KitchenAid KP26M1PSLWhat does the KitchenAid KP26M1PSL stand mixer claim to provide for you that other mixers do not have? The basic answer is power. This 6-quart stand mixer is designed to allow you to mix large, stiff batches of dough, or other recipes without the need to separate them into smaller batches. KitchenAid claims this mixer can handle up to 14 cups of all-purpose flour at one time. This is a commercial grade mixer which can work perfectly in a restaurant, baking business, or in your own home. Let us take a little closer look at the features of this top-notch mixer.

 

Power to Get Your Mixing Jobs Done

 

The KitchenAid KP26M1PSL comes standard with a 575 watt motor which provides the power to mix large batches of cookies, bread dough, and cake batter. Will this powerful motor actually mix 14 cups of all-purpose flour? That depends highly on the recipe you are working on. A cake batter which uses 14 cups of flour is dramatically different than stiff yeast dough for bread.

The powerful motor can handle large quantities of flour when mixing thinner batters, but believing you are going to mix stiff bread dough with 14 cups of flour might be a little more than the mixer can handle. What you can do is easily double and often triple recipe quantities compared to other mixers. The 575 watt motor provides you plenty of torque to power through most mixing chores you attempt.

The power of the motor is transferred to the beaters using a direct drive transmission with all steel gears. The steel gears are an important feature you should watch for on any high-end mixer. Nylon gears cannot stand up to the demands of heavy mixing on a day to day basis.

KitchenAid has added a soft start mixing feature to the drive train to help you avoid throwing batter or flour out of the bowl and onto your countertop. This feature may catch you off-guard the first time you throw on the switch and it seems like the motor hesitates. It is an intentional feature to allow the motor speed to spin up slowly without the sudden thrust which can cause a cloud of flour to explode in your kitchen.

The power of the mixer may become even more important when you look through the long list of optional accessories listed below. This mixer is highly versatile and luckily provides the power to handle all the kitchen jobs you give it.

 

Over-Sized Bowl for Your Large Mixing Needs

 

The KP26M1PSL comes standard with a 6-quart stainless steel mixing bowl. The bowl is made from polished stainless steels which reduces sticking and makes cleanup very easy. The mixing bowl includes a large stainless steel pouring handle on one side. This makes the bowl much easier to handle and is real pleasure for pouring batter into cake pans, or even for pouring pancake batter on the griddle.

The bowl is called a “wide-mouth bowl” by KitchenAid. This wide design is something you will grow to appreciate. It provides plenty of room for you to add ingredients or to use your spatula to clean the edges.

The bowl is also equipped with a pouring shield to allow you to easily add ingredients while the mixer is running. This helps prevent flour, baking powder, and other ingredients from shooting all over the kitchen as you add them while the mixer continues to run.

Just to give you a quick idea of the overall capacity of this mixer, KitchenAid reports the mixer can mix batter for 13 dozen cookies, 8 loaves of bread, or 8 pounds of mashed potatoes at one time. That is the power and mixing volume needed in a busy kitchen.

 

Basic Beaters for Your Most Important Mixing Tasks

 

This KitchenAid mixer includes 3 different beaters in the box. This includes the PowerKnead spiral dough hook, a stainless steel wire whip, and the general purpose flat beater. The highlight of this group of beaters is the PowerKnead spiral dough hook. The design of this spiral beater provides thorough mixing and kneading of bread dough with greater ease than most other styles of kneading attachments. If you enjoy making bread you will enjoy this beater.

It is important to note these beaters are all made from burnished steel, not smooth stainless steel. At first glance this might seem to be a problem. Obviously the smooth mirror finish of stainless steel, or chrome plated, beaters allows for easier cleanup. A burnished surface gives a slight texture to the beaters making them a little harder to clean. What is the reason for this choice? The same texture gives your beaters greater mixing or gripping power. They down not just slice through the batter or dough. The beaters grasp the mixture and provide you with better mixing.

 

Total Control of Mixing

 

Power is not everything. You need to control the power in order to do effective mixing. The speed you need for whipping cream is not the same setting you need for mixing cake batter or chocolate chip cookie dough. This KitchenAid professional 600 series 6-quart stand mixer gives you 10-speeds to work with.

With cheap mixers you are often required to turn the speed of your mixer to higher numbers to get enough power to do the job. This is not the case with the KitchenAid KP26M1PSL. The 575 watt motor provides you with plenty of power and torque to knead dough, mix stiff cookie dough, or other tough mixing chores while still staying on lower speeds. You can actually use the speed controls for their intended purpose, controlling the speed.

The wide range of speeds is perfect for professional bakers and chefs who need very precise control for their recipes. This mixer can beat an egg white into a frothy tall meringue, whip cream into fluffy goodness, or slowly turn over bread dough kneading it to perfection.

