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jetcone

jetcone

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Get one of these! 1949 early 1950 KA mixer with a Deco touch. This machine is quieter than my 1984 KA because it has metal gears inside. I am getting to really like this machine as I just discovered they made the commercial style Pelican Head Slicer for the home model!!
We used these Pelican Head slicers exclusively at "The Magic Pan" and "Rudys" Tex Mex! They are the only way to shred cheese or lettuce for Tacos or slice whole bunches of carots at a time!
I never knew they made these for the KA home line it beats that stupid cone slicer hands down!

http://boston.citysearch.com/profile/4751815/
 
I noticed some other differences

between the Whirlpool version and the original Hobart Mixer.
The attachments will fit both machines but the base on the Hobart has much sharper casting lines on it, take peek at the photo.
The head too has a much sharper cut under the belly of it.
I LOVE THE DECO WING TIP and the DECO handle so handy when mixing! They should bring those touches back!!

Jet
 
Every mixer

should have tail fins! :) Think about it, in 48 this would have been cutting edge tech!
 
Don you are soo right!

The fins make it run sooooo much better too!

Pete I found the pelican head just out cruisin ebay one day,like I said I was surprised because I never thought they may have made one for the home market. I bet these were sold to farmers wive's, large Boston families and ranchers cooks because the through put on them is way beyond a current food processor, or what a medium sized family would ever need which is why they are still standard in any good commercial prep kitchen today.
There are some on ebay most every week but ya gotta be a bidmeister, they are very popular with the collectors. I use mine as well as display it.
I would think it a real waste just to display and not use it.
But that is the restaurant tradition in me.
Jon
 
I have the cone slicer for my 6 qt Epicurean, but I've never used it. The blade seems so dull to start off with... although I'm sure I could sharpen it up quite a bit with a swiss file, it's still not much more than a glorified Salad Shooter (which I also have).

For making things like coleslaw I use my Cuisinart classic, but I get tired of having to empty the bowl all the time. It would be nice to have one of those pelican-head slicers for mass quantities.

Of course, I can buy a big bag of shredded cabbage at Costco Business, but that kind of takes a lot of the fun out of it ;-).

The adjustable blade feature seems pretty cool, too.
 
PS-metal gears are supposed to be noisier than the plastic gears the KA put on a lot of its stand mixers for quite a while. Now they seem to have gone back to metal, probably due to durability complaints. The plastic gears act as an defacto overload preventer, shearing off in case of a jam. Newer models with metal gearing have overload shutoff circutry instead, either a circuit breaker type of reset button, or a self-resetting overload protector.

Sadly, all I've used my KA for, so far, is to whip egg whites.
 
Suds

I have been a devoted KA mixer guy for 20+ years, but I have to say i stand corrected today. I now know that the KA is the thing for food prep , dough mixing and whipping cream. But I have learned that for delicate cakes and batters you really need an 11C Mixmaster. Nothing beats air into a cake mix like an 11c. All my recipies come out better using the Mixmaster for cakes than the KA.
Has anyone else tried this comparison??
 
Jetcone....

I have the KA4-B...identical to yours you have posted here,. Ran the patents on it, and it was manufactured anywhere from 1944-1960. Runs like a charm, only my bowl needs "retinning". If you visit kitchenaid.com you will find a "forum" there also, where if you lurk around enough, will find a place where someone from KA will send you the owner's manual for your appliance. I had one sent to me, and included all the information about the attachements to this awesome machine. If you need more info, email me.
Happy mixing, shredding, slicing, and god knows this machine can do it all....even stuff your sausage ;-)
MM
 
Jon, that "pelican" slicer was offered until about the late 60s or early 70s. The all metal meat grinder is very popular on Ebay as well (today's has a plastic shell which is apparently not as durable under heavy use). The ice cream maker just reappeared after a 30+ year absence, so who knows, maybe the pelican slicer will too!

Are you sure your 1984 KA does not have metal gears? That would have been a Hobart. Mine is a 1984 as well, and I know they have the new metal gear ones again now.

The Mixmasters are fun for cakes and things they're designed for, and while they do a beautiful job I can't say I find the KA's performance with these items disappointing.
 
