment though, I can't think of a friend that I love enough to lend them my mixer for a couple of weeks for them to test drive.

John,

Even though you deny having interest in or a need for a stand mixer, It is clear that you are have Stage 3 G.A.S. [Gadget Acquisition Syndrome]. If you came here looking for a cure, you will be disappointed as we are all carriers and enablers. If we do our job well, you will be shopping for a mixer by the weekend. Congratulations.

Also love my stand mixer. I used a hand mixer for many years and always wanted a stand mixer. It is much less likely to get bored creaming butter and sugar than I am and is much more thorough. You don't need it, of course, you don't even need a hand mixer but it sure is nice to have!

Mary

PS it is not on my lending list either.

Many recipes are written with the assumption you are using a stand mixer...hand mixers can take up to 50% longer to mix...as mentioned before, I can't imagine holding a hand mixer for very long

Based on what you said, you probably don't need the biggest, badass-est mixer on the market...just a good KA Artisan you can probably shop around and get a good price, esp if you get a factory refurbished one

I have one. But I have a bad case of "gamer hands" and it keeps down the Advil bill.