Recently after trying several other “high-end” mixers I decide to go back to the Kitchen Aid. This would not be my first Kitchen Aid mixer. About 15 years ago I took some classes on cake decorating and for a few years ran a cake business from my home. At that time I was looking for a stand mixer that could handle large batches of butter cream frosting. I tried Sunbeam and Oster and several other “consumer” grade stand mixers and found that in less than a month with each they would burn out. Finally, I looked at the Kitchen Aid; this was back when Hobart made them. It was exactly what I was looking for. The problem is it was almost three times the cost of the mixers I had been using. But, I knew if I wanted a mixer that could handle what I would be using it for that I had to spend the money. I borrowed the money from my sister and bought it.

I loved everything about the mixer. That was until I started using it for bread dough a few years later. It never occurred to me to worry about the dough hook when I bought it. I should have however. The thing had the worst dough hook I have ever seen. Even to this day I have never found a worse dough hook. The problem was the dough would get on the hook and then just ride it around the bowl. The dough just didn’t get kneaded and so it didn’t make good bread. I held on to this mixer for almost 12 years. Then I started looking at machines like the Bosch Universal, the K-tech, the Dimension 2000 and the Electrolux Magic Mill Dlx, while all of these are good mixers to be sure. They were just too big. I didn’t use them all that often. By this time I was cooking for two and it just didn’t make sense having a mixer that could make 5 to 8 loaves of bread or turn 5 pounds of boiled potatoes in to mashed potatoes.

So once again I started looking for a new mixer. I came back to the Kitchen Aid. The problem was that the Kitchen Aid mixers were now being made by Whirlpool having been bought from Hobart many years before and what I was hearing from people that bought the Whirlpool Kitchen Aids was that the quality of the machine just wasn’t what it was. Basically, people felt that Whirlpool turned them in to mass market mixers that just didn’t hold up well.

I spent a lot of time reading user reviews on the internet and I turned to the one source I knew I could trust for getting the honest truth on these mixers. America’s Test Kitchen. I am a big fan of America’s Test Kitchen and having watched their PBS TV show and having owned many of their cookbooks I knew how they tested products. It also helped that everything I have ever tried from their cookbooks turned out perfect and all of the equipment that they have recommended that I have bought was everything I could have hoped for and more. So, I asked. As it turned out they have used and tested just about every mixer I have ever owned and a couple I hadn’t.

The first thing I did was look at what they had to say and how they rated the mixers that I have owned. They were right on the money on those, they were good for the most part, but each had their own problems. Then I started looking at the Kitchen Aid mixers. There are several models ranging in price from a little over $200 up to almost $400. The one that got the best rating was the Kitchen Aid Pro 600. So, after doing my internet research on it and paying close attention to the negative comments from users of the machine, I decide to give it a try. I bought mine locally so that if I had any questions I would have someone to ask and if I needed service or repair I had someplace close. The one thing I found very interesting about the America’s Test Kitchen ratings was that all of the lesser machines, many of which they use on their shows themselves rated very poorly and usually, in the power or ease of use department.

While researching the mixer I discovered a few things about the Pro 600 that had me very curious. First the bowl on this mixer is much wider than the one on my original Kitchen Aid. I hoped that this would make adding ingredients to the bowl while mounted on the mixer easier and less messy. I also learned that it had a new style plastic pour shield. Again, I hoped that it would make adding ingredients easier; this new one has a feed shoot instead of a single sided plastic lip. The original pour shield I didn’t like and didn’t use. But, the most interesting thing about the Pro 600 was that it had a new style dough hook. What I call a pig tail dough hook. Why a pig tail, because if you have ever seen a pig tail then you know what this new dough hook looks like.

Before buying I tried to find some information on this new dough hook. I knew I was going to want to make bread with this thing and I wanted to make sure that the dough hook would knead the dough and not simply provide the dough with an amusement park type ride. I couldn’t find anything. Even the user’s reviews didn’t mention much about the new dough hook. So, I took a chance and bought the mixer anyways.

I have had the Kitchen Aid Pro 600 since early November 2005 and I have not only made mashed potatoes with it, but a large batch of chocolate chip cookies, several dozen loaves of bread, cakes, pie dough and more.

The first thing I noticed after taking it out of the box is that the machine is metal and is well made. It is heavy, not cast iron stove heavy, but heavy as in it feels like good quality. The second thing I noticed was the amount of noise it made. Just turning it to the first speed had the thing sounding like a cement mixer. I mean this puppy is loud. It has to be 5 or 6 times as noisy as my original Kitchen Aid was. It sounds like it is trying to make peanut butter out of pea gravel. Well, I would be lying if I said it didn’t make me think twice. I mean how can a machine that makes this much noise be good quality? But, I pushed that a side and made a loaf of whole wheat bread. I mill my own flour and I knew that even a single loaf batch would be a good test for the mixer.

