assistent original- possibly the nerdiest post I’ve ever done

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It was finally here.

It, being the mixer I had decided on nearly three months ago. After writing this post. I researched, and researched what was going to be best suited for me. Which one to get… which one to get?

So why did I need a new mixer?

I make all our bread, and although my kids are still quite small, we go through a LOT of bread, so it’s only going to increase. Sourdough being the bread of choice or a sourdough/commercial yeast blend. I quite often use a fairly stiff dough that needs a bit of effort behind it incorporating the salt. While I have no problem with kneading, my kitchen has a problem with bench space… it’s very minimal!

With baby crawling around- getting in to things she probably shouldn’t be, four year old holding on to a leg singing me a sad sailor song, six year old trying to read out his homework, and a dinner pot on the stove probably close to burning. Even just the simple process of kneading salt into dough (in a very small kneading space) can be a little frustrating.

A good mixer, eases this. It really does.

Over the past few years, I had been using a Sunbeam Professional. I was really happy with it and it suited most of my cooking. Although it wasn’t until researching new mixers did I realise just what a flogging I was giving it. At the most I was mixing a little over 3kg of bread dough. The sunbeam recommended amount was less than half that. Lasting two solid years of sourdough making, (plus general kitchen baking 2 years before that.) I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.

First I looked at the Kitchenaid Artisan KSM150.

Gorgeous colours, and looks solid. $749, 300watt motor, made in the USA, but only takes 1.3k of dough. Reviews also say it can run a little hot when being put to the test with bread dough, needing frequent cool off periods. It also may have times of creeping up the hook, if there is a larger amount of dough in there.

Kitchenaid Professional has definitely got more grunt and aims higher than the average home baker needs. However, as far as I could see it wasn’t available in Australia.

Next I looked at the Kenwood Premier Major KMM770.

No colour options (silver), 1200watts, 2.4kg dough capacity, 6.7L bowl capacity, and upwards of $700. Originally a British company, and is now all made in China.

The Kenwood Titanium Major was also a contender, with same colour, an increase in the watts- 1500, but no increase in dough capacity or bowl size. I was getting mixed messages as to whether an increased wattage in the different machines actually made any difference or not.

These machines did sound ok, but the dough amount still wasn’t enough and it was a sizeable machine for something that still wasn’t quite what I needed. Problems I had read about the Kenwood was ‘walking’ when it’s on and really noisy for the older machines, (not sure about the new ones.)

The Varimixer Bear Teddy- 5L I looked at, but the weight was concerning as the spot where the mixer was to go is again quite small. A lone stockist in Sydney was also quite vague.

Throughout my research another name kept popping up, Assistent Original. There didn’t seem to be any distribution in Australia, despite it being available seemingly everywhere else. It certainly didn’t look anything like any of the other planetary mixers I had looked at.

It did however, seem to be exactly what I was looking for.

Not too big, 7L bowl, could handle up to 5kg of dough, came with basic attachments and more if I needed them later.

It sounded good, really good.

But how to get one of these little gems? I didn’t think it would hurt to send an email, which went to a US distributer. That, then got bounced to Sweden, who in turn bounced it back to Australia, to a baking company who just so happened to be starting to import them. One load of ten had already arrived and disappeared into baking land, a second was to be shipped the next week from Germany. Was I interested?

Hell yes!

Fast forward several months, now with my Swedish mixer in my hot little hands… what could it do?

Let’s find out.

First up the instruction manual is not great. I watched the instructional dvd (also available on youtube) and that helped. I basically fiddled until I had worked out what was what,and mostly it was fine, (you do just have to play a bit.) The dough hook took the longest to get the hang of, (saying that, it was probably only half an hour) which worried me a little as this was the one I basically got the whole thing for. Finally I found if I brought the arm just a smidge more forward, the peg sat in fine.

There is an extensive recipe booklet that comes with it. It would be great to explore some Swedish recipes, but unfortunately it’s all in Swedish, and I can read not a word. With distribution of the machine in a handful of English speaking countries, I’m surprised they haven’t done an English language one.

In a nutshell…

Comes in lots of different colours- I got cream

800W and weighs 8.6kg. $682 plus postage

Developed, designed and manufactured in Sweden.

