Stand Mixers: Viking vs. KitchenAid

I had never thought that I really needed a stand mixer. My justification was that if I was baking something I should really work some calories off in advance by hand mixing. We also bake all of our own bread and we were hand kneading a large batch of dough every week. This year a good friend very kindly lent us her KitchenAid Heavy Duty (325 watts) while she has been overseas. We are hooked and now need to buy a mixer!

This particular KitchenAid doesn’t have quite enough power for us and the bowl could be a bit bigger. It struggles with a 2 loaf batch of bread dough and the bowl was overflowing when I was making my Christmas cake. I think it has the older 4 qt bowl, so the capacity isn’t so much of an issue. It’s the wattage. The particular model I am interested in is the Professional 600.

And then I saw the Viking Stand mixer. Like all Viking products it seems to be designed to professional standards, plus it looks great. I am interested in the 5 quart/800 watt model because 1000 watts feels like overkill.

So which one? Viking or KitchenAid 600 Professional?

Viking 800 watt - $489 CAD

Pros:

• 800 Watts
• Tilt head for easy access
• Has wheels
• Fewer dents and grooves for easy cleaning
• All metal gears
• All parts are dishwasher safe
• Blender attachment available
• Will match my imaginary Viking Range

Cons:

• Only 5 Qt bowl
• Customer service is apparently bad; more difficult to get service and parts

KitchenAid Professional 600 - $629

Pros:

• 6 Qt bowl
• All metal gears
• Easy to get service and attachments

Cons:

• 575 watts
• Bowl lift design makes it harder to add ingredients
• Beater, paddle and hook are NOT dishwasher safe
• No blender attachment available
• Price!
  

Well, I think the Viking wins! Especially on price and wattage. I’ll update when it arrives and do a review.

UPDATE: Review is here