I love my KitchenAid and although I haven’t had any problems with it yet (knock on wood), I decided to put together a page full of handy hints and tricks that I’ve bookmarked from around the web so I have them on hand “just in case”.
So far there are basic maintenance solutions and fixes but I’ve also found a few neat ideas to try (such as shredding chicken, pulled pork, making homemade butter, etc.).
If you’re a lucky duck who has an old workhorse mixer that just won’t quit (pre-1986) and it’s getting a bit banged up, you’ll find a tutorial for how to take it apart and repaint it so it looks like ashiny new Kitchenaid again.
Is there a goody I missed? Please feel free to share your experience in the comments section below. I’ll be adding more helpful ideas to this page as I find them so you may want to bookmark it for reference.
PS: Don’t miss the appliance cover tutorials I have listed on this page, these will help keep the machine dust-free.
Fixes & Tips
Leaking Grease Fix: (video) This can happen if it sits too long between uses.
Shredding Cooked Chicken: Uses the cookie paddle attachment and takes just a few seconds!
Use The Dough Hook For Mixing Meat: (can also use the paddle) The result is a finer textured meatloaf (and meatballs) that holds its shape well.
Dump In All Dry Ingredients At Once: (instead of incrementally) No more fussing with trying to add scoops of flour!
Brown Ooze Around The Drip Ring: (alternative solution to leaking grease mentioned above) Turn on Speed 10 for 2 minutes then wipe up any oil.
Roll It On Marbles: (comment from January 7, 2009) Remove the 5 rubber feet at the bottom and replace them with marbles. Rest on a dry sponge to avoid it sliding off counter.
DIY Repairs/Solutions: Covers a few issues such as oil leaking, overheating, working with non-KitchenAid recipes and overkneading.
Kneading Advice For Various Flours: (webarchive) The time difference between white flour; part white flour; whole grain flours.
Easy Pulled Pork: (link no longer available) Cut meat into 2 pound pieces (remove excess fat & bone first) and use the dough hook for 20-30 seconds at a time.
Hand Painted Designs Gallery: No tutorials here but wow! these are too beautiful not to share. Lots of inspiration if you’re planning a makeover.
Head Lifts Up & Down: Lift the tilt head and tighten the screw in the neck, if it’s too loose then the tilt head will not lock, if too tight then beaters will be too low.
Beater Stuck on the Shaft: Soak in hot water, try WD40, CLR Rust Remover, and more ideas available.
And here’s how to do the famous Beater Level Test using a dime: (Source: cakecentral.com)
- Get a dime and a flat head screwdriver.
- With the bowl and beater in place, put the dime into the bowl.
- When the beater is turned onto the “Stir” setting, it should be moving the dime 1/4 inch per rotation.
- If it is not touching the dime, the beater needs to be adjusted. With the flat head screwdriver, turn the screw that is just to the left of the mix handle 1/4 turn counter clockwise and retest.
- May have to test more than once before it’s fixed.
Good luck and I hope these tips helped get things repaired and running smoothly again for you!
My kitchen aid is 7 yr old, it now runs full speed on the first setting. stuff goes everywhere. Is this fixable and how?
We have an Artisian Stand Model KitchenAid and the control speed nob won’t stay in the off position and sometimes advances in speed on its own. Any suggestions?
I am having a problem with the lifter arm on a kitchen Aid professional 6. The lifter arm raises the bowl too high and can actually push the beater up so high that it causes the beater to disengage from the stem when turned on. The lifter arm doesn’t go low enough causing the beater to rub on the side of the bowl. I have tried using the adjusting screw and it doesn’t seem to have any affect.
Hope that you can help.
Thanks,
Joe O’Brien
Just got my KA for christmas and used it to make cookies. I found it hard to get the dough off the beater, very thick. Any tips on this?
I am having issues attaching the attachment for shredding. I cannot insert the attachment shaft housing into the attachment hub. I was able to do it once but now it won’t slide in at all. Any suggestions?
I have an old machine, about 45 yrs old. It still works great. My husbands care giver decided to clean all my counters. Now I cannot insert the attachment shaft housing into the hole. It will go as far as the square part getting into place but it will not go in all the way.
