After putting the loaves into the oven, I started my diagnostic evaluation of what was wrong with my mixer. By putting my flour, honey, salt, yeast and measuring cups away......and calling for Paul.
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| Oh, my poor KitchenAid |
While he was taking apart the mixer, I went online to see if there were any documents or diagrams that I could pull up and found quite a few sites that said the problem was probably with the worm drive gear (whatever the hell that is). And as Paul pulled some more stuff off the mixer, it did indeed appear that the wormdrivegearthingy was the culprit in my KitchenAid catastrophe.
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| Red arrow showing where the worn part is, just in case you were wondering. |
It's a nylon (i.e. hard plastic) gear that was worn down to practically nothing on one side, thus causing the mixer to not so much mix anything thicker than pudding. Apparently the worn gear was no longer able to put up with my heavy whole wheat oatmeal honey bread.
As Paul cleaned the grease off the parts, he found a part number conveniently stamped on the gear. He continued with his mechanic-ing and I pulled up a few sites that had KitchenAid parts, found the most economically friendly one, and now for the low-low price of only $9.96 I will again have a fully functioning mixer....as well as having a spare gear on hand!
Although I was glad that my wonderful, intelligent, sexy, mechanically inclined husband was able to figure out the problem and order the replacement parts, I do have to admit that I was secretly hoping the mixer was toast so I could buy a bigger, better one. Oh well. At least we didn't have to fork out $400.
Maybe Santa will shove a KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer (available with free shipping via Amazon, just in case somebody was wondering...hint-hint) down the chimney in a few years.
Four hundred dollars for a mixer!!!?
ReplyDeleteBoy I wish my wife wanted a four hundred dollar mixer. I need some more tractor implements.
So for less than $10 Santa has a few years to get his elves working on building you a new one, that sounds like a deal.
ReplyDeleteHave Paul fix it as it's good practice for the future breakdowns. :-)
ReplyDeleteLike I've said before I'm on my fourth KA lift bowel mixer and the sad part is, it is the best stand mixer for home use. It's just not designed for people who make 2 or more loaves of bread at a time (even though KA says it can) especially freshly milled whole wheat flour. When you call KA they will tell you to only make one loaf of whole wheat bread at a time!!!
Close call!!!!! Lol. A least this gives Santa more time.....
ReplyDeleteLucky you to be living with a KA repairman! I have a lovely KA mixer I've had for nearly 20 years and I've used it very little. I know I'm nuts but I am so NOT a gadget person. Give me a wood spoon and my own hands for kneading (or whatever) and I'm happy. But just recently I have decided to pull the KA out of it's dark cabinet, set it in a permanent place on the counter and START LEARNING HOW TO USE IT. (How's that for doing something wild and crazy?)
ReplyDeleteP.S. Can I have the phone number for Paul's direct line if and when I ever have any mechanical problems with it?
I too love my KA mixer which has been in use for 20 years. I dream of the bigger better models but like our cars this KA will not be replaced until it is no longer fixable. For those who do not understand a good KA is what keeps the country kitchen GOING!!!
ReplyDeleteOh NO!! I hate having to finish making bread by hand! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Paul had the know how and talent to fix it. Mine would have probably just gone in the trash...
Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteOnce Paul fixes your machine, and if Santa brings you a new KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer can I have your old one?????
It does bite to have a talented husband sometimes doesn't it? Our dryer went out recently and $25 later, it was fixed thanks to the man in the house. I have wanted a prof. series mixer for years but my KitchenAid keeps plugging along. Here's hoping Santa makes your wish come true.
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