Has been around since the 1940’s

Previously known as DLX Electrolux, Magic Mill Verona- now known as my new kitchen love

Basic model comes with a dough hook, double whisk, cake beater, bowl scraper, dough roll, and lid

In built timer- this is sooooo handy. Dial it up and go and do other things, come back and viola.

It’s quiet. All you hear is a gentle mixing sound on the lowest setting, which for my bread is more than adequate.

When to use the different attachments- I’ve made, biscuit dough and cake batter with the double whisk, cake beater and dough roll. There isn’t a huge difference in the over all result. They all come up with the goods in the end. Dough hook definitely for the larger amounts of bread dough though. Initially I thought it wasn’t doing a whole lot, but it is. (Just be patient and let it do it’s thing.)

I was curious to know whether it could whisk a couple of egg whites as well as several kilos of bread dough. It could, and did. I haven’t done less than 3 egg whites at this stage, but for those three it worked beautifully.

The mixer has a lot more attachments available, and if I decide I want others down the track I can buy them singularly. For the time being though, the basic attachments suit my needs.

Problems with the machine- none what so ever. I’ll certainly edit this post if I come across any problems, but so far- using it is great. I’m still at the casually polish it as I walk by stage.

It is completely different to the other types of mixers on the market, which initially felt a little daunting on opening the box. I soon shook that off though…it’s good to be different. I’d be quite happy to have a machine like this in my kitchen for the next 20 years.

*******

Have a look here, if you want to see it in action using the dough hook.

Other reviews that might be handy and of interest

Planetary mixer advice– on sourdough.com (Australia)

Assistent Original vs Kitchenaid-  (USA)

******

Where to buy it from if you are in Australia?

Blackwood Lane– who were very helpful when I had a lot of questions to ask before I purchased.

* I don’t get anything by writing this review, this is purely to help out anyone that might be in a similar position, looking for a new mixer and unsure of what to get for their baking needs. Would I recommend it?… Yes, it’s awesome.

** All food pictured has been mixed in the Assistent Original. 

60 thoughts on “assistent original- possibly the nerdiest post I’ve ever done”

  4. Love it.

    I’m really pleased to hear you are getting on well with the new mixer. I was fairly sure it would be awesome for bread, but pleased to hear it can make cake batter and whisk a small number of egg whites too. I thought it might fall down on that.

    I am also really impressed at the price as they are the equivalent of $900 in the UK and Australia is a lot further from Sweden than we are!

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  6. How wonderful! I’ve been wondering how it was going, and I’m so happy that it’s living up to expectations 🙂
    Here’s to many happy years of baking together!

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  7. I’ve been looking for a mixer that handles similar amounts of bread dough so it’s great to read about some real life examples that are available in Oz 🙂 thanks for the review

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  8. You certainly did your research Brydie. It looks really good. Amazing how for all that grunt it’s whisper quiet. I’m so impressed with how you make all the bread for your family – aren’t they blessed! xx

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    • It would be very, very hard going back to shop bread these days Charlie Louie. As for the research I really wanted to make an investment in my kitchen, not just something that looks good. This way it’s win win 🙂

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  12. That sounds amazing! I’m so glad you’re happy with it. I had/have a Kitchen Aid that’s out of commission. I think it got overwhelmed with some bread dough early on, then finally gave up the ghost when I tried to make hollandaise sauce with it. *sigh* Makes me think I need a more powerful beast the next time around.

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    • I would love to sit down with someone that makes Kitchenaid and really find out what they should and shouldn’t be doing. They have a great reputation for being solid, well made and the thing to get in your kitchen- I’ve got a blender, and it really is quite temperamental unless the easiest of ingredients goes in. Drives me crazy!

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  14. Anyone that cooks the way you do needs a mixer like this. You deserve it! It takes a great deal of committment to make all the bread for the family home ( we do it till I get tired and the fact is spelt flour means it is actually cheaper to buy the spelt bread in most cases) . I look forward to seeing many magical concoctions come from this mixer.

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    • Kim that’s hard when the flour is more expensive than the loaves. I wonder if the price will come down any if more people start to grow it and the consumer demand is larger…. I also wonder just how many farmers actually grow the stuff in Australia?

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  16. Well, I’ve never heard of this critter, but she’s got sturdy good looks and is clearly built for a true baker’s kitchen! Congratulations Bridey and many happy years together!