I received my KA from my husband and son for Christmas several years ago. Although I have had it for a good while, it probably has less than 5 hours running time on it. I tried to use it just before Thanksgiving this year and it sounds as if the power is cutting out. I have done lots of research on the problems with KA since and will probably just use my hand mixer from now on…I refuse to spend so much money on another piece of trash that advertises itself as a culinary must-have for any good kitchen!!!
When I use the wire whisk, it makes a terrible noise. Any help is appreciated.
Have you adjusted the depth of the beater? Had to find a happy medium between the whisk and the regular beater on mine.
I’m wondering if the head needs to be adjusted a bit, to be a little farther away from the bowl. See above – this is maybe the 5th tip down on the page (How to Adjust the Beater) – it is adjusted with a screw that is underneath where you tilt the head back.
As so many others have said, I gave away my workhorse old KA mixer and regret it because I thought I needed more wattage so purchased an Artisan KA. It has always felt less powerful than my old one even though it has more wattage. Now my motor is making a grating sound when it runs, louder on faster speeds. It still works, but I wonder if it is just going to quit one of these days. Do you recommend taking it to a local appliance repair place?
Appreciate the help.
Bowl lift mechanism on pro 6000 thumps side to side against guide rails when mixing heavier dough. Doesn’t seem to affect performance. Is this normal?
Hi… I need help. Why I cant push my kitchen aid mixer hinge in? Soooo hard… please help. Thanks
Trying to attach drive assembly onto motor head of kitchen aid tilt-head mixer (for ice cream maker) but there is a small metal protruding from the central area of the motor head that won’t allow the drive assembly to slide in place. It seems adjustable but I don’t know how to push it back. Help anyone?
My KA is about 45 years old. All of a sudden I was unable to lift the motor head to remove the bowl. Totally stuck in position. Any ideas as to how I might fix it?
Hi! I have been having an issue with my mixer and I have not been able to figure out how ti fix it. The head is incredibly difficult to lift. I have to take the bowl out and use one had to hold the base down and then use a lot of force to push the head up with the other hand. Do you have any idea how to fix this issue? Thank you for any help!!
Cassandra
Batter is not mixed well in the center, the deepest part of the bowl.
THE BEATER ON MY KA STAND MIXER SEEMS TO HESITATE WHEN MIXING A THIN BATTER AND CANNOT TURN AT ALL IN HEAVY BATTER. WHEN IT IS IN THE UP POSITION AND HAS NO RESISTANCE IT SPINS JUST FINE. WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM?
My KA mixer is about 20 years old and lately when I turn it on it doesn’t start with a slow mix, it goes really fast and throws everything out of the bowl, even with the shield on. How do you slow it down?
Wow, I have enjoyed reading this entire page. I have learned a lot. I am one who refuses to pay for someone to repair something I can repair myself. There are a number of videos on YouTube about the KA mixers. Including repairing most issues. You can get parts online and completely rebuild these wonderful machines. That is one of the main reasons I purchased the Professional 600 unit. It is powerful and can handle just about anything I can throw at it and I can rebuild the 600 from the ground up if needed. These are the best built mixers on the market if you ask me. It is worth its weight in gold. I love all the accessories that are available and am slowly collecting every one of them. I especially love the food grinder attachment. I have made applesauce, and tomato sauce that are to die for. I love my KA and will use it till the end. Go Kitchen-aid! Thanks for the super site!
I have a K45SS mixer When I turn it on 1 notch (stir) its like in 4 to 5 notch very fast flour flies all over. Can this be adjusted ?
I just got my kitchen aid mixer from my hubby for an early Christmas gift. I must say I love it…. but when I mix something on a higher speed than two it make a high pitched noise….wonder if it is the beater height not right or something else? Anyone please help… thanks!
i received a KA stand mixer this year for Christmas. I mixed a batch of lemon cookies. In the batter it looked like black grease through out. KA replyed that I needed to wash the bowl with lemon juice and salt. This was not in the instructions. I had washed it with soap and water. I am now afraid to use the mixer another time. Please give me an idea about using lemon juice and salt for this problem.
