Ruby

[mntleo2]

I am an old cook. For over 40 years of cooking I have used my grandmother's Sunbeam Stand mixer that is older than me and I am 58 years old. It produced hundreds of pounds of fluffy mashed potatoes, it made the dreamiest cakes with the best fudge and butter cream frosting you ever had. It whipped egg whites to a peaked perfection and it made 7 minute frosting like a dream. I always knew that whatever mistakes I made with that mixer was MY fault because it was always trustworthy and knew its job. Most of all I loved that I could go and do other things while it purred along.

Well after 60+ years of perfect service, it died. After communing with it, I gave it a respectful funeral ~ and went out to find a new one.

She is fire engine red, she came with 2 stainless steel bowls with three very functional-looking attachments, she had a screaming 400 watts worth of power. She was young, stunningly beautiful sitting there on the counter after I lovingly unwrapped her and set her there in my old mixer's place.

I named her Ruby.

Making a cake (Grandma's recipe) was our first task. Ruby would not mix out all the lumps in her first job, tiny lumps still in the batter whether revving her up to her fullest speed or letting her "coast" on low. Finally I gave up and put the batter in the pan to bake. I could not help but notice that sticking in the bottom of her gleaming bowl was about half of the butter I had used, even though I had dutifully scrapped the bowl.

ARRGH! It came out flatter than a pancake. The frosting was almost as lumpy but I spread it on there anyway and it barely passed my family's "tests" with odd looks.

Oh and Ruby refuses to twirl the bowl like the old Sunbeam did so scrapping the bowl was a challenge because if I removed the bowl to get behind the beater, then it dripped everywhere. and if Ruby is lifted up, she STILL won't let me get behind, her beaters drip on my hand even with a long handled rubber spatula, which also does not scrape the bowl and won't allow me to get to the bottom of her bowl. Plus Ruby's beater is not that easy to scrape either, it gets tons of unmixed ingredients higher than the surface of the batter, and then another "waste" occurs. Sheesh you'd think by sticking my rubber spatual behind her, I was tryin'to take advantage of her or something.

And I don't dare to leave Ruby alone because she will maliciously splatter everything all over the counter and walls, laughing carelessly as she does it.

Mashed potatoes ...uhhh about 1/3 of them did not even get whipped.

So the next thing was bread dough. I eagerly looked forward to discarding my bread machine as well as the Sunbeam because Ruby has a dough hook that is not like the 2 spiral thingys for the old Sunbeam that made the dough "crawl" up the beaters and into the motor. I was dreaming of REAL french bread and making my wonderful whole wheat bread with little dots of wheat germ and whole wheat permeating the first steaming piece I cut that everyone fought over.

Again. Flatter than a pancake, it barely raised over the edge of the bread pan even after being put in the oven. Wasn't dough-y though just ...dense. Same recipe, same ingredients.

Ruby is posing over there on the counter and smirking, she is laughing at me. "I may be pretty," she says, "I may have all that beauty and power, but hahahahahahahahaha! You paid a small fortune for me and you have found out (again) that 'beauty is only skin deep'..."

I have looked online, I have read the manual and while they tell me technical things like what the attachments are for and how to attach them, how to care for them etc, but they do not tell me enough about how to use Ruby so she no longer mocks me. I need to tame her or I am sure someday she will overpower me and take over my kitchen!

(Looking over my shoulder to make sure she is not watching me as I type this).
"Ruby! Put that dough hook down right now... Ruby! Stop!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Help!

Cat in Seattle

[Suich]

1. LOL! Great story, Cat!

I have no idea what to tell you...I use a goofy little hand-held mixer.

My neighbor got a new mixer for Christmas; I'll ask her how she likes it.

Good luck!

[mntleo2]

3. I tried to find another mixer likE the one that died but ...

...now they are considered "antiques" or "collectibles" and get this: THEY WANT ALMOST AS MUCH MONEY FOR THEM AS RUBY COSTS.

With what I know about Ruby, I wonder why ... :eyes:

Cat

[csziggy]

5. What brand is Ruby?

I've read that the new KitchenAids are not as good as the old ones.

When I finally admitted that I can no longer hold a hand held mixer long enough to beat cake mix and that it was totally inadequate for beating meringue to true stiffness, I started watching Craigslist for KitchenAids. I passed up several deals for "New in the box, never used, KitchenAid mixer for $80!" They were just a little too suspicious for me.

