Stand Mixers Reviews

I thought this would replace the need for a food mill. Not quite. I tried it for tomato sauce and it worked more like a juicer. I do use it when making spinach lasagna to get all of the water out of the spinach. The screen can be hard to clean.

I've only used it for the two tasks above. I'm sure I'll like it more as I experiment.

Update 3/21/06 I made applesauce yesterday with this attachment and it was wonderful.

This is a wonderful attachment for the Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have made lots of tomato juice this year and the attachment made it so easy. I have always avoided making juice because it was so hard and time consuming.

I tried this for rasberries and it left too much of the berry stuff among the seeds, so foolishly I ran it through again. That cracked the strainer. I'm still using it (cracked and all) for applesauce, going on 15 years, and its still the cat's pajamas. Everyfall it gets loaned out to my friends who don't own a mixer. (Otherwise I'd buy them this strainer pack).

But for Applesauce, its is so worth it. A 16qt pan of apple mash (skins, seeds, stems) takes about 10 minutes to seperate into muck and sauce. Why can it, when you can make it fresh anytime you want it?

Excellent service. Product received in a very timely manner and well packed. This is not my first order from Amazon and it won't be my last.

Last April I purchased a 2346 from Sears. The bowl motor sounded awful. I returned it and got another one, and my problem is that the bowl motor keeps overheating and shutting down leaving me to have to move the contents to my old Sunbeam that is over 40 years old. I agree that the bowl motor is to small. The bowl stopped after just beating 4 whole eggs with 2 C sugar.

Contacted sunbeam with no success, I ended up going with the 2350. It is a 350W without the bowl motor.

As far a Kitchen Aide VS Sunbeam. It is like comparing Apples and Oranges.

Kitchen Aide planetary mixing action most closely simulates hand mixing, and is used by most professionals. (Because Hobart the creators of the Kitchen Aide mixer made large machines that are 6 or more feet tall all they way down to a counter top model so that makes testing recipes easier.)

Sunbeam came out for a different audience and was much more affordable for the average home, and thus was more accepted. Sunbeam's rotary action beater does not simulate hand mixing at all; however, because of it popularity and wide use cookbooks in the category of Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Garden, etc.. tested and created recipes for the rotary mixing action and not the planetary mixing action.

That's why I own, and use and love both. It the matter of using the right tool for the right job.

Footnote: My Kitchen Aide was manufactured by Hobart before it was sold out to Whirlpool. After talking with my friends (some of who are professionals) who have purchased their units under Whirlpool. I have no intention of making the same mistake. My next planetary mixer will be made by Hobart. (Even if it cost $1,600.00) Their major complaint is the motor overheats and shutting off when making bread.

I wish both companies would fix their engineering blunders.

This is a terrible mixer. If you have anything thick that you need to mix (bread for example) you are running a risk of burning out your motor. My mixer has already been replaced 2 times and I have only owned it for 2 months. I called into Sunbeam service center and spoke to a rude young woman who instructed me to take it to my local repair shop. When I called the local repair shop and described the problem they told me that they could fix the product but the problem would happen again because the motor is not strong enough to mix bread! What happened to the Sunbeam that my mother owned? The one that lasted 30 years even though it fell off the counter twice? I am currently arguing with Sunbeam management about getting my money back on this mixer - don't make the same mistake I did.

I've had my mixer for a year now and I love it. I use it mainly for flat bread (Indian style i.e. chapati) dough and it's used fairly often (4 times a week or more). It works with a little flour or a lot perfectly well. I've never had a problem with the motor shutting down or burning out. It's never created any problems. I think it's a great mixer to buy for home use.
I wrote this review after recommending it to my friend and trying to find the best price for the mixer online for her. I ended up on amazon reading these reviews. I think that the only people writing reviews for this product are the ones who have had problems. SO, I'll be the first to say that this product has worked well in my home for a year.
P.S. I tried the KitchenAid mixer when my husband bought it for me after my wrist fracture. Frankly, I found it intimidating because I'm no where close to being a pro cook or baker. It was way too expensive and way too much as a mixer to be right for me. Also, it only came with one big bowl which didn't mix well when I had only a little to mix.

I like this mixer. It's compact, powerful, not too noisy, ... as all other had said. But I'm very disappointed to find the cheap nuts on the flat beater and dough hook that don't match the quality of the whole unit.

I got the mixer in February 2006. When I found the flat beater wasn't reaching the ingredients towards the bottom, I tried to loose the nut to adjust height as instructed on page 9 of the manual. The nut thread came out and couldn't be tighten anymore.

To make sure other nuts are ok, I checked all three of them and found the nut on whisk is stainless steel and can be adjusted without any problems. The other two on the flat beater and dough hook are made of cheap material that break easily after first trun.

I contacted Delonghi customer service. The representative asked for the serial number and said "The serial number places the unit out of warranty. A copy of the receipt will be needed to prove the unit is under warranty. Delonghi does not honor the warranty on products purchased on ebay or other auction websites. This is because we have no control over the quality of merchandise sold on these sites. The 10-year warranty is on the motor only." WHAT?

Delonghi service centers are too far away from my residence. Even if I drive all the way to the nearest center, they can only give me two exact same cheap nuts for replacement, they said.

I decided to go to local hardware store to get myself two stainless steel nuts. I wonder why such reputable company would let two little nuts ruin the confidence of its customer. You're lucky if you don't have to adjust the height of the beater. If you do, be prepared to let the cheap nuts drive you nut.

