KitchenAid® 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, Contour Silver

My old 325watt 5 quart Kitchenaid has been struggling with kneading bread dough. I've rebuilt it once but it still sometimes would stop and hum. It's still fine for everything else, though loud. We have had it, for, I believe, over 25 years. For Thanksgiving, I made fresh bread (delicious) but had to do all the kneading by hand--this is why old-time bakers all had big muscular arms--it's a workout! The old machine will go to one of our offspring because it still does everything else better than a hand mixer, and probably any other mixer.This machine is 500 watts, and 7 quarts, and comes with the regular beater, squeegee beater for things like cake mixes, a wire whisk, improved pouring shield, and a pig-tail dough hook, a huge improvement on the old flat hook. First time making bread (NEVER go over the #2 speed!) it powered through the dough quietly and only after many, many minutes got a little warm, where the old one couldn't be run for more than 2 minutes at a time (when kneading dough) with a minute or two to cool each time. I didn't even have to do a final hand knead!Despite being bigger and stronger it actually doesn't take up much more real estate than the old one and feels a bit lighter surprisingly, although still very heavy. Lots of little improvements: A nice knob on the lifting jack handle, a better-looking brushed nickel knob on the speed control over the old black plastic one, and 11 speeds rather than ten. The pouring shield is now one piece rather than two and enclosed on top rather than open, and works very well. They even upgraded the power-takeoff locking screw and cover. Finally, they added a cord wrap when not using it.So far, the only drawback is the handsome textured matte black finish: flour gets stuck on it much more easily than on the smooth finish. I do not know if the other colors are the same or smooth, but this was the right color for our kitchen.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this mixer. This is my 3rd Kitchenaid mixer and each one has been more powerful, and more expensive, than the one before. I bake a lot, especially sourdough breads, and this size has become a necessity for me. The way I look at it is that if you’re going to make a loaf of sourdough that takes about 24 hours total, why not double or triple the recipe so you can have extras stored in the freezer, or give to a friend/neighbor. The mixer is big!. I bought a little slide for this which you really want to get to go with it. It’s heavy and you’ll probably need to keep it on the counter top. To make it slide-able is a game changer!. The machine works like a charm.

I had a smaller kitchen aide stand mixer but it couldn’t handle heavy dough for breads or doubling cookie batching for holiday. I gave my small one to my daughter and purchased the 7 Qt. LOVE IT! Works like a champ, not unsightly on my counter, stands up to doubling and tripling cookie recipes and VERY easy to use. Only downside is it’s took big and heavy for my pull out mixer cabinet. But I love how it stands up to frequent use. Also, easy to clean and attachments are dishwasher safe.

Having a mixer like this takes all the hard work out of dough making. It's as easy as putting 4 ingredients in and ending up with amazing pizza dough.This mixer is heavy duty works well and is really easy to clean.I love the large capacity bowl allowing me to make 12 pizza balls at a time.

I gave this gorgeous Blue Kitchen Aid to my daughter for her Birthday, & she was tickled pink or overjoyed!! She will now be able to make so many dishes for family and friends!!

Love the color

I loved the mixer. It is heavy duty compared to the ones I have used in the past. Whoever packaged it did not tape up the bottom of the box for the mixer. When you try to take it out of the big box the mixer starts to fall. We almost dropped it on the floor and it took two of us to get it on the table. One to hold the top and one to catch the bottom.

I've been a KA fan since before I was married. My parents had one that lasted for decades. I have not been that lucky as I have worn out several in my 48 year marriage;,however, everyone would tell you that I have used them more often than anyone else they know. I have even sent a few of them in to the KA repair center to be re-built. Now understand, that is not a complaint. I really pushed mine to the limit and probably beyond (for example, we have a family Gingerbread House Day where we build up to 23 gingerbread houses, with me running two machines at once to make the royal frosting all throughout that day). Finally, I decided to buy the bigger, more powerful machine. It was a wise decision!Pros:The motor is more powerful....and we could immediately hear it when we turned it on.It has a larger capacity, something I am sure to appreciate with large family gatheringsALL of the Kitchen Aid attachments will fit this machine as well....I have all of the pasta attachments, the ravioli attachment, the vegetable sheeter, the spiralizer, the grinder, and the fruit and vegetable strainerThe color choices will help you match any kitchen decor.The finish on the mixer is durableIt comes with a guard that stops food from flinging everywhere but has a chute that you can add ingredients while still mixing.The whisk and the flex beater come with it. (These are bigger than the standard machines and are not interchangeable.)Cons: Attaching the bowl to the machine takes a bit of getting used to. It absolutely will not fit over the two pins that hold it until you have it at the right angle and pop it over the locking mechanism at the back. (Once you figure that out, though...you are good to go).The weight...this thing is a beast compared to the standard models.. Still, I can lift and move it if I need to.