A good friend has just moved away. Away to a land of tropical fruits, green rolling hills, yoga with a rising sun, organic road side goodies and visiting pythons.
If there is anywhere to move, that tropical land is a good place to start. A new beginning, a new phase, a new rhythm for their family.
Although, there is a hole in our coffee club now. A rather significant one. There is also a hole in The Monkey Club. Two little blondies that are going to be missed as they find new places to swing, build and create.
Letters to write, pictures to send and promises of visits soon.
Waving goodbye with my fork in the air, as this idea was passed on from her. A little fork, a little prociutto and just a little more please.
See you soon L.
*******
Baker’s Help– My Sunbeam Mixer Professional series has died. Three times this year the same mechanism has conked out. Why? Probably because I’ve given it a huge flogging with mixing sourdough, and to be honest I’m surprised it’s lasted this long. (I hadn’t really thought I might be exceeding the size limit, but alas it seems I have….and it’s been waaaay over!) Kitchen bench space is teeny tiny, and while I can get by with very little kneading for my bread. Just incorporating the salt can be a pain when it’s 3 plus k’s of dough in a 40cmx40cm space with ‘stuff’ on either side.
SO, what I would love to know is…
what kind of kitchen mixer do you have?
Kitchenaid pros/cons? What is it like with small amounts? Say two egg whites?
Kenwood? At the moment I’m looking at a Titanium Major KM020. Could easily change though… This model takes 2.4k of dough where the kitchenaid’s only take 1.3/1.5k. Has anyone used upwards of this on a long term basis?
Any other snippets of mixer information would be very much appreciated!
cityhippyfarmgirl 
I have a KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer which is great for heavy duty stuff and want to someday get the grinding attachment for it. However, to be honest, I mostly use an ancient Betty Crocker hand mixer that belonged to my mom for the egg whites, whipped cream and every day kind of stuff! 🙂
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The kitchenaid’s are incredibly tempting… and they look pretty 🙂
I’ll bet that Betty Crocker has loads more life left in it, they just don’t make things like that any more.
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Brydie, I look forward to seeing what other people say, I’m in a not dissimilar dilemma. I want something that is the mixer equivalent of my Magimix food processor, but I just can’t figure out what that is. I’ve got a Kenwood which is not very old and cuts in and out, and I don’t make any bread with it (I knead all by hand), so it really has no excuse. I have friends with Kitchenaids who are moderately happy, but don’t feel it really has enough grunt. Grunt, that’s what I want. The old Kenwoods had it when they were made in England, but the newer ones I’m not so sure about.
I told Pete we might have to buy a big industrial mixer, and he went pale.. 🙂
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Celia meet Teddy…. Teddy meet Celia.
Still ‘little’ but bigger than some of the others.
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I too will be interested in reading the feedback to this.
I have been hankering after a Kitchenaid for ages but have been biding my time. Now I am not so sure…And Brydie I dont know about anyone else but even with a fair amount of bench space I still seem to be juggling things around because there isnt enough! Kind of like a handbag – the bigger the bag the more you can put in it!
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A cluttered bench top is a loved and used one surely. Those cleared, empty ones? Surely they don’t cook!?
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My sunbeam mixer died for the second time just before Quinn was born and there was no longer anyone in the West who would fix them, so it was time for the KitchenAid for me. Thank you baby bonus! I love mine and use it every day. I didn’t think it was much good for smaller quantities until the helpful lady at the warranty centre explained to me very carefully how to lower the stand head. The book just didn’t make sense to me at all! It is beautiful and great for sourdough, once the mixer meets the bowl in the right spot.
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Alison, hopefully it will last for all of Quinn’s years at home, giving him (and his brothers) a steady supply of goodies to eat from.
(and that’s crazy that no one would fix them in the west any more… what do we do with old ones?? Salvageable parts?
