New Kitchen Aid dough hook

[Nathan]

I just wanted to tell you about the new dough hook I got for my 6 quart KA.  It's WAY better than the original. Their site says they'll fit the 5 and 6 quart bowl lift mixers. With this one the dough doesn't "climb" the hook like it did with the original.  I haven't actually made a pizza with the dough yet but I made a batch for a friend (he doesn't have a mixer) just to try it out.  I may have to use less kneading time with this thing.  Anyway, the old hook is retired.    If you have a KA I'd definitely get one if I was you.  http://www.kitchenaid.com/catalog/category.jsp?categoryId=158

[giotto]

The hobarts are incredible; I watched 50 lbs of dough never have a problem once.  I tested several professional kitchenaids a few months ago, and I remember a new and improved dough hook being advertised in one or two cases.  I remember having hope based on its new look-- can't remember if it was the exact one above.  The flour still seemed to climb the hook for me more than I'd like.  This may have had something to do with my propensity to use 60% capacity with new recipes.  I usually only run 1 minute increments anyways, along with hand kneading.  But it would be nice if the one you have continues to prove superior.  It would be nice to know that Kitchenaid actually has a clue about their poor dough mixing climbing up hooks (even my hand mixer doesn't climb as much with spiral hooks). 

The big kitchenaids that I tested above advertised all new metal gearing; I've seen spiral style hooks with some of the more inexpensive mixers.  Kitchenaid knows what it takes not to break. 

Amazing to see Chris Bianco do the whole thing by hand, and lines keep increasing.  I just don't use the kitchen aid for much more than to bring the dough together at #1. I then hand knead, then run it for a couple of 1 minute intervals.

[scott r]

the best textured pizza I have ever had has come out of a spiral mixer.   I still have not had anything made with a fork mixer, but I can't even imagine anything better.  Is this new KA hook just a scaled down version of a typical spiral?

[tjacks88]

I have been using this Kitchenaid dough hook for about 6 months now. It is important to note that kitchenaid only designed this to work on their new Pro 600 and 5 quart commercial mixers since they re-designed the gearing and housing to handle the different vertical stress encountered by the spiral design. The spiral dough hook should fit an existing 6 quart, but I wonder if you might put your mixer at risk over time for failure.

The spiral dough hook is awesome, it has an over and under action that kneads the dough much better than the previous hook. It even works really well on smaller amounts of flour, which the previous C-hook never did well.

[Ronzo]

I have an Artisan 5 quart. I'm leary of messing with it by buying this hook. I paid too much money to burn it out, but I have to say I am disappointed with the C-hook's performance.

[Randy]

Ron,  your "C" hook as been around probadly longer than you have.    It could be the recipe you are using or the size recipe you are using.  The minimum flour I like to use in my heavy duty kitchenaid is 16 oz flour and the maximum is 32 oz flour recipe using recipes with a typical  water amounts of say 58% and higher.

[pftaylor]

Nathan,
Your post propelled me to upgrade my mixing equipment. I had owned a KitchenAid Artisan mixer which is not compatible with spiral hooks. So I decided to upgrade to a KitchenAid Professional 600 which comes standard with the spiral hook.

I'll post results in a couple of days but as of right now, the Pizza Sophia dough was first rate. Nearly the equal of Pizza Raquel in terms of just feeling right immediately after coming off the hook. I can't wait.

Below is a picture of the Professional 600 outfitted with the spiral hook attachment. The famed "Varasano" preferment can be seen in the background.

[Les]

I just wanted to tell you about the new dough hook I got for my 6 quart KA.  It's WAY better than the original.

I've been saving to buy the Electrolux, but of course paying near $500 dollars for a mixer is a lot, especially since I mostly make pizzas only for my wife and I.  I was encouraged by the reports of the new spiral hook.  I searched the Kitchen Collection site online below:

http://www.kitchencollection.com/Temp_Search_Breakdown.cfm

I found the Professonal 5 Plus mixers refurbished selling for $189 (they sell the 6 quart refurbished for as low as $219).  It comes with a 6 month warranty.

In a box (at the website) on the lower left it lets you put in your zip code to see if a Kitchen Collection store is nearby, and since one was 30 minutes away, and because I've had good luck with refurbished KA products in the past . . . I bought one.  They even had a refurbished pouring shield for $12. 

Thanks for heads up Nathan.

[Ronzo]

I just bought this Artisan a couple of months ago. There's no way I'm upgrading now. LOL

[Les]

I just bought this Artisan a couple of months ago. There's no way I'm upgrading now. LOL

You can sell just about anything at craigslist.com for free.  I've upgraded more than once quite quickly after buying the wrong tool.

[Ronzo]

You can sell just about anything at craigslist.com for free.  I've upgraded more than once quite quickly after buying the wrong tool.

No thanks...

[Nathan]

 

pftaylor, nice mixer.  It kind of irks me that I have only had mine for about a year or so and they have this new design out.  Oh well.  If mine burns up it burns up I guess.  (http://tinyurl.com/73moo)

Les, I considered getting one of the Electrolux or a Bosch when I bought the Kitchenaid but I couldn't really afford it.  I couldn't really even afford what I got but I had to have one.  Hand kneading sucks.  Especially when you go by Alton Browns (it must windowpane) advice and knead for an hour and a half trying to get it to windowpane.   

