About 16 years ago, I got my first KitchenAid mixer as a wedding shower gift from my parents. I absolutely loved that mixer. It was white and shiny with a nice stainless steel bowl that was dishwasher safe (a real life-saver when you've made buttercream that has Crisco in it). I used that mixer to make countless cookies, cakes, pies, breads, and more.
Before I had kids, I would try to make elaborate things and they usually came out pretty good. I attribute a lot of that to that mixer and it's devotion to mixing things are crazy speeds. It worked especially hard when I was learning the basics of royal icing and often mixed it at a very stiff consistency or when I was trying to make breads and that dough hook was doing all of the kneading work for me.
That beloved mixer died in 2018. I had noticed that the grease from inside the mixer was leaking out of the part that spins the paddle attachment (sorry, the technical name escapes me right now). I researched what could have caused this and a lot of people said that grease probably just needed to be replaced inside. So, I decided to take it upon myself to replace the grease. Looked easy in YouTube videos, so why not? I ordered food-grade grease online and methodically took apart the mixer.
I took care like I was performing surgery on a family member. I used towels to cushion it on the counter, and made sure I put the screws into a little bowl so they wouldn't be lost. I scooped out the old grease (which looked pretty nasty, but it was 15 years old!) and scooped in a comparable amount of the new grease. I even cleaned some of the "dust" out of it while it was apart; I am thinking the dust was actually flour, sugar, and other dry ingredients that tend to fly up when you turn the mixer on too high of a speed.
As I put it back together, I thought this was the easiest thing ever and I was so glad I did it myself. I felt so handy! As the last screw went in, my husband came into the kitchen and helped me stand the mixer back up. I plugged it in, and then turned it onto the slowest setting. Then, the worst thing ever happened and I started to cry. A spark came out the back and then smoke. I quickly unplugged the mixer. Somehow, I must've shorted a wire.
We took it apart again and tried to find the problem, but it was beyond repair. My heart broke that night. Is it odd to love an appliance like a best friend? I should mention that I bake emotionally. If I am sad or angry, or even happy and joyous, I go to the kitchen and bake. That mixer saw a lot of my emotions in 15 years. It heard countless stories of my life and the sorrows I may have been facing. It truly was like my best friend.
To this day, I still have that mixer. I cannot bear to part with it. I guess I pray that it will somehow heal itself and work again, though I know that's not possible. It sits in my basement on a storage shelf. Every time I go down there, I look at it and feel sadness that my friend is gone.
In September of 2018, I decided to buy a new mixer. I stuck with KitchenAid because it's a brand that I trust. It was kind of exciting buying a new mixer. There are a range of colors now and different types of bowls. I opted for the Plumberry color (you can see it in many of the pictures I post) with a glass bowl. I thought my kids would love to see the cookie dough or cupcake batter mixing up in the glass bowl and I would love it, too.
The night that I brought the mixer home, I instantly washed the paddle and the bowl. I was going to use that mixer that night. I believe I made a go-to recipe of chocolate chip cookies (easy, yet delicious). I noticed some significant differences in the new mixer compared to my old one. Some things I didn't really care for.
The tension on the new mixer needed some serious adjustment (note: this is normal for a new mixer these days). I did the dime test many times; this is where you put a dime in the bowl and see if the paddle swishes it around the bowl and if it does, then it's good to go (check out videos on YouTube). As time has gone on, I've had to do this multiple times which I am not happy about. I NEVER had to adjust the tension on my first one, but it's not hard to do so I live with it.
The glass bowl is not supposed to go in the dishwasher. I may have accidentally (or on purpose to see what would happen) put it in the dishwasher. It was never an issue, but I tried to hand wash whenever I could.
It was noisier that the old mixer. Kind of a high pitched whining sound. Like a wind-up toy or something. Again, not a huge deal, just kind of annoying.
It wasn't mixing right. I would make basic recipes that I have used for YEARS and they wouldn't work. Cookies weren't rising, cupcakes were burning, it was a disaster. I even bought a paddle attachment that has the silicone spatula attached to try to rectify the issue. Didn't help much. I was so frustrated, but I kept using it and just adjusted things as I went to make the recipe work.
Fast forward to about a week ago. I was washing the glass bowl and I noticed a chip in it. I was upset. I had only had this mixer 16 months or so and of course, it's just out of warranty. (Luckily, I contacted KitchenAid and their customer service is AMAZING! Because I've had KitchenAid mixers for such a long history, they are replacing my bowl for free. But that's a story for another post)
I decided to use the stainless steel bowl I had from my original mixer. Wouldn't you know it, my recipe suddenly started working out again without adjustments. I made chocolate chip cookies (because I love them). Now, I don't know for sure that it's the bowl or maybe I mentally think of the old mixer with that bowl, but I swear the metal bowl somehow handles cookie dough better. Even buttercream whipped up better! I plan on baking a lot over the next few days to confirm that this is the case, but for now, I am going to assume that the bowl makes the difference.
If you've experienced this same situation, I would love to hear about it. Note: it is possible that I'm just a little crazy LOL
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