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  17. That is one of the strangest mixers I have ever seen but Wow, what a cool thing.There is nothing wrong with nerdy.. We all have our likes and it’s obvious this mixer is yours. Happy baking with it. I to believe you will be using it for a long, long time.

    Hugs,
    Sharon

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  19. My nerdiest is revealed by the fact that just reading the title of this post gave me a little shiver of delight (I didn’t know what was coming, but I knew it would be good!). And indeed it was – what a wonderful mixer, a lovely review, and I am so thrilled that your new kitchen love has arrived. I can’t wait to see what else it produces!

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  20. I am totally a gadget girl and would be into having one of these on my kitchen counter!! I love it’s retro vibe and the different attachments are quite unique!! You’ve chosen the perfect color!! And, my gosh, you bake a ton of bread!! Your kids are sooo lucky!!! xx

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  21. I’ve not really got into these mixers for the same reason that you did – lack of space – I just don’t know where I would put one – and I don’t make as much bread as you do – but I am sure I would still find lots of use if I did get one – admire your thoroughness in research

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  22. Brilliant post! So helpful. I use my Australian Breville bread maker for all my bread, and my kitchen aid mixer for the rest. But, I love that yours has a timer. Have a great weekend 🙂

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  23. Congrats Brydie. Sounds like a full-time exercise went into your research. I suppose that’s what needs to happen for the best outcome – and you certainly sound pleased. That’s wonderful. Do you have a name for her/him? The Assistant sounds awful. I read there is a Verona mentioned – ‘Juliet’ perhaps? Looking forward to seeing the future yummy delights you both will be churning out.

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  25. Excellent nerd post! Top Marks! I am going to bookmark for the day my bargain Kenwood dies and/or relative comes from Sweden and I will demand they bring me one of these. I can mix 1.5 kg dough in mine but that is plenty for us. I am sure one day I will kill it though. Keep up the good work, hugs Jo

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  26. Brydie, Your extensive research has paid off! You are in possession of one of the world’s best home mixers. I know it from its days as an Electrolux brand, when it was sought out by knowledgeable kitchen gurus – the reason why the brand name was changed was that somehow the name was sold in the U.S. to a shoddy company who started making inferior products under the Electrolux name, and soon it was ‘dirt’. But the Swedish company has always made only the best products available – Congrats on a great selection – have tons of fun with it.

    I’ve got an old KA, from the days when Hobart made them here – it has a big HD motor, but I’m careful not to let it get stressed just the same – even KA’s these days are made with plastic, not metal, gears! Sad.

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  27. Hi Brydie! I wonder if you have time to write a follow up ‘nerd’ post on the Assistent, I keep sending people to read your post and say look at this and I just wonder if it is still going strong, any drawbacks you have noticed etc etc xx Jo

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      • After 25 years, my old 325w KA stopped working on dough – so, I may join you in Electrolux joyland soon – but first, I’m taking my turn at attempting to fix the old KA – that should be fun, and worthy of a post regardless how it goes!

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      • twenty five years Doc, that’s incredible service from the old girl. Good luck with the fixing…but if by chance it doesn’t work Electrolux joyland is a wonderful place to be.

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  29. Great read, do you know, buy an organic rye loaf most of the time from Country Life. I think it’s excellent bread, the kids love it, and I’ve never minded paying $6 a loaf as it’s very nutritious. This machine would be paid for in 100 loaves ie not long, I use a few a week!! BUT… back to the simple bread maker and getting better with that first.

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  30. Still loving it? I just ordered it in the new “Light Creme” color which I had to get from Canada since it’s not available yet in the U.S. I was worried the regular cream color might be a bit too yellow for my small kitchen but now that I see it in your post it doesn’t look to yellow. Oh well – the light creme one’s already on the way! 🙂 My kitchen is small enough that I don’t want to commit to any real colors (much as I adore them) and I’ll just accessorize, adding colors using towels and tea pots and other cheaper things, lol. Can’t wait to get it! Thanks for the great review.

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  32. Just wanted to thank you for your orginal post. I was all set to get the kitchenaid and thought I would do a little research. Hm seems it’s not good for bread. So wanted to thank you for such a great review.

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