The Kitchen Aid Pro 600 did a fantastic job. Once the motor was placed under load it smoothed out and quieted down by several factors. But, what was even more impressive was the new dough hook. I have to tell you this dough hook kneads like a champ. It is the closest thing I have seen to hand kneading. It really works the dough and works it hard. This is a good thing as it develops the gluten in the dough so that you get a nice high rising loaf that has good structure and crumb and is light. I had whole wheat bread that was as light and moist as white bread. Well, this had me very impressed and this also helped to push the noise issue to the back of my mind. I mean I still wasn’t happy with the noise, but so far the mixer was doing a great job and the motor didn’t even grunt while mixing the whole wheat bread dough.

Next came Thanksgiving and so I made mashed potatoes in it. I was having some friends over and ended up feeding it nearly 6 pounds of cooked potatoes. The mixer with the paddle attachment again did and incredible job and it didn’t grunt once. By now I was seeing a pattern. The machine quieted down a considerable amount when under load. Maybe the noise wasn’t going to be a problem after all. Also for Thanksgiving I had to make noodle dough (we make homemade noodles that are cooked in turkey stock that we use instead of gravy on our mashed potatoes and stuffing.) The noodle dough has to be one of the stiffest dough’s you can throw at a mixer. It is nearly twice as stiff as whole wheat bread dough. It has to be so that the noodles don’t stick together while you are cutting them. The mixer once again came through like a champion. In fact I had to be careful as I could actually get the dough too stiff.

Finally, Christmas came along and it was time for making fruit cake and cookies. No problems with either of these recipes. The fruit cake batter is thick and contains lots of big chunks of fruit and nuts. The cookie recipe (chocolate chip) makes 12 dozen cookies (about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie), neither of these thick dough’s/batters caused a problem.

Since November 2005 I have made about 40 loaves of bread. We tend to go through a lot of bread and I am just as impressed with the kneading and the new dough hook now as I was with that first loaf of whole wheat bread. I like it better than my bread machine, which I never thought I would say.

The mixer has several speeds from a slow mixing to a high speed whipping and everything in between. The controls are easy to use and figure out. It is simply a little sliding lever on the slide of the machine. Slide it forward to turn it on and speed it up, pull it back to slow it down and turn it off. Another nice feature is that the machine slowly starts and then gradually over a few seconds increases to your chosen speed. This is supposed to help prevent ingredient fly out. If you have ever turned your mixer on and have it blow the ingredients in the bowl all over the kitchen then you will appreciate this slow power up feature. It does help to a certain degree, though you are better off starting at a slow speed until all of the ingredients are moistened and then speeding the mixer up.

Like all Kitchen Aids before it, the Pro 600 has an accessory connection on the front. It is hidden by a metal cover that flips up out of the way so that you can connect attachments to the mixer, attachments like a citrus juicer, food slicer, meat grinder, pasta roller, pasta extruder, grain mill and more. I didn’t test the mixer with any of the available attachments. But, they are available and there is a good range of them too. It is important to read all of the instructions. Most attachments require you to use the mixer at a certain speed and going above that speed could damage the mixer and/or attachment. So please read all instructions.

The new bowl shape is great. Having a wider mouth on it makes adding things like flour, eggs, etc. to your bowl while the machine is working not only easier but much less messy. The new pour shield is in my opinion every bit as worthless as the one that came with the original Kitchen Aid. It makes it impossible to see in to the bowl clearly and you have to stop the machine and remove it should you need to scrape down the sides of the bowl and that is a task that you have to do at least once for everything you mix, so the shield can be a real pain. In the end life was easier when you didn’t use it. However, it is included in case you want to use it. Personally, I would like to see the mixing bowl modified so that it had a nice wide flat lip on one side to make adding ingredients easier. I don’t see why this couldn’t be done.

Finally, the warranty on the mixer is quite good. It is one year parts and labor and if something should happen to the mixer during that year you simply call the support number and they will send you out a new machine and even pay the shipping to return the defective one. Not a bad warranty if you ask me.

In the end I have to say I am extremely happy with the mixer. Once I realized that the noise wasn’t a sign of a cheaply made machine it isn’t an issue. Sure I would like to see it quieter sounding, but that is just so you can talk or listen to the TV or radio while you work.

Review written by Robert Barnett.

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