My Mom got a pelican head food processer attachment for her 1972 KA mixer.She also got the METAL meat grinder attachment too-not the WIMPY plastic one-Please KA bring back those metal attachments!!I was with her when she got the attachments-we went to the HOBART dealer to get them.Loved looking at all of the "industrial" mixers and processors while there.I even got to use that Peleican head cutter when mom was having a party-she asked me to shred the cabbage for the coleslaw-that attachment did great!!I can agree with Jetcone that the KA machine doesn't work as well as the Mixmaster(The 1972 KA replaced my Mom's Mixmaster)The Mixmaster did a better job on "liquid" items-such as pancake and cake batter,and frostings.When you watched the Mixmaster process those items-the beater blades left cool looking "tracks" in the batter.I devoted Mixer fan would have a KA,A real Hobart,Kenwood and a Mixmaster.
 
What attachment do you use for mixing cake batters with the Kitchenaid or Kenwood,, the K beater or the balloon whisk? That Kenwood 901 I just got has a very sturdy balloon whisk I figured you would use for cake. SIL and I made choco chip cookies yesterday with it using the K beater and it was great for that. We also made about 6 loaves of bread and 36 buns so she could practice..took a few times but finally figured it out. I prefer my Bosch though for kneading dough, it does a more thorough job I think and actually stretches the dough as it circles around the bowl. The Kenwood did a faster job on the cookie dough, in about 15 seconds, the Bosch with its cookie paddles takes a little longer. For batters the Bosch only has whisks but there's two of them spinning around in the bowl instead of one like on the KA and Kenwoods. There are two types of whisks available, a thinner finer one and a sturdier version which is the ones I got. They said it would whip one egg white stiff, I tried it and it does.
 
I will be honest-I haven't had a cake in a very long time-my Mom used to fix them for me.She used the gen purpose "paddle" beater in her KA.She used it for the batter and frosting.I would wonder if the KA whip has too thin of wires to process batter and frosting.If you had one with thicker wires bet it would work fine.I have used my Kenwoods and KA's to prepare cookie dough.A few times bread dough.Used the dough hook for the bread dough.The torquey KA or Kenwood is better for doughs than the Mixmaster.Either the KA or Kenwood swings a mean dough hook for kneading doughs.Yes --I too like the "handlelet" on the front of the vintage KA shown in the pictures-also that "tailfin"--COOL!!I would think the "handlelet" would make it easier to raise and lower the mixer head into the bowel.KA--bring those back!!I can't wait until spring to hunt the yard sales around here.
 
Pete & Scott

I noticed your Bosch on the counter and was curious about it. Does it work like the AEG mixer do the paddles rotate while the bowl turns around under them?
I really like the observation that it actually stretches the dough out like hand kneading!! I have not seen the Bosch for sale down here has anybody else seen it in the US??
Scott thanks for the run years on the pelican head I did not know they were made so late, that will make it easier to find them.
I have not taken my KA apart yet but I think it must have metal gears its so old, the guy I bought it from said it was his grandmothers and his wife was using it just to see if she wanted a new one which he got her for Xmas this year so I bet mine is a very early model because this guy is 50 like me so grandma was way up there.
As for my empire red KA from 1984 it was one of the things my mom bought me when setting up a home and so it is a personal treasure but it has always been "grindy" is the only way I can describe it not smooth like when you turn on a Unimatic that is well lubricated. A unimatic is alot of moving metal but it is practically silent when running. This 1949 KA is more like a unimatic than my red mixer.
 
KA -vs- Sunbeam

I grew up with a model 11 Sunbeam, and have myself owned a Brady bunch style chrome Sunbeam, as well as a 12C that I used quite heavily, so much so that I fried the motor on my 12C. I got a KA Ultra power for Christmas in 2001. I wasn't all that eager for a KA, but there was nothing else on the market at the time that was even remotely exciting.
I loved my old Sunbeam!
I have to agree that each type has its things it does better. The Sunbeam does potatoes and whipped cream better, while the KA turns out cakes/cookies/bread better. I have a recipie for a chocolate pound cake that I have made for people and dinners for 20+ years, and the KA makes that cake way better than the Sunbeam. It was in the middle of one of these cakes that my beloved 12C expired.
I've since had my 12C restored, and I do use it now and again when I am feeling sentimental, but its the KA that lives on the counter, and I reach for it first.
I guess I have been converted!
 

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