Electric hand mixer that won't burn out?

jik@kamens.brookline.ma.us (Jonathan Kamens) wrote in
news:g77kpf$2bm$1@jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us:

> Greetings,
>
> At our house, we seem to go through an electric hand mixer
> (like, e.g.,
> http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/produc...HDR=handmixers
> &T1=KTA+KHM3WH) every 2-3 years. We don't use the mixer that
> often, maybe two or three times per month, and yet there
> always comes a time when the blades stop spinning and wisps of
> smoke come drifting out of the motor, along with the awful
> smell of a motor that shell spin its blades no more.
>
> Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
> once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
> post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
> up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
> it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
> ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
> to keep making chocolate chip cookies?
>
> (Yes, we could get it fixed, but I'm pretty certain that
> getting it fixed costs more than buying a new mixer.)
>
> (Yes, a real stand mixer would almost certainly solve this
> problem, but we wouldn't use one often enough to justify the
> expense, and besides, we don't have space for one in our
> kitchen.)
>
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions you can provide.

I have a late Sunbeam mixer. It's still going..
after many cookies. :-) Circa late '60's or Very early '70's.
Harvest gold.

zxcvbob <zxcvbob@charter.net> writes:
>Was it really a Kitchenaid, or was it maybe a Sunbeam that kind of looks
>like the one you linked?

I don't think the one we had was a KitchenAid. I don't remember what
the brand was.

If the answer to my question is, "Some of the brands are garbage. You
should get a <x>," then I'd love to hear that :-).

--
Jews for Obama (http://www.jews4obama.com/)

Jonathan Kamens wrote:
> Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
>
>>You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>>for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
>>for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>
>
> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...

I really don't have room for a stand-up mixer in my kitchen. But, in
point of fact, I don't have room for my hand mixture, either. It's kept
downstairs, pretty much right where I'd keep a stand-up mixer. So, when
this latest one finally dies I'll replace it with a stand-up unit.

Meanwhile, I prolong the life of my current handheld mixer by making
sure that the butter and eggs are at room temp before attempting to beat
them.

Jonathan Kamens wrote:

> Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
> once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
> post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
> up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
> it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
> ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
> to keep making chocolate chip cookies?

I'm an old fashioned girl. I just make cookies with a bowl and large
mixing spoon with a little elbow grease behind it. I never seemed to
need a mixer? Is this something you might be able to try doing?

"Jonathan Kamens" <jik@kamens.brookline.ma.us> ha scritto nel messaggio
is there a mixer on the market that won't give
> up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
> it),

I have the Braun Multi Mix which includes mixer, stick blender, dough hooks
and mini chopper. I have had it 8 years and use it professionally as well
as domestically. For very heavy doughs use the dough hooks. Otherwise it
does what it does and does it very well indeed. Mine is 350 watts but I
think the newer ones are higher wattage.
I had to replace the blade and staff of the chopper once, but the rest keeps
on trucking. I have rarely been this pleased with an appliance and I use it
every day for something.

On Aug 4, 11:27�pm, Kathleen <khhfmdeletet...@charter.net> wrote:
> Jonathan Kamens wrote:
> > Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> writes:
>
> >>You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
> >>for the purpose. �Cookie dough is way too thick
> >>for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>
> > I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> > too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. �Granted,
> > perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> > what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> > hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>
> I really don't have room for a stand-up mixer in my kitchen. �But, in
> point of fact, I don't have room for my hand mixture, either. �It's kept
> downstairs, pretty much right where I'd keep a stand-up mixer. �So, when
> this latest one finally dies I'll replace it with a stand-up unit.


Then you really need both... for the vast majority of mixing a hand
mixer surffices just fine, and is far easier to clean and store. I
don't even have a stand mixer anymore... for the teensy quantity of
dough a 5-6 quart KA can handle I'd rather by hand. The *only*
reasonS anyone needs a KA sized stand mixer at home is if they are
handicapped or a kitchen snob.

On Mon, 4 Aug 2008, Jonathan Kamens wrote:

> Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
>> You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>> for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
>> for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>
> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>
Huh?

It's easy to hand mix at the beginning, it's later that it
becomes too much trouble.

If you can mix by hand when you add the flour, then you might
as well do the whole thing by hand.

Michael

Michael Black wrote:
> On Mon, 4 Aug 2008, Jonathan Kamens wrote:
>
>> Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
>>> You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>>> for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
>>> for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>>
>> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
>> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
>> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
>> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
>> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>>
> Huh?
>
> It's easy to hand mix at the beginning, it's later that it
> becomes too much trouble.

