KitchenAid Reviews

KitchenAid is one of those manufacturers who just can't make a bad product, regardless of price. Even this, their least expensive hand mixer, says "quality" from the moment you pick it up, and affirms it when you switch it on.

A professional chef will tell you that if you can't get the job done with 3 speeds on your hand mixer, you probably shouldn't be in the kitchen. That's why you'll find this particular mixer in the homes of so many chefs. It's a no-nonsense tool for serious cooking.

At the business end of the KitchenAid 3 Speed Classic Hand Mixer KHM3, one finds a pair of unusual beaters, which KitchenAid calls "Turbo-Beater Accessories". Made from pure stainless steel, the beaters have rounded mixing surfaces instead of the usual knife-edge beaters commonly found on hand mixers. The mirrored "pinwheel" pitch of the beaters creates a mixing action similar to a balloon whisk in the hand of a trained chef with very little splashing and less likelihood of overbeating ingredients like egg whites and whipping cream. Having no center shafts, the beaters are immune to clogging when plowing through heavy cookie doughs and clean up easily in the kitchen sink or the dishwasher.

Hold up your mixing hand and pretend you're gripping a hand mixer. Now relax a bit and notice how your wrist wants to maintain a slight angle instead of being parallel to the floor. KitchenAid's engineers have taken this into account in the form of a slightly angled, fully ambidextrous grip. The thumb comes to rest on the oversized 3-speed control switch, with the beater-eject button just a short reach away. The KHM3's heavier-duty motor means a tad more heft than whimpier mixers, so the angled grip balances the weight more effectively than a straight one.

In operation, the mixer produces a sound that's more like a power tool than a kitchen appliance, though it's not so loud that you won't hear the phone ringing. The 3 speeds are easily up to every mixing task, beating egg whites to stiff peaks in under a minute at the high speed, and gently stirring together cornbread batter on low.

The cooling vents for the motor's fan are fore and aft, so the cook isn't blasted with warm air, nor will dry ingredients be blown out of the mixing bowl. The outer case has a smooth, rounded fit and finish with no creases, seams or decorative ribbing where food soils can hide.

KitchenAid backs all of their countertop appliances with a 1-year full replacement warranty, something you won't get with a much cheaper mixer.

Ultimately, the choice is simple. You can keep on spending $15 to $20 for one cheap hand mixer after another, or spend more and get a mixer that'll become a true friend for life in the kitchen.

Can't anyone make a blender that can hold up to normal use? I do have to say that the blender lasted for a while. The blades have now broken free of the gear assembly so it spins freely from the motor :(. It probably was during ice crushing and frozen fruit blending, but I would expect any blender to handle that load. Either chop it or don't but either way breaking is not an option, maybe they should have clutches to handle overload.

I called for a replacement blade set and the kitcheaid parts department wants $39.95 to replace the blades not including shipping. I am not happy with a product where the replacement parts are more than half the price of a brand new blender. I will be shopping for a new blender and preferably not kitchenaid.