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Reading your post has just made me go and check out my old girl. We bought her from an Indian lady who was returning to her homeland to live and I never knew quite how old was the Kenwood Chef. With my serial and model numbers in hand, and thanks to google, I just found out my machine was made in Australia in 1976. That makes her 36 years old and I am delighted! I’ll be the first to admit when I turn it on everyone in the house escapes to ‘quieter’ pastures. It sounds like a road train its that loud, but I’ve become very fond of my noisy mixer that happily blocks out all other distractions. I’m so pleased now that I didn’t buy a KitchenAid a few years ago – I felt it would look very fashionable at the time. Now I don’t care a continental for fashion. Infact, the older the better and all things vintage are now my new ‘fashion’. Sorry Brydie, I’m not really helping your cause am I – but I’m glad I popped on today because I’ve learned more about my old girl – and she is a keeper!
Where is your friend moving to? Sounds familiar to my neck of the woods – I hope they find and fulfil their dreams. Good luck with the mixer research! Mariana xx
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Mariana your old girl does sound reliable, and I love the idea of her sounding like a road train while she’s doing her thing.
It does sound like a lot of people are happy with their Kenwoods…
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I love that presentation. Sorry to hear the news though. I hate when people move away!
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Little antique cake forks Greg… and it’s no fun when people move away, no fun at all.
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I have had very bad luck with KitchenAid mixers. I make a LOT of bread in them and they always need to be cleaned out- the flour somehow gets into the engine works?
I hate having to carry this huge weight to a repair shop.
My latest is an industrial mixer, still Kitchen Aid- maybe I just need to find another brand. I’m going
to be listening in to see what others recommend , too!
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I don’t think we have the industrial kitchenaid’s in Aus Heidi. Although I would love to play with one to see how they fly.
And that would be annoying if the flour getting in places it shouldn’t be!
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It is such a shame to lose close friends but with the weather we’re having in Sydney I don’t blame anyone for wanting to go to warmer pastures. The prosciutto thingies on the fork look lovely. I have a kitchen aid that I use all the time but I don’t mix bread with it. I’ve had it about 10 years and use it at least once a week and I’ve had no issues with it xx
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Thanks CL.
I think my sunbeam would have quite enjoyed a once weekly work out with other things instead of bread too…would have lasted a lot longer.
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Hey City Hippy Farm Girl,
I need help with a project of mine. What the the main flour products that home bakers use?
Love your work!
Nix
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http://www.kiallafoods.com.au/Default.aspx
http://www.benfurney.com/
http://www.manildra.com.au/our_products/article/flour/
http://kindredorganics.com.au/produce
I’ll get back to you with some more Nix.
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This is great Brydie! If you think of any more let me know. I dont need to know the organic ones.
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Sad news about the Sunbeam. I suspect you got your monies worth from giving it quite a good pounding over the years though.
I have a Kenwood KMix which I love. I haven’t given it a sustained usage to be able to give you a long term review. It is advertised as able to handle 1.3kg of dough. I find it isn’t very good if I make a small batch (e.g. 500 – 700g) and couldn’t handle 2kg of dough (not the motor but the dough ‘walked’ up and over the top of the hook). It does well though on 1 – 1.7kg of dough.
Using my friends KitchenAid it seems pretty similar. I am biased, but I’d say the Kenwood feels more substantial / solid.
If you are looking to knead 3kg of dough it sounds like you are in bit more of a professional league than I am.
I did quite a lot of research when buying my machine. Two things I found out:
– Kenwood sell factory refurbished machines at a good discount. They seem to give them to preferred suppliers who then on sell. When I searched they seemed to come up on eBay and Amazon quite frequently.
– The machines can be massively cheaper in Europe. I just did a quick look and the Titanium Major is $400 AUD from Amazon UK including delivery. Your taking quite a bit risk on returns though. I had mine shipped from Germany and it has been fine.
Good luck and let the blog know what you end up buying!
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Richard they are exactly the kind of details I am after, thank you.
$400?….eek, that’s a hell of a lot cheaper isn’t it!
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I hate the sunbeam mixers, I went through three in 6 months! Kitchen aid are ok, but not big enough for me and quite fiddly to get the beater off- I don’t like getting messy fingers 🙂
I have the km 007 major 6.7 lt and it is AWESOME! It has taken a real beating and just keeps going and going. The only change I might make its to buy the one with the heating element, but having a Thermo I don’t really need it 🙂
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That’s what I need, something that will take a beating! 🙂
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Best wishes to your friend for her move – hopefully still lots of contact in there for you too. Regarding processors, I have a KitchenAid and love it completely and utterly, but I’ve only used it for dough once (it did fine then) and rarely use it for really small quantities like 2 egg whites (but suspect it would struggle a bit!).
