My Kitchen Aid mixer is old (kinda like its owner!) and it’s been getting kinda cranky (kinda like its owner). I make bread at last three times a week and at first, I just mix it all up and let it sit for 45 minutes for the gluten to wake up and get going. Then I let the mixer knead the dough for 15 minutes. That’s where the old Kitchen Aid begins complaining. It’s still working fine but I think it’s only a matter of time til it konks out on me. I’ve heard such wonderful things about the Bosch Universal Plus and I’d thought about getting one a while back and just never followed up on it. Today, after mixing up the bread, I decided it was time to get serious about getting a mixer. All you Kitchen Aid fans, don’t flip out on me but I think the old Kitchen Aid mixers are a whole different machines from the new Kitchen Aids (meaning the old ones were better!). Now, I’m surely not a Kitchen Aid expert but that’s just what I’ve heard from some who had the old ones and have had to replace them with new ones.
To backtrack a little, earlier this week I found a buffet with a hutch and a separate buffet that I wanted to order for the dining room. Vince said “get it”! Hmm . . that doesn’t sound like my husband. Usually, his response is (1) Do you really need it? (2) Are you sure that’s the best price? (3) Can you wait til this or that . . whatever his current line of thinking might be? I never, ever hear “get it”! So, I didn’t get it! That was just too weird.
So, today when I decided I wanted the new mixer, I told Vince . . now I have a decision to make because I want to order the Bosch mixer. He already knew I wanted it so that wasn’t a surprise. He said “If you want it, get it”. Dang . . what’s wrong with this guy? This isn’t normal at all.
I told him I wouldn’t get the dining room furniture that I wanted and you know what he said? “If you want it, get it all!” What do you think is wrong with him? Whatever it is, it must be serious!
A little more background — I’m not much on expensive furniture, especially after our last move. I’m still amazed that the movers didn’t break a single Mason jar and banged up every single piece of furniture that we had. When I bought new furniture for the guest room last year, I ordered it from Target and I’m thrilled with it. These aren’t great pictures of the furniture but it’s some I already had on the blog.
The coffee table in our family room was outrageously expensive when I purchased it 14 years ago. There’s nothing wrong with it but I want something new and I won’t get it because I don’t want to get rid of the coffee table that was so darned expensive so . . from now on, I’m getting furniture that I won’t feel bad getting rid of when I want to replace it.
Since my husband was in such an accommodating mood, I ordered the buffet with the hutch but I didn’t order the smaller buffet. One will do for now.
And, I ordered the mixer, along with the slicer/shredder and an additional stainless steel bowl.
Then Vince came home from the YMCA and I told him that I’d ordered only the larger hutch and the mixer. He asked why I didn’t order the smaller buffet. Well . . I don’t really need both of them and I hadn’t really planned on ordering the mixer. His response . . you’re going to wish you had gotten them both. I don’t know why you didn’t. So . . heck! I ordered the smaller buffet too.
Now I think I’ll go find a recipe for an apple spice cake that Vince has been asking me to make. 🙂
Michele says
Wow, what a great deal and all for just an apple spice cake in return… hehe
Vicky says
Vince definitely deserves that apple spice cake!! Love the hutches.
I’ve got an old hand-me-down Kitche Aid. That thing is so heavy. I looked at new ones a while back and they just weren’t the same machine, or at least it seemed that way to me. Will await a report on that new jet-age mixer. It has a nice design.
Karen L says
When my DH says “Yes” to stuff without any complaining…… It usually means there is some “big toy” that he’s wishing for. Last time that happened to me, I got a $300 portable sewing machine for taking to retreats and HE ended up with a $6000 motor redo for one of our collector cars. He still owes me!!!!
I’d bake the cake for Vince, I think he’s earned it today!!!!
Karen L
Vicki W says
Let me know how that mixer works out. I really need a new one. I have one of those OLD (from college days – 25 years ago) Oster Kitchen Center things and I love it! The motor is going though and I haven’t bought anything but a hand mixer to replace it because I HATE the Kitchen Aid. You cant add ingredients with the mixer engaged because that head covers the entire bowl. That drives me nuts. Your new one looks like a possibility. I wish someone would make the Kitchen Center again – it had everything.
Pat says
I really like your hutch and buffet, may I ask where you ordered it from?
Di says
Judy, the old Kitchen Aid mixers were manufactured by Hobart and they were based on industrial mixing machines. When Whirlpool bought them out, well, the quality changed. Mine (original Hobart) is still going strong, but I will cry when it dies.
Just a tidbit of lore.
Mary Ann says
Vince isn’t looking at a new table saw or drill press or anything along that line, is he? LOL
You will be glad that you got that second bowl. I have 2 (for my old Kitchen Aid which I love) and couldn’t get along without them. I’ve heard good things about the Bosch, so give us a report after you’ve given it a good test drive.
pdudgeon says
i’d say these were all very good buys! Tell Vince we all said thanks!
Freda Henderson says
Hey, make it two cakes! You go girl.
neen says
Gorgeous furniture, Judy!!! Simply beautiful…
What is up with these guys, these days? Mine wanted to buy me a Cadillac today! This is a man who used to budget my bras!!!! (before I earned my own money) (BTW, I didn’t let him buy it. I had checked on the vehicle on the internet.)
How was the cake? I could almost smell it from here…
Jean says
mmmm spice cake sounds good…so does new furniture…enjoy!!
gardenpat says
You can’t go wrong with a Bosch mixer! They are real workhorses! Raising a family with 11 kids , my DH always supported my purchasing “industrial strength” kinds of appliances (that also went for my sewing machines, too!) He felt like the right tools were worth it and saved us money in the long run!
I still have 2 wheat grinders- a heavy stone Magic Mill which grinds as well as when I bought it in 1978 (although it never did grind terribly fine flour) and my newer little K-Tec mill that “explodes” the wheat (and never gives me a really coarse cracked grain). I use them both because I love the fine flour from the newer one but I like to throw cracked grains into my bread too!
BTW- there is a wonderful wheat bread recipe I use that only takes one hour from the time I start grinding my wheat until I’m taking 2 beautiful fluffy loaves out of the oven!
Happy sewing and baking!
pat
Martha says
I have a Bosch mixer that I love. It is better than any other mixer I’ve ever used. The best part is that I found it on clearance when a local store was remodeling their store!. I don’t ever want to use another mixer again. It is a gem!
Ila says
You’ll like the Bosch. I’ve had mine (an older model) for nearly nine years, and I bake at least one batch of bread a week, 4 loaves at a time. Just used it today to make pumpkin oatmeal cookies, too! Tip I learned: let whatever bread dough happens to stick to the bowl dry, and it will brush off easily. Then I stick it in the dishwasher. Ever so much easier than trying to scrub bread dough out of little crevices.