There is one hidden item in the mixing control system which should be pointed out. KitchenAid added a motor heat sensor into their mixer to reduce the chances of you burning up the motor. When the mixer is under prolonged heavy use you may see it shut down for a period of time and then start mixing again once the motor temperature decreases. This feature should provide you with a little added confidence for using it in a business or heavy home use. It is not going to destroy itself like you may have seen with inexpensive stand mixers or hand mixers in the past.

 

Dimensions, Colors, and other Physical Traits of the KitchenAid 600 Series Stand Mixer

 

The KitchenAid professional 600 series 6-quart stand mixer is not a light-weight contender in the market. This is a true professional grade mixer with power and capability. Following are the physical traits of the mixer:

  • Weight: 32 pounds
  • Height: 16 ½ Inches
  • Width: 11 5/16 Inches
  • Depth: 14 5/8 Inches

The mixer is available in a wide variety of color combinations including:

  • Blue Steel
  • Copper Pearl
  • Dark Pewter
  • Empire Red
  • Licorice
  • Nickel Pearl
  • Onyx Black
  • Pearl Metallic
  • White
  • Caviar

Keep in mind the mixer we are reviewing in this article is the silver steel model. The above color options are separate model numbers but share the same base features, motor, and attachments.

 

Additional Information about the 600 Series KitchenAid Stand Mixer

 

One feature we have not mentioned is the 67-point planetary mixing action of this KitchenAid stand mixer. If you are not familiar with this technology it is very simple. The mixing head rotates around the bowl while the beaters spin in the opposite direction. The 67-points is telling you of the thorough coverage the mixing head makes thru the bowl. This action makes sure you do not end up with those little pockets of dry ingredients hiding in portions of the mixing bowl.

The one feature you will not find in the box, but is one of the most important is KitchenAid support. KitchenAid has a reputation of providing outstanding support and backing up their products with the best warranty support in the industry.

 

Included and Optional Accessories

 

The included options for your KitchenAid KP26M1PSL 600 Series mixer are limited to the 3 beaters for general mixing, kneading dough, and whipping. The optional accessories could fill up a book on their own, so let us just take a look at a few of the favorites:

  • Ravioli Maker
  • Pasta Cutter
  • Ice Cream Maker
  • Food Grinder
  • Citrus Juicer
  • Sausage Stuffer
  • Additional Mixing Bowls
  • Assorted Beater Pack

As you can see from this short list of optional accessories for your KitchenAid 600 series mixer it can take care of the majority of your kitchen needs. With the high power it can handles a wide variety of tasks which lower grade mixers cannot handle.

Adding a few of these accessories will quickly see you using your mixer on a daily basis. It can be used to make baby food using the food grinder, make a pitcher of fresh orange juice, or to create an amazing Italian meal filled with fresh pasta.

You should highly consider ordering a set of the additional mixing bowls along with your mixer. Having extra bowls allows you to keep moving on your recipe without stopping to scrape out the bowl and wash it.

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Pros of the KitchenAid Stand Mixer

 

The pros of the KP26M1PSL are amazing. The mixer can handle all of the mixing needs of individuals and professional chefs and cooks. The 575 watt motor provides the power necessary for all types of recipes. The 10 speed controls gives you the flexibility to go from low speed mixing to high speed whipping at the flick of a switch.

The number 1 pro of the mixer is flexibility. It can do anything. The planetary motion gives you complete mixing. The 3 includes beaters handle almost any mixing chore you can think of.

 

Cons of the 600 Series Mixer

 

The cons on this mixer are very limited. There is just one factor to watch out for when shopping for your KP26M1PSL. There have been two different models of this mixer produced. The first model included a plastic case and had some issues with shutting off from overheating and having slightly less available torque and power. The later models are an all-metal case with an improved gearing system which completely eliminates these issues.

 

Consumer Ratings

 

The consumer ratings for this mixer are outstanding. It is one of the highest reviewed mixers online with over 80% of all buyers rating the mixer very highly. The other 20% of the buyers reported a few of the problems we just discussed in our cons. When KitchenAid became aware of the issues being reported by buyers they have taken swift action to correct the problems and to work with customers experiencing any problems.

You will find report after report of KitchenAid quickly replacing entire units when the customer discovered they had a unit with potential problems. This is why KitchenAid has become one of the most trusted names in commercial and home kitchens around the world.

The other most common issue mentioned in reviews is the lack of stainless steel beaters. As we mentioned earlier this is not an oversight on the part of KitchenAid. It was an intentional choice to provide beaters which enhance performance.

 

Conclusion

 

What is the final opinion on this mixer? It is an outstanding mixer with great power, flexibility, and reliability. It will provide you with the high volume mixing needed by professional cooks. The 6-quart bowl and 575 watt motor provide a combination which allows you to tackle any task with ease.

The mixer may be slightly higher priced than many home users want, but if you love cooking and are tired of replacing your mixer all the time, the 600 series is a great choice. The mixer is highly recommended.

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