I missed a couple of deals that were probably great old mixers, but I just didn't check the listings soon enough. But I was the first call for a Hobart KitchenAid mixer a young man was selling. It had been his grandmother's, he said, and from the looks of the house, he had inherited her house and was trying to update the entire place.

It's plain white, but it looks nearly new. I had to go out and spend more money on a dough hook than I paid for the mixer, but so far it has not disappointed me. I pretty much don't have to scrape the bowl - the beaters get all the way to the sides of the bowl. If it did miss one side or the bottom, I love the instructions for adjustment - "If the beater subs the bottom of the bowl, it can be corrected by tapping the yoke with a mallet." Anything I can do fine adjustments to by whacking with a mallet MUST be solid enough to stand up to my usage!

Is yours an Artisan KitchenAid - they seem to be crap, pretty much. Look for and old K5SS - those, unlike mine, have solid state controls which can be replaced.

[mntleo2]

7. I did a lot of shopping ...

...before I bought Ruby. She is a Kenmore and Hobart made. All Kitchenaide attachments are compatible with Ruby as well, so I thought I was making a good choice.

I did look online to see if I could just replace the old Sunbeam with another, but seems they think that now those are "collectibles" or "antiques". As I am a wee bit younger than it was, I wish somebody consider ME "collectible". :P

I usually make my bread dough with a bread machine, but it only makes one loaf and I was hoping Ruby would make 2 loves at once. Ruby's dough hook looks good and all but I am wondering if she is so powerful she is over mixing or what? I just wish I know more about how to work with her, I bought her because I hoped she would last me for the rest of my life, but I swear, she is out to kill me instead!

Cat

[csziggy]

20. So Ruby is a Hobart Kitchenaid with the Kenmore name attached

Though it may be the Artisan, which apparently the Hobart KitchenAid purists sneer at.

What speed are you using for mixing your dough? With the KitchenAids, they recommend staying at speed 2 or below. I start mixing at 1 then once everything is coming together, I kick it up to 2 until the "kneading" is done and the dough looks smooth and silky.

I have to admit mine will throw flour or liquids out when they are first being incorporated into a mass of dough. I need to get a shield, but that would triple the amount I have in the mixer. ;)

[mntleo2]

24. Yeah it is 'sposed to be Hobart made but ...

...Ruby's housing does not look anything like a Kitchen Aide and it prolly is the Artisan motor, etc because I could not afford $350 ~ $200 was almost too much because I am low income. I do know Kitchen Aid attachments are supposed to fit on it from what the manual said.

And yeah with the Sunbeam I would stay with it to push stuff down until everything was incorporated, and then the turntable thingy would gently spin the bowl and whip up the rest. Once in awhile I might return and push things down and scrape the bottom as it spun and then let it continue to do its thing.

Ruby's treatment of mashed potatoes was kinda funny (well NOW it is but then, not so funneh). Ruby's motor starts out slow and then ramps up supposedly to curb the splattering but ... after putting in my pot of hot spuds, I got it started on about 3, and it slowly began its ramping up. Then suddenly it kicked into high gear and potatoes went flying everywhere. They flew all over my glasses, in my hair, on my clothes, what a mess! My DIL came into the kitchen just as it happened and ran over to help me grope for the dial (I could not see because my glasses were all ...spudsy). It shocked us both to say the least and I think the not-so-funneh part was that both of us were lucky not to have sustained burns ...sheesh.

I admit it, I did not DARE look into the bathroom mirror while cleaning up.

Man I REALLY need to tame Ruby soon. I am sure she is doing it on purpose!

Cat

[csziggy]

26. That is weird behavior for a mixer!

Maybe try Ruby on 1 then see how it goes? I was reading something that said that the Artisan motor is the same as for the Pro KitchenAids, so it is as powerful, just in a tilt top instead of the lift style. I have found that even for whipping meringues I don't need to take the speed up past 3 or 4, so 3 for mashed potatoes is probably too fast.

