Big Red
It was a most decadent purchase, my Kitchenaid mixer. Almost twenty years ago, I bought it on sale at Kohls. Because it was so expensive, I felt guilty for ages. The guys benefitted from that guilt, as I produced batch after batch of yummy baked goods to justify the purchase.
I have been lusting after the larger professional version for several years. Just when I thought my big-batch cooking days were over I’ve found myself cooking for larger groups. As our family grows to include daughters-in-law, significant others and grandchildren I’ve found that my trusty mixer just isn’t up to the task.
It’s kind of like my sewing machines. Why do I need to upgrade when the one I have works mostly just fine? Sure the new machines have nifty new features that I would really use (like more space for machine quilting!), but my old trusty machine works just fine ninty percent of the time.
It could have been my Christmas present, but I said, no, it’s too expensive. And besides, the machine won’t fit on the counter, it’s too tall to fit under the cabinets. But then Kohls put it on sale after the holidays. I had $60 in Kohls credit for shopping earlier in the season, and money from returning a gift. And then I found a rebate on line. Kent said, what color do you want? And off we went.
I wasn’t sure about red, but Kent was. And it turns out to be a perfect red that I’m pretty sure will go with every color our kitchen might be in the future. (I guess I get to decide that, eh?)
But before we could take it out of the box we had to solve the counter problem. I admit to secretly hoping the machine would lead to a sorely needed kitchen remodel. (The magical work triangle overlaps the path from the back door to the rest of the house.) But that would be silly.
Instead, I found this perfect kitchen cart, on clearance at the local grocery/super store. The marble board, a Christmas gift from Kent, fits perfectly next to the dream machine. It’s excellent for rolling out dough, which I promptly did, making chicken pot pies for our weekly Sunday Dinner with the kids.
Last night I made home made spaghetti noodles. I put the pasta roller attachment on Big Red, and the cutting roller on my trusty old faithful, and I was a pasta making machine! Oh, my, what fun! It also ended any discussion on getting rid of the old machine.
There really is no substitute for the right tool (s) for the job. No, we don’t need a top of the line machine to do good work. But if you need justification for one, I can help you with that. Cookies, anyone?
January 13th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Beth, I have an older KA Classic (boring white, but a workhorse); congratulations on your new Big Red! Have you discovered the online KA forum yet? It’s full of ideas and suggestions: http://forum.kitchenaid.com/forums/default.asp.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
I’m coming over for dinner! What a dandy machine. I have the smaller, older model too, in white (boring). Love that kitchen cart! Have fun playing!
January 13th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Salivating with jealousy over here. I have a Hamilton Beach which is a good mixer, but not fun attachments.
January 13th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
After one of my first paid speaking engagements I decided to reward myself with this exact same mixer. It’s amazing to me how often I use it. How did I ever get along without it.
January 13th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Pat Sloan also calls hers “Big Red”. My Dh replaced mine a couple of years ago with one from ‘WalMart’ (not my favorite store) I didn’t have the heart to return it, but my other one was making quite the racket. It isn’t holding up too well the beaters are rusting. I want a BIG one, I want a PURPLE one. Who do I call to order MY color???
January 13th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Oh Beth…..she is beautiful and red is the best. It makes me happy to just droodle over your new purchase. Glad to see you indulged!
January 14th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Beth-You deserve the splurge. After lusting for one for years, I bought the professional one and absolutely love it. I have the pasta roller attachment which is really neat and would love to get the spaghetti attachment. There’s nothing better than homemade fettucini. The red is so you!
January 14th, 2010 at 8:35 am
That is an AWESOME mixer. I would love to have red kitchen appliances
I especially love the miniature old style pop corn popper. Have only seen it once and didn’t buy it. Darn! Bet I will next time!
January 15th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Great Minds! I got the 5qt Pro in Red also for Christmas. It was my gift from “Santa”.
I got mine at Sam’s Club on a good sale and then received a $30 gift card to Sam’s at check-out. That made the price even better. And “he” (sorry, but mine’s a ‘he’, for some unknown reason.) does an excellent job of kneading whole-grain bread.
I’m seriously considering the ice cream maker attachment.
January 17th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Beth, I came to the site to see the preview of the BOM for 2010 and ran across your Big Red post. This is the color of my KA mixer also and I too call her Big Red. My family knows exactly who and what I’m refering to when I say “I think Big Red and I will work on a project today”. Love your patterns,,,,,,and even tho I’m in NW Ohio I’ve just found out that you are located very near to my mothers home. She loves it there, retired there after living in Detroit all her life. Anyway, kudos on Big Red.