Don't chocolate chip cookies start with creaming the butter
and sugar until fluffy? I find that much easier with a mixer.

nancy

jik@kamens.brookline.ma.us (Jonathan Kamens) wrote in news:g77nj6$2bm$2
@jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us:

> Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
>>You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>>for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
>>for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>
> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>

Move on up to power tools...use an electric drill. Put the mixer
attachments in the chuck of an electric drill. The motors are larger, so
they will last longer.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

In article <Xns9AF15636332Ahahabogus@69.16.185.250>, invalid@null.null
says...
> jik@kamens.brookline.ma.us (Jonathan Kamens) wrote in news:g77nj6$2bm$2
> @jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us:
>
> > Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
> >>You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
> >>for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
> >>for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
> >
> > I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> > too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
> > perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> > what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> > hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
> >
>
> Move on up to power tools...use an electric drill. Put the mixer
> attachments in the chuck of an electric drill. The motors are larger, so
> they will last longer.
>
>

Sounds like you've been watching too much Good Eats. A tool should
always have more than one use and you've definitely done that here.

For the more engineering inclined you could actually design a fixed
platform to attach the drill and then a gearbox to spin two or more
beaters.


The nice thing about the drill is the variable speed and torque.

On Aug 5, 9:28�am, hahabogus <inva...@null.null> wrote:
> j...@kamens.brookline.ma.us (Jonathan Kamens) wrote in news:g77nj6$2bm$2
> @jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us:
>
> > Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> writes:
> >>You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
> >>for the purpose. �Cookie dough is way too thick
> >>for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>
> > I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
> > too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. �Granted,
> > perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
> > what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
> > hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>
> Move on up to power tools...use an electric drill. Put the mixer
> attachments in the chuck of an electric drill. The motors are larger, so
> they will last longer.

The drill motor will last but it will probably wreck the typical hand
mixer beater... and unless one has a sturdy device for securing the
bowl this idea can even prove dangerous... I don't recommend this
cockamamie method, certainly not for anyone not physically able to mix
cookie dough entirely by hand.

Most cookie recipes begin:
"In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat
in eggs and vanilla."

This can easily be accomplished with any hand mixer.

Then the dry ingredints:
"Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt."

Needs two minutes with a sturdy wooden spoon is all.

My KA hand mixer came with a dollars-off coupon for heavy duty beaters
(looks like just larger diameter wire) but I never ordered them, the
regular beaters do fine for all my whipping and beating needs.
Actually for cookie dough it's better to make up each single batch
recipe separately.

On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:55:28 -0400, Goomba wrote:

> Jonathan Kamens wrote:
>
>> Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
>> once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
>> post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
>> up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
>> it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
>> ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
>> to keep making chocolate chip cookies?
>
> I'm an old fashioned girl. I just make cookies with a bowl and large
> mixing spoon with a little elbow grease behind it. I never seemed to
> need a mixer? Is this something you might be able to try doing?

at least you're not claiming hand mixing produces a better texture.

your pal,
blake

All together now in the key of C

Jesus wants you to get a Sunbeam . . .

or maybe a Hamilton Beach. I've been happy with both.

Lynn in Fargo

blake murphy wrote:

>> I'm an old fashioned girl. I just make cookies with a bowl and large
>> mixing spoon with a little elbow grease behind it. I never seemed to
>> need a mixer? Is this something you might be able to try doing?
>
> at least you're not claiming hand mixing produces a better texture.
>
> your pal,
> blake

Well, I do like my cookies better than most everyone elses! LOL
Perhaps it is the inclusion of classic elbow grease that makes them so good?

Sheldon wrote:
>
> The drill motor will last but it will probably wreck the typical hand
> mixer beater... and unless one has a sturdy device for securing the
> bowl this idea can even prove dangerous... I don't recommend this
> cockamamie method, certainly not for anyone not physically able to mix
> cookie dough entirely by hand.

Hardware stores sell attachments for drills
for mixing. Combine this with a stand to turn
the drill into a drill press, and you'll have
a mighty tool that will stand up to any
cookie dough.

On Aug 4, 6:20*pm, "Dimitri" <Dimitr...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> "Jonathan Kamens" <j...@kamens.brookline.ma.us> wrote in message
>
> news:g77kpf$2bm$1@jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us...
>
>
>
>
>
> > Greetings,
>
> > At our house, we seem to go through an electric hand mixer
> > (like, e.g.,
> >http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/produc...ndmixers&T1=KT...)
> > every 2-3 years. *We don't use the mixer that
> > often, maybe two or three times per month, and yet there
> > always comes a time when the blades stop spinning and wisps of
> > smoke come drifting out of the motor, along with the awful
> > smell of a motor that shell spin its blades no more.
>
> > Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
> > once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
> > post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
> > up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
> > it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
> > ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
> > to keep making chocolate chip cookies?
>
> http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=142281
>
> You need a mixer with dough hooks for making cookies,
> Or get a kitchen aid.
>
> --
> Old Scoundrel
>
> (AKA Dimitri)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Oh, poppycock and balderdash. You don't need dough hooks to make
cookie dough. Where did that idea come from? You use the KA paddle
beater for cookie dough. Dough hooks are for kneading bread dough.

N.

"Goomba" <Goomba38@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:6fq19hFcp419U1@mid.individual.net...
> Jonathan Kamens wrote:
>
>> Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
>> once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
>> post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
>> up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
>> it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
>> ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
>> to keep making chocolate chip cookies?
>
> I'm an old fashioned girl. I just make cookies with a bowl and large
> mixing spoon with a little elbow grease behind it. I never seemed to need
> a mixer? Is this something you might be able to try doing?

