kitchenaid mixer + review

After months of talking about my dream of owning one, a few weeks ago my mom let me know that if it's what I really wanted, she'd invest in a Kitchenaid Mixer as my Christmas present.

I spent hours reading reviews, looking at the different color options (which are quite overwhelming, to be honest), figuring out what tilt head & bowl lift meant, learning the difference between Artisan & Classic and trying to decide what I actually needed. I use the term needed loosely because let's be honest, although the Kitchenaid Mixer is a total game changer, this is an expensive item that is a total want.

My new mixer.. isn't she pretty?

I quickly realized that for my entry-level baking skills, and because I'm typically only baking for two people, I didn't need an extra large mixing bowl or the largest motor...and that was probably a good thing because these mixers can get very expensive, very quickly. I knew the most basic mixer would be more than enough for my needs & because these mixers withstand the test of time, if I ever wanted to upgrade, I knew I could pass this mixer on to one of my sisters or a friend and that it would still work perfectly as long as it was taken care of.

My mom had been pressuring me to make a choice about color, something I was putting off heavily because I'm in the process of building a home and haven't made choices about the color scheme in the kitchen yet, and because she was financing this deal I was trying hard to narrow it down when I got a call from her one morning while she was at Target. While browsing, she found a white 4.5 quart, 275 watt Kitchenaid Mixer on clearance for $124.99. At half off, I wouldn't have cared what color it was, but white was such a blessing in disguise! Not only will it match pretty much everything, but Scott & I had just been discussing how dark many of our options in our new home would be (flooring, cabinets, granite ) and that we should focus on bringing pops of white & light color into our decor. Since this baby will be staying on my counter top, it'll be a perfect contrast in the kitchen.

Above photo belongs to IINKY! Visit them here!

Also, can we talk about how cute these decals are? I found this one on Etsy for $12.50 & a simple search for "Kitchenaid Mixer Decal" results in over 300 decals to choose from, many with options to customize or to contact the designer and have one them create a unique one just for you. I can't wait to figure out what colors are going in my kitchen so I can order one and dress my mixer up a little!

So even though it's September, I knew this thing was just sitting at my mom's house begging to be let out and after surprisingly minimal pleading I already have it in my possession. As soon as I got it home I started trying to figure out what my first recipe using this was going to be and I quickly decided on a very simple & traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe that was in the Kitchenaid book that came with the mixer.

Can I just say that making these cookies were so, SO easy? This mixer takes so much work out of making that it's no wonder, after just a single use, why so many people love it so much.  Even the 4.5 quart bowl that I have, which some would consider to be small compared to other much larger models, held a recipe for 5 dozen cookies. Disclaimer: I did not read the directions very thoroughly because I didn't realize this recipe would make 5 dozen cookies until after I was staring at a very large amount of cookie dough wondering why there was so much. What can I say? Let's call it a learning curve. I'll be honest, I didn't read the owners manual to this thing and it was incredibly easy t use. I'll absolutely be looking it over so that I can understand what all it can do and what all the different attachments are for specifically, but the design is incredibly intuitive and user friendly. Speaking of attachments, there are a ton that you can purchase and use with this mixer. I've got my eye on this ice cream maker attachment & this flex edge beater.

As for the cookies? They came out of the oven perfectly. I'm always my own worst critic but I'm lucky in that Scott never tells me something is good just to spare my feelings... I value his opinion so much because he'll always let me know if it's spot on & if something needs to be adjusted (or perhaps just not made again ha!), he's the first to hit me up with some gentle honesty. The fact that over a dozen of these cookies were gone before I could get them in ziplock bags speaks volumes & we both agreed that these were much better than the typical pre-made cookie dough we usually buy from the grocery store.

I am by no means a health freak, but if I can eliminate more processed foods by doing more baking from scratch, then I'm absolutely up for the challenge of trying to create more naturally & with less preservatives. These cookies contained simple ingredients & I can actually pronounce everything that's in them, so I think that's a good place to start.

While it will take a few more uses and lots of trial and error before I realize the full potential of this mixer, I can say hands down that it was worth the investment. My advice? Run, don't walk, to your nearest Target and try to find this model on clearance for the price my mom was able to able to pay. If you can't snag it at that deal, check the sales & watch for online discounts. While I think this product is well worth it's price tag, there's no reason to pay full price for something you can find discounted. I would also recommend trying to find a used mixer if the previous owner can provide evidence that it's been well taken care of. These mixers are built to last a long time & purchasing one that's only a few years old would be a great way to save!

I'm incredibly excited to get in the kitchen more & with the holidays coming up, I can't wait to try out new recipes using my mixer. Do you have a favorite recipe that would be perfect for me to try out? I'd love to hear from you!