<p>My almost-80 year old mother loves to bake, but mentioned she’s having difficulty with kneading dough (hard work, requires a bit of muscle she’s beginning to lack.)</p>
<p>I instantly thought of getting her a Kitchenaid mixer – but not having one, I don’t know how it really operates. </p>
<p>What do you think, CC-experts - is it easy/light enough to change out the different parts, clean, etc - for a (still active, just aging) 80 year old?</p>
<p>As long as she doesn’t have to lift the entire mixer, it’s fine. The mixer itself is heavy – maybe 20 or 25 pounds?? – so she will want to store it on the counter. As far as using the mixer itself, it’s a breeze.</p>
<p>I was also going to mention the weight of it. I don’t know how much the upper part of the mixer weighs (the part with the motor and where the attachments go), but it is the heaviest part. Can you take her to a store to make sure she can raise and lower the actual mixer part? The attachments are easy. Sometimes I have a problem removing the mixing bowl and bang on it. </p>
<p>What a nice thought though for a woman that enjoys baking.</p>
<p>I think I lifted my mixer only once - to put it on the kitchen counter in the spot where it still sits. It is very easy to operate, and cleanup is a breeze. I mostly use the dough hook with it for making dumplings, and it is easy to install and pop out. You can go to Macys or another store that has these mixers on display and “play” with the attachments.
Kudos to your mom for staying active with her favorite hobby!</p>
<p>My Mom gave me her Kitchenaid because it was difficult for her to use. She had trouble changing attachments-you have to push in and twist. She also had trouble unlocking the bowl. As others have noted, the unit is very heavy, and she was also having trouble moving the unit to the up position. She has lost a lot of height due to arthritis, and has also had shoulder problems, so it was getting hard for her to reach.</p>
<p>For safety, she should park the heavy appliance in a work spot that she can easily access the speed panel, engage and disengage the mixing bowl and have room to bend the mixer neck back.
A counter top/work spot above the level of her bent forearms plus the height of the appliance will require her to stand on a step ladder and that is dangerous for a senior.</p>
<p>How about a bread making machine instead?</p>
<p>I would go with the bread making machine also.
She might try a no knead recipe.
<a href=“The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work - The New York Times”>The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work - The New York Times;
<p>I say it’s a thoughtful gift and you should have her try one. Beyond kneading dough, it will also allow her to mix and whisk. If she’s having trouble kneading, she’s probably having trouble mixing both with an electric mixer and by hand. </p>
<p>We gave our 17 year old D a KitcheAid stand mixer for Xmas. Kind of an odd gift for a kid, but she loves to bake and is still excited to use it.</p>
<p>My mom gave me hers because it is so heavy to lift.</p>
<p>I don’t keep a lot of appliances out on my counters full time, but the Kitchenaid mixer is too heavy and too attractive to store away. I don’t lift mine on a regular basis. It’s quite easy to clean the parts thoroughly and wipe down the base in place. I know a few 80+ years olds still going strong with theirs. Can you ask her if it’s something she’d ever use?</p>
<p>My 80 year old mother has a KitchenAid and doesn’t even keep it on the counter. She stores it on a shelf just below the countertop where she likes to use it. She says it’s been very convenient. My mother in law is also 80 and keeps hers on the counter and has never had any problems handling it. </p>
<p>Another option is a mixer lift if she has any available cabinet space. I don’t like keeping appliances on my counters so that’s how I store my KitchenAid. The spring loaded mechanism makes it very easy to pop it up to counter height and then get it out of sight when it isn’t needed. I haven’t had to lift the mixer since we moved into the kitchen.</p>
<p>FYI: There is a small and large (pro) version. Both are heavy. In the small version, the head tilts up. In the large version, the bowl is raised and lowered by a leaver.</p>
<p>Have her try both to see which is easier to use.</p>
<p>If she makes large batches (two or more loaves of bread at a time), the large is great.</p>
<p>Kitchenaid mixers come in several sizes with different bowl/head configurations. The one that I have is a tilt-head 5 quart mixer. Mine sits in the dedicated corner on the countertop. Im 5’ 6" and I do not need a stepping stool to use the mixer. I agree that with the tilt head configuration the bowl might be a bit hard for an 80 yr old lady to take out, but that’s what rubber mallets are for! 