The Delonghi DSM5 appears to be a decent mixer. I purchased one in February 2006 and have made several batches of 2 loaf bread and a few cakes with it. It can easily handle 5 or 6 cups of flour. I haven't tried it with more yet. My mixer was purchased online from Etronics.com. Their merchant is Comerexia (Comerexia.com). I would not make a purchase from Etronics/Comerexia again. Etronics online advertising for the DSM5 says the mixer is 820 watts. Those who have done their research know that this mixer is supposed to be 780 watts. When mine arrived after an unbelievable 40 days (yes it took them that long to ship although the item was listed as in-stock and ships same day or next business day), the label on the mixer said 750 watts. I contacted Delonghi to ask why the discrepancy and they advised that Etronics/Comerexia had sold me an older unit. In addition, Delonghi further advised that they will not honor the warranty because they have no control over the quality of the products sold on that site. They referred to Etronics/Comerexia as a sort of online auction website and not a registered seller of their product. The unit is supposed to come with a 10 year warranty on the motor. I now have none, even though the Etronics website says in big bold letters next to the item description "This Item Is Brand New Factory Sealed and Comes Complete with USA Warranty!"

Although the unit so far has performed as expected, it is making a grating sound (I don't know if that's normal), and if it malfunctions I have no recourse through the manufacturers warranty. In fairness to Etronics/Comerexia, they did say they could take it back and/or assist me in finding a newer unit (I waited 40 days and thought I was getting a new unit)! They have lost my trust and so far I haven't pursued the refund because I have no idea how long it will be in processing, if they process it at all. In short, my experience with this vendor has been disappointment.

My advice to those considering purchasing this mixer. Buy it from a reputable merchant who won't sell you an older unit, and check with Delonghi first to make sure they will honor their warranty from that merchant.

Most of the reviews on this mixer seem to be more about the seller than the machine, mine is on the mixer.

After reading complaints on the KitchenAid about plastic gears melting down if the motor overheated, I began researching mixers. The highest rated were Kenwood and Delonghi which is made by Kenwood. I bought Delonghi rather than having a Kenwood shipped in from the UK. Yesterday I made a double batch of Chocolate Chip cookies, which is supposed to be a good test for a mixer because the dough is so stiff. When I did this in my old mixer the chips and pecans would fly out of the bowl and the mixer sounded like a jet on take off. The Delonghi is quiet and doesn't sound like it's grinding gravel when the beater hits the chips and nuts. The cookies tasted better too, as the ingredients were perfectly mixed and came out lighter and rose to a uniform thickness. Because of the splash guard clean up was a breeze, no flour film all over the mixer or counters as was the case with the previous mixer. I love the non-stick beater, no time spent trying to scrape the beater with a knife to get the dough off. Once the head was raised the dough just fell off the beater back into the bowl. Even though this mixer has a bigger capacity than my old one, it is more compact and fits under the upper cabinets better and takes up less space on the counter than the old mixer. Best of all, the Delonghi only cost $30.00 more than the 325 watt KitchenAid at Sam's Club.

One of the things I really enjoy about my Kitchenaid stand mixer is that I can keep the attachments (whisk, beater, and dough hook) inside the bowl when not in use. These covers fit snugly on the bowl (and even though they have an indentation, still leave room for all the attachments) and do a marvelous job of keeping everything CLEAN. I would HATE having to wash off the dust every time I wanted to use the machine. I'm not talking about leaving it alone for a month at a go. Even two days is enough to get some dust in there, since it lives in a high-traffic kitchen. Since I purchased these covers, I can just clean everything, pop on the cover and I'm ready to go the instant I want to mix something. You really can't go wrong. My only complaint is that they are only dishwasher safe on the top shelf, and I'd even only rate them as 90% safe up there, at least in my high-temperature dishwasher. The lids still fit, and are still functional, but there was a very minor warpage... and that's the top shelf. Still, be careful and you'll have no problems.

These covers are so handy! I stack a 3-quart bowl inside my 4-1/2-quart bowl and one lid keeps both bowls clean and ready to go. I store the flat beater inside and keep the other attachments elsewhere, but there's room to keep them 'undercover' too, if you want. I know I'll be glad to have the covers whenever I need to set a mixture aside or store it in the refrigerator for cooling. I'll save enough money on plastic wrap to pay for them. If you've got the 4-1/2 quart KitchenAid mixer, you'll appreciate these covers. Be sure you know exactly which size mixer you want them for.

The picture makes these look like they have a hole in the middle. They do not, what you are seeing is an indentation to account for the stirring thing which sits below the bowl edge when the mixer is in it's lowered position.
We got them for sanitary storage but they create a decent enough seal for storing unused mix/dough.

I even checked with KitchenAid about which ones were correct for our mixer and they apparently gave us the wrong code. I join everyone here - why can't they make standard bowl covers? This is crazy!

The bowl covers are a great idea unfortunately for me I have an Artisan mixer and these bowl covers do not fit. According to KitchenAid Customer Service these are for a discontinued bowl the correct model number for the current 5qt bowl is KNBC.

This is a great lid that seals the bowl with the attachments inside. But I recently opened it up after not using it for awhile and I discovered everything covered in mildew. I guess I put the attachments in the bowl with some moisture on them and since the lid creates a tight seal, I was greeted with mildew. I would suggest leaving it slightly open or making sure that there is NO MOISTURE inside when you seal it. Otherwise, this is a great way to seal everything up against dust and dirt while not in use.