Before I had my KA stand mixer, I used to start out the process with a hand
mixer, and then finish the process by hand with a heavy mixing spoon and the
previously mentioned "elbow grease". Never burnt out a hand mixer motor in
many years of cookie making.

TammyM

"Nancy2" <nancy-dooley@uiowa.edu> wrote in message
news:e05a8960-d723-464b-ba44-6fb47acefc0a@c65g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
On Aug 4, 6:20 pm, "Dimitri" <Dimitr...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> "Jonathan Kamens" <j...@kamens.brookline.ma.us> wrote in message
>
> news:g77kpf$2bm$1@jik3.kamens.brookline.ma.us...
>
>
>
>
>
> > Greetings,
>
> > At our house, we seem to go through an electric hand mixer
> > (like, e.g.,
> >http://www.shopkitchenaid.com/produc...ndmixers&T1=KT...)
> > every 2-3 years. We don't use the mixer that
> > often, maybe two or three times per month, and yet there
> > always comes a time when the blades stop spinning and wisps of
> > smoke come drifting out of the motor, along with the awful
> > smell of a motor that shell spin its blades no more.
>
> > Having once again smelled the smoke of hand-mixer doom, we are
> > once again in the market for a new one, and so I thought I'd
> > post and ask: is there a mixer on the market that won't give
> > up the ghost after a few years (and if so where can we get
> > it), or are we doomed to continue contributing to the
> > ever-growing global waste disposal problem as long as we want
> > to keep making chocolate chip cookies?
>
> http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=142281
>
> You need a mixer with dough hooks for making cookies,
> Or get a kitchen aid.
>
> --
> Old Scoundrel
>
> (AKA Dimitri)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Oh, poppycock and balderdash. You don't need dough hooks to make
cookie dough. Where did that idea come from? You use the KA paddle
beater for cookie dough. Dough hooks are for kneading bread dough.

N.

What do you use when you don't want to get out the KA?


--
Old Scoundrel

(AKA Dimitri)

Sheldon <PENMART01@aol.com> wrote:
> On Aug 4, 11:27?pm, Kathleen <khhfmdeletet...@charter.net> wrote:
>> Jonathan Kamens wrote:
>>> Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> writes:
>>
>>>> You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>>>> for the purpose. ?Cookie dough is way too thick
>>>> for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>>
>>> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
>>> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. ?Granted,
>>> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
>>> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
>>> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>>
>> I really don't have room for a stand-up mixer in my kitchen. ?But, in
>> point of fact, I don't have room for my hand mixture, either. ?It's
>> kept downstairs, pretty much right where I'd keep a stand-up mixer.
>> ?So, when this latest one finally dies I'll replace it with a
>> stand-up unit.
>
>
> Then you really need both... for the vast majority of mixing a hand
> mixer surffices just fine, and is far easier to clean and store. I
> don't even have a stand mixer anymore... for the teensy quantity of
> dough a 5-6 quart KA can handle I'd rather by hand. The *only*
> reasonS anyone needs a KA sized stand mixer at home is if they are
> handicapped or a kitchen snob.

Or they do a hell of a lot more dough than you do and arent stupid enough to do that by hand.

On Tue, 5 Aug 2008, Nancy Young wrote:

> Michael Black wrote:
>> On Mon, 4 Aug 2008, Jonathan Kamens wrote:
>>
>>> Mark Thorson <nospam@sonic.net> writes:
>>>> You're doomed as long as you use the wrong tool
>>>> for the purpose. Cookie dough is way too thick
>>>> for mixing with a handheld electric mixer.
>>>
>>> I suppose I should have been clear that when the dough gets
>>> too thick for the hand mixer, we switch to a spoon. Granted,
>>> perhaps we are not switching soon enough, and perhaps that is
>>> what is causing our mixers to die a premature death, but I was
>>> hoping that perhaps there is a better answer than that...
>>>
>> Huh?
>>
>> It's easy to hand mix at the beginning, it's later that it
>> becomes too much trouble.
>
> Don't chocolate chip cookies start with creaming the butter and sugar until
> fluffy? I find that much easier with a mixer.
>
Yes, you're right.

My point wasn't in fast stirring, but that the initial ingredients
are really easy to stir while once you add the flour it can get
stiff. Whenever I make gingerbread cookies, I basically stop
adding flour when I'm tired of mixing it all.

That said, I've never made chocolate chip cookies by hand. Always
with a mixer. I had a Mixmaster forever, and I never removed the
mixing part from the stand to use it as a hand mixer. There was no
need. I never damaged that Mixmaster.

For a decade I've made a lot of chocolate chip cookies, sometimes in
very close together batches (making ten batches right after the other)
and have never burned out a mixer. The fact that I have a Kitchenaid
now is merely because it was a gift.

I did burn out the elements in the oven one year, both went within
a few weeks of each other, but that was merely because the elements
were old at that point.

Michael