Help! My kitchenaid stopped working after adjusting the beater! It wont turn on at all!
hi!! I just my stand mixer for Christmas, I’m like a little kid learning how to use it, but I’ve noticed the very bottom of my bowl is not getting mixed, is this normal? Or do I need to lower the hook?
i left the kitchen aid mixer attachment in and it became stuck so BAD!! We tried everything but finally thought about taking a blow dryer and blowing it directly on where the attachment connects to the mixer and after a little while it started to work it’s way loose!
I have a 6 qt. glass bowl kitchen aid lift mixer. The pin will not connect on one side once the other side is set. Can you give me tips on how to properly set the bowl? Do you have a video to show the proper way to do it?
Its only 4 yrs. old fairly new. My old 20 yr. old mixer is still working great. Im so disappointed that the lift model is harder to operate. Help.
The back cover of my KitchenAid (not the lift model) is loose. If it is not held just right with strong tape, the mixer will made noise. Any thoughts on why the back cover will not stay in place? I’ve not found how it is mounted. No visible damage is present.
Mine is also loose in the back and vibrates out of the cover. Then it makes loud vibrating noise. Is there any way to fix it? All screws are tight. thanks
I have only had my Kitchen Aid for about a month. I recently used the meat grinder attachment but a few days later a foul odor filled my kitchen and I discovered it was from the attachment access hole. Is the meat supposed to back up into the motor area? It is a horrible odor. I tried to clean it but to no avail.
I can’t disengage my beater. Any suggestions?
Every time I use my Kitchen Aid my batter comes out with white sour balls, I don’t understand how or where these are coming from? Does anyone have an idea why my batter comes out with these white balls.
My KA throws food out of the bowl on the lowest speed. It doesn’t matter which paddle I use. The splash guard won’t stay on, either. Ideas for help?
Wondering how to get the old deteriorated feet off my vintage mixer to install new ones…..
I started using the meat grinder attachment some time ago and the last time I started it, an incredibly foul odour came out of (I think) the motor. All the attachments are thoroughly cleaned after each use and I cannot see where the meat could enter inside the mixer. I saw a comment similar to this but no response yet…Any idea how this could be fixed? More importantly, I don’t want to inadvertently mix in food that could contain salmonella into fresh meat…
My flex edge beater recently developed an “Oily” area on the rubber edge. That oily area has an unpleasant chemical smell too. I only use this beater for cake batter and I always handwash and dry it. I store it in the plastic container it came in when purchased. I have washed it numerous times and even soaked it in hot soapy water with no luck. Once it’s dry, the oily area and the smell comes right back. I am afraid to use it now. I have had it several years and never had a problem with it previously. What causes this and is there any way to resolve this issue?
Help is needed-I bought a replacement beater since the old one was chipping badly. Even though new beater says it is for the same model, it is missing the metal pin that goes from the beater to the mixer. I expected some sort of instructions on how to replace, but nothing in the “manual” but that I have the correct replacement. Can you move the pin from old beater to new one? (New one is not threaded, old beater was)
Just received an 8qt. as a gift, it slightly wobbles while running…anybody else have this issue?..maybe a solution?..thank you
Motor sounds like it’s running out of power with thick mixture. This is not normal for my machine so I question if it’s time to replace brushes.
I’ve encountered a problem with my KA and I was wondering if anyone else was also having this same dilemma. After I mix something up my “toggle pin” on the base part of the machine pushes its way thru to one side or the other. And I or my husband have to pound it back into place before the next go round. At this moment we have electrical tape around it trying to hold it into place. Any suggestions or fixes?
I have an older KA tilt stand mixer. The stainless bowl has K45 on the bottom. How do I know which glass bowl will fit my machine?
My Mother gave me her old Hobart machine in the early 70’s it still works better then the new lift KA which I bought about 4 years ago. The only thing that the old one does wrong, is when I have a heavy dough in the machine, the bowl likes to jump out at you. So You have to be there to catch the bowl or everything either ends up on the counter or the floor, if I am not quick enough. There have been many improvements made over the years on these machines but not all have been good.