One little tap, and the bowl is easy to twist out. There is also a version of with a “hanging” bowl: <a href=“http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/countertop-appliances-1/countertop-appliances-2/stand-mixers-3/-[/url][KP26M1XGA]-401638/KP26M1XGA/”>http://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/countertop-appliances-1/countertop-appliances-2/stand-mixers-3/-[KP26M1XGA]-401638/KP26M1XGA/</a>
Even though this version is more expensive, I think this might be the way to go.</p>
<p>Folks who like to keep their mixers on the counter might consider ordering one of Nicole’s creations: [Un</a> Amore Custom Designs specializes in Custom Painted KitchenAid Mixers, Guitar Cases, Skate Decks, Invitations, Design, Fine Art, Airbrushed KitchenAid Mixers, & more!](<a href=“http://un-amore.com/]Un”>http://un-amore.com/)
:)</p>
<p>Great advice, everyone - thank you. Beerme (great nic) and Emerald, she has a bread machine, this is primarily for baking traditional poppy-seed roll which requires dough that rises, no way would she mess with a 130-year old recipe for the sake of convenience 
</p>
<p>Roshke, I think she’d use it - she mentioned she could use a mixer with a dough blade - she bakes a lot in one fell swoop, then freezes, so something that can handle a lot of dough at once would be ideal. </p>
<p>I’m also concerned about the weight – I suppose like most of you she’d simply keep it on the counter – but the height might be an issue too… hmmm. </p>
<p>Bunsen, thanks for the rubber mallet tip - mom is a bit of a character, and she’d be ALL ABOUT that mallet :)</p>
<p>My grandmother had one, in her 80’s. Before that, she used her Cuisinart food processor, which has a kneading blade (it’s one of the standard blades, I think, does double duty.) She liked the rest of the process, got bored with the bread maker.</p>
<p>IMacy’s has 40% off the “classic” – don’t know when sale ends: [KitchenAid</a> KSM75SL Stand Mixer, 4.5 Qt. Classic Plus Tilt Head - All KitchenAid - Kitchen - Macy’s](<a href=“http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/kitchenaid-ksm75sl-stand-mixer-45-qt-classic-plus-tilt-head?ID=802011&CategoryID=63398&LinkshareID=RvEiSnI7NyY-CUXpewAV.zkxxJgEzQCKHA&PartnerID=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc=LINKSHARE-_-5-_-63-_-MP563]KitchenAid”>http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/kitchenaid-ksm75sl-stand-mixer-45-qt-classic-plus-tilt-head?ID=802011&CategoryID=63398&LinkshareID=RvEiSnI7NyY-CUXpewAV.zkxxJgEzQCKHA&PartnerID=LINKSHARE&cm_mmc=LINKSHARE-_-5-_-63-_-MP563)</p>
<p>I have the 5 quart Artisan with the tilt head. On mine removing the bowl isn’t difficult and no real strength needed - you just have to know which way it twists. Maybe some of them stick more than others?</p>
<p>If your mom tends to bake in small quantities (one loaf/twelve rolls), the Cuisinart is the way to go. She’d use the steel blade in that case, not the dough blade, which is for bigger batches. It does a superb job and the dough comes together very fast. I always finish the dough by kneading a minute or two by hand – not sure this is strictly necessary, but your mom may enjoy the old school touch, as do I.</p>
<p>If the majority of your mom’s recipes entail rich or sticky doughs or yield multiple loaves, then the Kitchenaid excels. If you do buy one, make sure it has the spiral dough hook, not the one that is C-shaped. It incorporates ingredients and kneads much better.</p>
<p>I used to make all of our bread and such hard core things as croissants, dacquoise, tiered wedding cakes, and petit fours. I’ve used a cuisinart, kitchenaid, and bread machine for the bread. I’d go with a Kitchenaid. (I have the 5 qt type where you flip a lever to raise or lower the bowl.) It is far more flexible in terms of which phases of baking it can do. It would enable your mother to skip the heavy mixing and do some lighter kneading by hand at the end, beat egg whites, cream, cake batters, cookie dough, etc. Yes, it’s heavy, but I just leave it out on the counter. (In my dream kitchen, I would have one of those special cabinets where it rises up and locks in place. )</p>
<p>IMHO, it would be much better for your mother to keep doing some kneading in order to preserve her muscle strength than to just give it up altogether. My mother is 90, lives alone, does yardwork, bakes bread, etc. I know that everyone is different and she is in many ways very lucky, but there is something to the concept of “use it or lose it.”</p>
<p>Consolation, my mother would agree about the ‘use it or lose it.’ For her, the problem is that she likes to do a lot of baking at once, then freezing. And kneading, say, eight loaves in the course of one day does get really tiring. </p>
<p>Thanks also for your input about cuisineart vs. kitchenaid. I personally love my cuisineart, but I do think that mom would get more use from the mixer - since she’s familar with the basic principles of mixers and would instantly know how good it is for other uses too. </p>
<p>I agree with the special cabinet that rises & locks in place - perfect. I may have to resort to a stand on wheels mom could leave the kitchen aid on - then simply push into the center of the kitchen when using her kitchenaid, then pushing it aside when she’d done. I’m having my sister measure the heights of mom’s counters and look for something suitable – maybe at IKEA.</p>