Although my much loved Kitchen Aid Classic is a workhorse for the smaller food tasks, it’s not equipped to handle some of the dense bread doughs that I’ve religiously added into its bowl.
Because of this, I started searching for another mixer that I could use exclusively for pizza and bread doughs. Nope, I’m not calling it a replacement. Nu-uh, I’ll still be using my beloved Kitchen Aid mixer. It has served me well for over 14 years, and I hope it continues to do so. However, for mixing heavy doughs, it needs to take a back seat while another machine, better suited for such tasks, steps up. Otherwise, I will burn out the motor. I had planned to purchase a Kitchen Aid from its professional series. That changed after additional research and reading reviews from some other serious bread bakers who create large quantities of bread; I thought this might not be such a great idea.
Enter the Ankarsrum; immediately, I see that the design is different. Also, the base is where the motor’s located. Score! The bowl rotates, and while the attachments such as the dough hook or whisk are stationery. Sweden is the country that makes Ankarsrum mixers. Ankarsrum, Sweden, to be exact. These machines have been around since 1940. Over the years, they were known by different names; Verona, Magic Mill, Electrolux Assistent, DLX. I stumbled across an old Electrolux mixer on eBay from the 1940s! If I knew anything about motors, I’d have snapped that one up in a heartbeat since I could still maintain it if something happened.
Instead, I’ve decided to purchase the Ankarsrum 6230. What I found fascinating is that all the old attachments fit the Ankarsrum’s! How cool is that? It does cost a lot more than my Kitchen Aid Classic. The price is $699. I don’t mind paying more for an item if I know it’ll last a long time. This mixer will most likely outlast me. I’m impressed that the quality of this machine’s parts hasn’t changed over the years.
It makes me think of the following saying that is attributed to Benjamin Franklin…
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
I can sit on my wants for several years, adding another mixer has been on that list for a while. With the level that I use my mixer, I simply kneaded (you see what I did there?), something that could handle what I’m doing more efficiently. The Ankarsrum will step into that role quite nicely.
What can the Ankarsrum 6230 do?
- Grain Mill
- Food Processor
- Blender
- Citrus Juicer
- Food & Meat Grinder
- Pasta cutter
- Flaker
I placed its additional features in the order that’s important to myself. I’d planned on purchasing a GrainMaker grain mill this year, however, since this completes that function. I’ll hold off that purchase until next year. Of course, once I receive the Ankarsrum, I’ll update and perhaps even include a video. Several people own the Ankarsrum on The Fresh Loaf, breadmaking forum, where I’m a member, and the majority have positive reviews. The few negatives seemingly had to do with learning how this machine operates. It is much different than the mixers we see here in the USA.