Anyway, I've been on a pizza vacation for a while now so I'm not at full throttle when it comes to making it.  I recently got a new stove/range and just had to have a new hood for it.  So that lead to me spending another $500 for the hood I bought (there's never been one in this house) including a new cabinet and ductwork.   It was getting way too hot in here without one with the blaring oven temps. 

I haven't really even used the calzone press I got yet either so I'm anxious to get back into making pizzas and trying some calzones (pizza pockets) or whatever you want to call them .  And of course using the new hook more. 

[pftaylor]

Nathan,
I just got off the phone with KitchenAid customer support. The take home message was to NOT use the new spiral hook with the older models for fear of burning out the gears/motor. They will sell it to you but will not stand behind the mixer if you use it. Strange policy.

The CSR stated that only the new mixers with the planetary mixing action and new metal gear system would be able to hold up. If I were sitting where you are sitting right now, I might be inclined to ask them to upgrade you at no charge. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Since the new planetary motion system with enhanced gearing is so new with KitchenAid mixers, I would be willing to bet that all the old notions about how inferior the resultant pizza doughs are could be laid to rest.

Certainly my first batch of Pizza Sophia would seem to support this hypothesis. If this is true, then the new KitchenAid Professional 600 could be considered a pizza making best buy.

Time will tell.

[Nathan]

I just got off the phone with these morons.  One thing is for sure, once your warranty is up they couldn't care less about you. I told the lady my situation and she basically told me to go fly a kite.  She claims that they will only do an upgrade if there's something wrong with the mixer.  (http://tinyurl.com/8xayy)  I said well can I pay to have an upgrade done then or what?  Then she said well it might be possible if there was something wrong with the mixer.  (http://tinyurl.com/8xayy)   I told her that the only reason I bought the hook was because I was checking out their site for accessories specifically listed for my mixer, she said she'd suggest returning the new hook.  I told her that the original hook was junk and that if I would have known that they were going to come out with this new mixer I would have waited to buy one (not true but whatever).  She pointed out that my warranty is expired (like I was unaware of that) and said that if it did burn up I'd have to take it to a service center.  So I asked her if the service center would upgrade it and she said "that would be between you and the service center" 

So what it boils down to is they want you to buy the new model.  (http://tinyurl.com/8xayy)

Oh and another thing.........I'd have to look again to be sure but I didn't see anything on their site stating that this hook's not compatible with this thing or that it would void your warranty using it. 

[pftaylor]

Nathan,
Sounds like you had an interesting call with a CSR. I spoke with Leslie who was very pleasant. You might want to try and call back to see if you can get a different CSR or a supervisor on the line. Failing the manufacturer coming around to your point of view, I have another suggestion.

This strategy will only work if you bought it at a "Big Box" store like BB & B where they have a liberal return policy. They do not require a receipt for an EXCHANGE. Here's what I did to rid myself of an untenable situation:
Call the store and ask for customer service. After asking for their name, start every sentence nicely and address them properly by their first name. Kindly explain that your mixer is only a few months old (Santa delivered mine and I was told it came from BB & B - not necessarily from that exact store). Add that it is not capable of churning dough (or in my case ice cream) properly. Explain very nicely that you are not asking for your money back, you only want an exchange.

Let me know your results. If you are successful, I would call KitchenAid back up and while being as sweet as you can be, ask to return the spiral hook.

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

[Bill/CDMX]

This is one of the reasons I like to buy from Williams-Sonoma. Their return policy is pretty much unlimited. I returned a 6-year old food processor and upgraded to a newer model. They credited me the full price I originally paid - no questions asked. Likewise, I had some non-stick pans, that, as non-stick will inevitably do, started to lose the coating. Even though the pan was several years old, they sent me a brand new one at no charge once I returned the old one. Yes, they charge more, but in the end I saved lots of money.

[Nathan]

pftaylor, good idea.  I'm gonna call the closest BB&B .  It's about 50 miles from me but if they'll exchange it for me it's worth the drive.  But before I do that, does anyone know when they switched over to the new models?  I don't want to tell them I got it in say October if they quit selling them in July or something. 

[pftaylor]

Nathan,
Your concern is irrelevant to the exchange process. Bill/SFNM exchanged a processor which surely was no longer current. Manufacturers change styles all the time. 

It shouldn't matter what was in the box when you bought it. What matters is that it is no longer completely functional (or soon will be if you use the spiral hook).

When I returned my Artisan they didn't even look in the box. So I sincerely doubt they will examine the mixer closely if at all. What matters is that you purchased it from them and the relative timeframe was last October. If that's the truth then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

One last point, make sure the CSR who agreed to the exchange is working when you show up and make sure they have the color you want. My CSR had a black one pulled and waiting for me so that the exchange was very quick. Oh, and don't forget his/her name upon starting the exchange. Everybody deserves to be made to feel better - especially if it doesn't cost you anything.

[Nathan]

I'm on my way up there right now.  They told me on the phone that I don't need a receipt or the box.     They said as long as they can verify that it's an item they sell I can exchange it for the new one or get store credit for it. 

I just hope they don't call KA or something and ask them where it was purchased because I didn't buy it from them.   

I'll let you know what happens.  Hopefully I'll be back in a couple hours with a new one.

[pftaylor]

Nathan,
Sounds like you will be a happy pizza maker in a few short hours.

The power of this community is awe inspiring. When it comes to pizza, I'm not sure there is a limit we can't overcome.

I'm glad it has all worked out for you. I look forward to seeing pictures of your killer pies.