Ankarsrum Original Stand Mixer, AKM6230, Black Chrome

I took up baking as a retirement hobby almost ten years ago. My wife bought me a KitchenAid mixer. It lasted 18 months and was replaced under warranty. (KA customer service is great). The second one lasted 4 years. I had to buy the replacement this time. I was thinking of getting an ANK then, but I had already bought several KA attachments and didn't want to lose use of them. The third one ground to a halt a few months ago.I'm an active participant on several baking oriented FB pages and the question of which stand mixer to buy comes up often. Lots of ANK and Bosch recommendations, but KA is the most common. So is breakdown after just a few years. (From discussions there it seems that when they were made by Hobart, a company that does commercial kitchen appliances, they were rock solid and lasted decades. That's no longer the case -- someone else makes them with lower quality parts).So, I bought the ANK and gave away the KA attachments. The ANK has a learning curve. Lots of YT videos, plenty of help online.When I bake bread I make two loaves at a time. If something else, perhaps bagels, I'll make a large batch. Generally about 1000 grams (2.2 lbs) of flour plus the water and anything else in the recipe. That's enough dough to fill the KA and if it is a stiff dough like the bagels I can feel the KA straining. The ANK takes it in stride and pretty much says "That's all ya got?"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Today I'm going to make 4 dozen dinner rolls. All in one batch. That's a triple recipe..

I received a Mockmill grain mill from my husband. After learning what is lost in store purchased flour I and store bought breads I told my husband I wanted to try making my own bread from my own home made flour. What I learned really quickly was using homemade flour is drastically harder than store bought flour due to the different preservatives used in shelf stable flour. Kneading is an important process to home made flour bread making and a lot more required for successful loaves. My kitchen aide mixer couldn’t do it and was only good for combining ingredients not heavy kneading of bread dough. I was barely able to make enough dough for two loaves. I made my first batch of bread dough yesterday and I’m completely amazed at the difference in the two. My kitchen aide is in no way comparable to my new Ankararum. The ankarsrum in one batch made 4 loaves and kneaded it beautifully without me having to do any of the kneading and it did it seamlessly without straining at all. It’s considered a kitchen assistant not just a mixer and it shows. The old old kitchen aides might have been better than the newer ones but today’s kitchen aide isn’t any real help at all. My first batch of bread I used the included cook book included with the kitchen assistant it was a great recipe and I made it with 100% home milled flour and it worked I had my assistant ; ) knead it longer than the recipe called for knowing it’s needed with homemade flour. It was the best recipe and the best loaves of bread I’ve ever ever made. I wish I would have purchased it sooner and bypassed the kitchen aide all together. Get yourself an assistant it will help more than you ever thought possible.

Takes care of mixing and kneading. Paddle and roller design is way better than dough hooks resulting in softer and lighter dough while using less flour. Although it has a small learning curve, the plethora of YouTube videos on using it will get you started like a pro. I did a lot of research before choosing a machine and this is hands down the best one money can buy for home use. Well worth the investment especially if you plan on making bread regularly. I mill my own flour and honestly don't think I would without this machine. Never buying store bought bread or flour again! Thanks Ankarsrum for such an awesome product.

The media could not be loaded. Used to have the Kitchen Aide Professional 6qt. It broke down on me twice. After doing some research, I found the Ankarsrum and decided to give it a try. I love that I don't have to stop the machine to add ingredients. The open top design makes adding ingredients a breeze. The motor and torque on this baby is far better than the Kitchen Aide is. I am able to make bagels, pizza doughs and other stiff breads in the 7.6 quart stainless steel bowl without the machine having any difficulty. I am also able to make multiple batches of cakes, pies, cookie doughs and pastries without any issues. I do wish the clear tritan plastic mixing bowl was made of a stronger material. I was mixing some cookie dough and it caused the bowl to crack. But the customer service at Ankarsrum sent me a brand new one right away. There are many attachments that can be added to make this not just a mixer but a blender, food processor, pasta maker, meat grinder, shredder, juicer and grain mill. This is a work horse of a machine and I highly recommend it.

Well worth the price especially if you make dough - watch a few YouTube videos; tight out of the box I mixed a 1000kg batch of high hydration pizza dough and it was easy, fast and superb results - blows my big kitchenaid away. Great seller too, official retailer so warranty applies, and super fast shipping!

I was on the fence about investing in this mixer, which is an upgrade from my small Kitchen Aid mixer. My Kitchen Aid was struggling with some stiff dough and sometimes it would start walking all over the counter. It's still a good mixer, but not like the Ankarsrum, which is a beast. First, I love the big mixing bowl and that the motor is under the bowl, instead of above it. It makes pouring ingredients in the bowl a breeze, even when the mixer is going. No more stopping, lifting the head, scraping, and putting the head down again. It's not just good for dough, it's also great for batters with the two whisks incorporating a lot of air into egg whites or batters. This is an expensive mixer, for sure, but it should last me decades, and it's got a great warranty. If you bake a lot of bread, this mixer is for you.