Hi fellow bread bakers,
I have owned two KA mixers. I burned out the motor in the first one
when I first started baking bread and didn't realize that a stiff, whole
wheat dough could do that. I promptly replaced that mixer with another one
since it was such a good workhorse as well as being a great all purpose
mixer. Occasionally however, I would want to make recipes that were too big
for the KA's capacity. That factor along with the fear of another burnout
made me seek a mixer with a larger capacity and stronger motor.
I purchased a Magic Mill and sent it back after making two batches
of cookies in it. I was assured when buying it that besides great bread, it
could be used to make the usual cookies, cakes etc. The first cookie recipe
came straight from the Magic Mill's cookbook. I had to stand over it and
constantly push the dough into the path of the roller and it still was not
coming together. I finally gave up and mixed it by hand. The second batch
of cookies called for creaming two sticks of butter with one cup of brown
sugar a task my KA would have handled with ease. The Magic Mill acted like
an unbalanced washing machine and rocked so violently on my counter,
despite advertised claims of "stays firmly on the counter even at high
speeds", that the front panel containing the controls popped out! I never
got to make bread since I didn't intend to spend $500 for a machine that
couldn't meet all my mixing needs.
I now have a Kenwood mixer and it has a large capacity and stronger
motor than the KA. I have to watch it carefully as it tends to rock a bit
on the counter, too (both the Kenwood and Magic Mill are lighter in weight
than the KA). It does, however mix things well and has a nice feature in
that it has a plastic cover over the top of the bowl that keeps flour from
jumping out (a hinged piece opens to add more flour while you are mixing).
I just leave the dough in the bowl with the cover on instead of a towel for
the first rise. It's motor is quite strong and I rarely go past the minimum
speed.
Having tested all three mixers, I highly recommend the KA (350
watts with the button that pops out before you can burn out the motor). It
is versatile and reliable. If you want a larger, stronger mixer, then the
Kenwood is not a bad choice. Although I have met many fans of the Magic
Mill when I attended Summer Loaf, I am not one of them.
And that Ladies and Gents is MY 2 Cents worth!
Ellen aka Gormay
"Whenever you see food beautifully arranged on a plate, you know someone's
fingers have been all over it.".....Julia Child