Auugh! Frustration with my KitchenAid K45!

[maytagbear]

I really should trust myself. Last night I made a whole wheat/onion bread recipe in my KitchenAid K45 mixer. Instead of kneading with the flat beater-paddle, I switched to the dough hook. First mistake. I've kneaded with the flat beater, and have had fine results. Why I changed a working routine, I will never know.

Second mistate: I have never used the dough hook. In fact, there was what looked like a spider web in the hook's connection area. Why I didn't double check, again, I don't know.

The bread turned out fine, and today it is quite good.

I cannot get the dough hook off the machine.

I called KitchenAid's 1-800 number, and after a comparatively short wait, I got a woman who was pleasant, and as helpful as she could be, which wasn't very.

She suggested that I attach one of my bowls to the base, and then put extremely hot water onto the connection area between the hook and the machine's shaft. I did so. I let it soak a while, I wiggled it some, waited a while longer, wiggled some more.

Auuuugh!

She also suggested Mineral Oil. I'm going to go to Walgreens in a few hours. I am not pleased with the thought of having to buy a whole bottle of mineral oil for a few drops, but oh and well.

I don't have the money for a new K45, and worse, they don't make them in Almond Cream any more, just in White.

Signed,

"Ineptly yours in Kent."

 

[veg-o-matic]

Howsabout spraying some PAM on it?

veg

 

[toggleswitch]

Mineral oil?
on a food processing piece of equipment?

How about cooking oil?

 

[petek]

what you can do is turn the machine upside down and stabilize it between two heavier objects, put some newspaper under it. then drop some vegetable oil of any sort, or mineral oil, wd40 even and let is sit for a bit to work itself in. Don't worry about the wd40 if you have that on hand..it won't be going into the food. Just wipe it off the mixer head afterwards and wash the hook.

BTW..what are you using for ingredients. I bake lots of bread including onion bread (I cheat and use Liptons onion soup mix). Throw some sharp cheddar cheese in there as well, delicious.
Some other helpful hints for bread making I've found..
add a couple of tablespoons of Real Lemon juice or fresh lemon juice to the water..it acts as a dough enhancer and stabilizes the rising, you won't taste any lemon in the bread.
Check the grocery baking aisle for a bag or box of Vital Wheat Gluten, add a couple of tablespoons of that into the mix also and the bread will rise more evenly and with less big air pockets. Most essential if you aren't already using proper high gluten bread flour.

 

[maytagbear]

The woman on the KitchenAid helpline

did not recommend Pam because unless one cleans very carefully, it would polymerize, (get sticky-nasty) and make it even more difficult to remove the attachments in the future.

The pharmacist was willing to sell me a little mineral oil (which had been used for compounding).

The mineral oil worked well. I followed up with rubbing alcohol on the machine shaft. (That is about the only time you'll hear me say "rubbing alcohol" and "shaft" in the same paragraph.)

This particular recipe, from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book called for fresh onions, and that's what I used.

If there is interest, I will post it later.

Pete--good idea about using the Lipton Onion Soup Mix.

I generally do the "RapidMix" method, where the yeast is added to the other dry ingredients.

I do have a Breadman, and use it, but I like making bread with the KitchenAid. I may be off, but I think the results are better when the dough is baked in a conventional oven, than in the bread machine. Plus, in the KitchenAid (or other heavy-duty mixer), more than one loaf can be made at a time.

I am drawn to the Electrolux Asistent mixer, and may eventually get one, but for now, I am quite happy with my K45.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[petek]

The Elux Assistent

Very nice machine and very pricey as well. Keep you eye out for a Bosch Universal or Concept. I have the Universal, I posted pics of it a ways back..super duper machine and more powerful than the KA's. I've chatted with folks who have the Elux and while they love their machines they always seem to be fussing around with their adjustable bowl scraper mechanism so that the dough kneads properly, that was enough to turn me off, I don't want something I have to fuss with. You might be able to find a demo Universal like I did for around $100. I didn't get all the attachments, just the basic bowl, kneading hook and whisk mixers. I bought the cookie paddles later for about $20,,they're excellent for making huge batches of heavy cookie dough. The blender jar I don't need and it's about $40 separately and plastic to boot.

 

[kenmore1978]

Mineral Oil

"Mineral oil? on a food processing piece of equipment?"

Sure, you use "food grade" mineral oil. It's sold in drug stores for use as a laxative. Also great for treating cutting boards.

 

[toggleswitch]

Live and learn.

I just go to my mother-in-law's for dinner if such a need be!

 

[mayken4now]

Glad your dough hook is off the machine Lawrence!

Steve

 

[maytagbear]

Thanks, Steve-Mayken4now-- (and everyone else)

During the baking season, which for me is also potluck season, October-May, I use my KitchenAid a lot, sometimes every day.

It's 20 plus years old, one of the last of the Hobart made ones, and this was the first time I had anything approaching trouble with it.

I have mashed potatoes for 50 with it (family reunions), made four angel food cakes in an afternoon (bake sale for a regional AIDS charity), and lots of Christmas cookies....not to mention the bread, meat loaves....(if you use it carefully, you can get a great meatloaf without getting your hands cold and yucky--sometimes the arthritis in my hands is extremely painful).

I like all my small appliances, but the KitchenAid and the Sunbeam T-20B are the only ones I would be devestated to lose.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[petek]

Sounds like the stuck hook was just a one-off

Have you tried it again with no problems sticking? If it's still sticky you know it might just be hole in the hook is deformed on your hook and a replacement hook would be all that's needed.. I'd keep the Hobart machine too.

 

[maytagbear]

Update:

This time, I put a bare dab of butter on the machine shaft, and had no problem removing the beater. I've since cleaned the shaft again with rubbing alcohol.

This was a light wheat, which is better for peanut butter sandwiches. The onion-wheat was delicious, but better suited for grilled cheese.

The Radarange as an assistant for breadmaking--I used the temperature probe to melt the butter and bring the milk up to temperature. I checked it against my instant reading Taylor, and the Radarange probe was accurate!

Lawrence/Maytagbear