I'm trying to decide between a 7-quart stand mixer and a 5.5 quart stand mixer. The 5.5's somewhat smaller size is best for my kitchen. ;o)

Will I wish I'd gone for the larger one? I never make more than two loaves of bread at a time (with my usual, lately, consisting of 250 g levain, 375 g total flours, 215 g water, etc.) I can see,possibly making double batches of cookie dough on occasion, but I don't envision any high-volume needs. What do you think? Thanks, everyone. ;o)

AntoniaJames
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9 Comments

Stephanie G.
Stephanie G. August 17, 2012
I think it depends on what you bake the most of..which is bread for me. . I upgraded to the bigger model because when I have a large bread recipe the dough would climb the hook & come up the mixer. The big model has plenty of room & serves me well for bread kneading. However, if I want to half a recipe & cream butter, or whip small amounts of eggs, it is too big & I long for my artisan.
 
Reiney
Reiney August 17, 2012
Bread recipes are often scaled to suit a particular size - meaning that if you got the larger one, you'd probably have to make a bigger dough to get a good result. I make 2 levain loaves in my 5.5qt and I often have to scale that up to get the hook to really work the dough properly.
 
tideandthyme
tideandthyme August 16, 2012
I've found that my Artisan has never let me down. Can do a double batch of cookies or 2 loaves of bread. I like the tilt-head feature that this model offers as well, not to mention all the pretty colors. Whichever you decide, be prepared for your life to change! Total lifesavers.
 
missnewjersey
missnewjersey August 16, 2012
Oh, if it helps, I also use my 5 qt to make a 4 dozen cupcake recipe. If you're not planning on making more than that often, you're golden with the smaller size!
 
missnewjersey
missnewjersey August 16, 2012
I have a Kitchenaid Artisan which is a 5 qt and LOVE it! It's a great size for my small kitchen. I can easily make a double batch of cookies. I haven't made bread with it but I do make a pizza dough that yields 2 doughs which I'm pretty sure I could also double.

If I had more room, I wouldn't think twice about a larger one, but I have no regrets about the 5 qt!
 
ATL
ATL August 16, 2012
I also got the 7 and it was unnecessary. I've never needed that much room even for double batches of cookie dough, as said above.
 
Sadassa_Ulna
Sadassa_Ulna August 16, 2012
AJ I have a 4-1/2 quart 300 watt kitchenaid and I can eke out a double batch of cookies - it just means when I add the last bit of flour I have to fold it in by hand a few turns, if I don't take that simple measure I lose some flour out of the rim of the bowl. I would think at 5.5 qt. you could definitely get a double-batch done in one shot. Hope that's helpful.
 
Simplyaok
Simplyaok August 16, 2012
I have the KitchenAid 5.5 with the more powerful motor. Love it!! At the time of my purchase, which was quite awhile ago it came with an extra bowl. Extremely handy when a recipe calls for meringue or whipped cream etc. No matter what you can't go wrong with a good quality stand mixer!
 
IlovePhilly
IlovePhilly August 16, 2012
I got the 7 and I regret it. It's way too huge for my kitchen, and for those few times I need the whole capacity, it would totally be worth it to mix two batches and have the space back the other 99% of the time. That is my experience, but who knows? Maybe I would have seen greener grass under the 7 if I'd bought the 5.5.
Good luck!
 
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