My Broken KitchenAid
My beautiful red KitchenAid stand mixer is broken.
Well, I don't suppose 'broken' is exactly right, but it's completely out of whack.
The mishap with the balloon whisk I had last year has – as I feared at the time – put the head out of alignment.
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I needed to make two birthday cakes yesterday – one for my niece and one for Mr K – so it was a very untimely occasion to find out how badly it needs realigning.
There's far too much clearance between the whisk/beater and the bowl than there used to be, and this makes it virtually impossible to whip egg whites and beat cake batter.
So I had to fall back on this cheaper-than-cheap $15 handheld beater I got from Coles.
I got this cheapie when the 20 year old Bamix belonging to my mother finally gave up the ghost, and I've been putting off finding a better replacement as long as this one does the job. Which it has, for about 5 years.
But yesterday I was praying it didn't choose that day to die as well.
It still lives, but boy does it make you appreciate how quickly you can bake with a KitchenAid.
And I suppose it makes you appreciate how long it would've taken our grandmothers and great-grandmothers to bake using one of these.
I know my grandmother still uses one like that to whip up her pancake batter.
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For my niece I made a Classic Chocolate Cake, as per her request, using a recipe from Taste.com.au (here if you are interested)
I don't have any pictures of my own, but I'm happy to think it was a pretty close approximation. Even down to the white pedestal cake stand, which I was fortunate enough to discover at Coles for a whopping $9.
If you're after one for yourself, you might still be able to find them at your local store.
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And for Mr K I made this Pear, Chocolate, Almond and Burnt Butter Tart from a recipe I pulled out of the newspaper.
Mmmmm, caramelised pears and chocolate. It was amazing.
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So, my poor KitchenAid.
I've heard that you can adjust the alignment of the head yourself, but I'm too worried that I'll mess it up even more.
Do you know where you can take a KitchenAid for things like this?
xx Kiki
I’m sorry, I can’t help you with your KitchenAid query as I am the furthest person to have any knowledge in this department. I do love your baking posts though
You’re my personal Donna Hay because I can’t bake to save my life! Though I would love to own a KitchenAid…
Genevieve – Aww, you’re lovely hon <3 Especially since I've seemed to have more baking misses than hits lately. Haha, what's that they say, a bad craftsman blames his tools?
If you call kitchenaid they will talk you through it – alternatively they have a great website now. kitchenaid.com.au
I’ve heard a few people who have had this problem – but it’s something that is expected.
google is your friend..
I went to a kitchenaid presentation at Essential ingredient and they took us through that. It also came with a DVD with info for trouble shooting.
good luck!
http://heavenlyingredients.blogspot.com/2010/11/yellow-kitchenaid-love.html
Laura – You’re my saviour. I will check out the KitchenAid website, and if I’m still leery of doing it myself, I’ll lug it down to Essential Ingredient and throw myself on their mercy
Absolutely LOVE your yellow KA. So, so pretty. Thanks again!
hope it worked out for you! I think the new KA australia website is well worth a look
Wow, that tart sounds amazing! I just love pears in desserts – so tasty!
Sorry about your KitchenAid! Hope the problem can be fixed soon.
Julia – I posted the recipe for that tart on VF if you want to try it out. I’m a huge fan of pear desserts as well. This is a really good one.
Awww kiki so sorry to hear about your Kitchenaid
that totally sounds like something I would do (leaving the attachments in the bowl and turning it on before checking!). On the plus side, the cakes sound amazing and im sure they tasted fantastic to boot! I don’t have a stand mixer and still use my trusty hand held mixer for everything. Not a bad little appliance!
Katie – Thankyou, hon. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try the chocolate cake, but when my KA is fixed I’m going to make another one. Nothing like a classic chocolate cake, is there?
Wow, I admire you for all the amazing baking you do with a handheld mixer. Well done!
Oh poor KitchenAid…I’m sure you would be able to get it fixed. Doesn’t it have a 10 year warranty? You still have done a marvellous job with that Coles handheld though!
Sadly, it’s more than 10 years old. I got it as a graduation gift after uni (giving away my age here!), although I’ve really only started to use it more frequently. Probably been used about 20 times since I’ve had it!! Shameful, isn’t it?