Akin with prime stand mixers, the KitchenAid name has a solid reputation of producing high quality kitchen appliances that stand the test of time. The KitchenAid KP26M1XER Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer is a true home baker’s stand mixer, with a larger than average bowl and a significantly stronger motor than mid-range mixers. If you’re looking to replace or upgrade an older or lower-powered stand mixer, this KitchenAid Pro 600 is a popular choice.
Features
This mixer comes with a spiral dough hook, flat beater, wire whip, a single-piece pouring shield, and a stainless-steel 6 quart mixing bowl with a comfortable handle. This model driven by a robust, powerful, commercial-quality 575 watt motor that handles large, double-batch capacities, and the stiffest and heaviest of dough. With it’s option of 10 different speeds, it’s powerful and precise for nearly any task or recipe, whether you’re stirring wet and dry ingredients together, kneading bread dough or whipping cream.
One of the features that makes this mixer appealing is the adjustable screw that allows the height of the beaters to be raised or lowered for the ideal height. With a total of 15 additional attachments including a food grinder/food processor, pasta and noodle makers, juicers, grater-slicers, an ergonomic handle bowl, and the ice-cream maker, upgrading your level of creativity is a simple matter. The larger than average, 6 quart bowl is constructed of polished stainless steel. Unlike older KitchenAid products and many other stand mixer brands, this is a bowl-lift design. This bowl-lift feature adds much needed stability when mixing large, heavy batches of stiff batters or kneading dough, as it keeps the bowl securely in place. A great feature if you’re doing a lot of bread making.
Pros
With more extra speed settings than most comparable mixers, you have a lot of flexibility in the mixing process, but be sure to ramp up gradually to higher speeds if you don’t want a big cloud of dry ingredients all over you and the counter on a sudden burst of higher power.
The consistent output of the very powerful motor and the reliability of the metal gears wins top points, as it’s able to handle heavy batches of bread dough without fatigue or overheating.
It’s elegant finishing, beautiful colors and heavy-duty, construction also make it a favorite with many foodies who appreciate the aesthetics and rugged, made in the US manufacturing.
Cons
The KitchenAid Pro Series mixer is bulky in your arms and weighs over 25 pounds according to KitchenAid’s specs. If you have limited strength in your hands and arms, you may find it hard to move.
The burnished beaters and dough hook need to be hand washed and quickly dried in order to maintain their finish – a trip through the dishwasher will result in heavy oxidization.
While KitchenAid small appliances like this stand mixer can certainly do bread dough, a really dense mix will still put a strain on the motor over time, especially at a higher speed.
While this machine is not a commercial unit, it does admirably meet the needs of most home users – even those that like to bake a lot of bread. . While it may seem a tad expensive, it does one justice by giving a top-notch performance where you can use it to grind meat or make your favorite everyday cheesecake. If you need to replace or upgrade a baker’s stand mixer, or are looking for a gift for a baker, what you’ll really like with the KitchenAid Professional 600 Series is the 6 quart high capacity bowl, powerful 575W motor, and flexible add-ons.