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Thanks Kari. I should have done a poll to get people to vote for the favourite mixer. It does seem to be down to the kitchenaid or kenwood that most people favour.
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I have a Kenwood Chef Premier. It’s sturdy enough, weighs a ton, still manages to dance a jig across the worktop though when it tackles large amounts of dough, has lots of options for accessories (meat grinder, etc, that I don’t have or need), very noisy (don’t care), and it cost far less than the Kitchenaid we can buy here in the UK. Overall, I’m happy with it. 🙂
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The Kenwood does seem to be a lot cheaper in the UK, and alternately the kitchenaid in the US. Now I just need to find something Australian made…unlikely unfortunately.
I do like idea of the options for the accessories…
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I have a Kenwood Major and love it, it easily handles huge batches of dough without blinking, though does need a bit of scraping down if you are mixing a small cake or batch of biscuits.
It is not compact however, so if space is a big issue that might be a problem. I have/had a small kitchen (mid renovation at the moment) and found it very annoying to haul the mixer out of the cupboard – it’s not light! In the new kitchen it will live on the bench so that won’t be a problem.
I had an old Kenwood Chef before the Major and they all seem very sturdy and last forever – I’m a bit of a Kenwood fan I’m afraid 🙂
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I have a KitchenAid that is an oldie but goodie. I haven’t used it to make bread often and use a hand mixer for small projects. Doesn’t really help you much, sorry.
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I have the Artisan Mixer and love it.. maybe only wish I’d chosen the larger size. I also have a cuisinart hand-mixer but I use that only for icings over a water bath and mashed potatoes..
I’m sorry your friend is moving.. what tropical place is this.. it sounds so exotic?
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Oh I just had to reply to this post as another who will miss L and her little blondies …
I have a kitchenaid which I totally love, can cope with 2 eggs no problem. I use it to miss bread daily, so no work for me 🙂
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I have an old KA, the kind which sell for a premium on EBay – you almost can’t kill them since they had big motors and metal innards. But truth be known, I don’t even use it that much, ’cause I now concentrate on breads that don’t need much kneading – like the slow rise/tiny bit of yeast ones – and then I started experimenting using what bakers call ‘stretching and turning’ instead of kneading. Only bread I regularly do now that needs the machine is ciabatta, but all that work is done with very wet dough, so there’s no stress anyway.
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If you want the ultimate domestic bread machine have a look at the Electrolux DLX on youtube. It only seems to be available in the US, but can handle 7kg of bread!!!
Unfortunately importing isn’t really an option due to the voltage difference.
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assistent original
(image wouldn’t link)
Richard is this the one you mean? I found this the other and started clapping my hands with excitement. That was quickly killed when I found out there was no way to get them in Australia 😦
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That’s the one. You could buy one but you’d need a step down converter because of the voltage and it would probably be a bit too much faff. I’d love to try one though!
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Oh I missed this as I was away! Sorry to hear about the death of the appliance. I’ve know the feeling of having brought about the demise of one through oversized doughs 😦 It was so lovely to meet you yesterday by the way! I have some gorgeous photos of little E to send to you 🙂
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Ooooo – I do lke th look of those forks! What else do you have on there? Olive, bocconcini, cherry tomato? Cant help you with the mixer though, as I dont have one! – Kara xx
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I have a Kitchenaid Artisan (it’s the cheaper one) and while I love love love it for regular cooking, I don’t know how it would go with 3kg of bread. I’ve only ever used it to make bread a few times, just one large loaf at a time and I decided that it put too much strain on the machine to risk killing it. It would be fine for your couple of eggwhites, but I’d recommend getting a smaller bowl than the one that tends to come with it – it’s giant.
I do my bread in a breadmaker, but I just let it do the first knead and prove for me. I then transfer it to a big loaf tin and bake it in the oven rather than cook it in the breadmaker itself. Works great, but it’s only good for one loaf at a time.
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