The manual I downloaded says for a 10 speed mixer, mash potatoes on 2. Here is their recipe for mashed potatoes, maybe it will help:

Mashed Potatoes
5 large potatoes (about
21⁄2 lbs.), peeled,
quartered, and
boiled
1⁄2 cup low-fat milk,
heated
2 tablespoons butter
or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon black
pepper
Warm mixer bowl and flat beater with hot water; dry. Place hot potatoes in bowl. Attach bowl and
flat beater to mixer. Gradually turn to Speed 2 and mix about 1 minute, or until smooth.
Add all remaining ingredients. Turn to Speed 4 and beat about 30 seconds, or until milk is absorbed.
Gradually turn to Speed 6 and beat about 1 minute, or until fluffy. Stop and scrape bowl. Exchange flat beater for wire whip. Turn to Speed 10 and whip 2 to 3 minutes.
Yield: 9 servings (3⁄4 cup per serving).

[Warpy]

28. Something's wrong with Ruby

That automatic ramping up thing is obviously not working the way it should, for one thing.

For another, the attachments should fit that bowl so that you don't end up with butter on the bottom of it. Scraping down the sides should be it.

I have the cheap, bottom of the line Kitchenaid I bought 14 years ago from Wally's and it's done things like 2 loaves of bread a week with nary a whimper. Ramping up speed is done by hand, fine with me.

While you'll have to change your cake baking habits with a more powerful mixer, that automatic speed control thingie should be a giveaway that it needs to be returned.

[elleng]

2. Thanks and SORRY, Cat!

[NMDemDist2]

4. sigh

they just don't make em like they used to, do they? :hide:

[mntleo2]

9. It was all my fault!

Read below I confess, I murdered that mixer and it was "only" 60 years old. I am becoming convinced Ruby was sent from hell to torture me. :argh:

Cat

[Lucinda]

6. Wonderful albeit sad tale! Isn't there any way to fix the old Sunbeam?

I ask because I had a pair of boots I looooved. Wore them until the soles gave out and I finally gave up and tossed them. It NEVER occurred to me to take them to a cobbler and get new soles. I still miss them. Maybe an electrician could fix up your gem?

And I have a Kitchenaid Classic that works beautifully for me. It doesn't have a spinning bowl, and can be a little tweaky to scrape down, but I can leave it alone to knead dough without feeling like I will return to a mess and nothing ever gets left behind in the bowl.

[mntleo2]

8. Ok I confess I swear, it was an accident but I murdered it!

...I tried to make bread dough because my bread machine only makes 1 loaf. I wanted to try to make french bread but the recipe I had made 2 loaves. So I used the 2 spiral dough hooks that came with the Sunbeam. Then as I usually do, I went about doing a few other prep-cook type things while it "did its thing". I did not notice that the dough crawled up the beaters and got into the motor. I must have spent 2 days trying to get that dough out of the vents and cracks using everything from a toothpick to a paring knife. After that, every time I thought I got it all, a shower of dried dough would fall into my recipe. Plus the motor began to make an odd smell. I knew it was dying but still tried to make it work and then POOF! It died in a shower of sparks.

Ok I feel better now since the Truth has come out. (sob)

Plus from what I am reading it was a foolish thing to even try to make that kind of bread since I read if you want that wonderful crust and chewy center, you have to have a $5000 steam-y oven. I guess my baking stone won't do it (and didn't for the recipe I tried to make).

That's it!!!! Maybe I deserve Ruby and she is getting me back! Karma can be such a b**ch :(

Cat

[NMDemDist2]

10. you can get some good artisan bread with just a dutch oven

google artisan bread in 5 minutes or sullivan bakery bread recipe

we had a TON of threads on it a couple years ago....

[Phentex]

13. any ideas on how to kill a toaster oven?...

we have one my husband bought and we ALL hate it. It must be killed beyond repair because my husband can fix just about anything. He hates it, too, but not enough to give it up for adoption.

Then, I worry about karma. *sigh*

[mntleo2]

17. I know the feeling ...

...planning a toaster oven murder may not be as bad as my evil plots to eliminate Ruby but you could take some evasive actions before it gets suspicious and in such a way as the "karma" won't stick ...

Cat

[Lucinda]

16. Oh.

Well thats different.
:rofl:
And there are great EASY recipes to get crusty chewy bread. If you have an oven proof stockpot with a lid, or a clay baker I can hook you up. You can even do it with just a pan of water under baking bread...but the lidded options are much better for your oven.

Let me know!

[mntleo2]

18. Yeah! I am dying for that bread ...

...and I don't want my Sunbeam to have given its life in vain. I have read about the sponge dough and all but I do not have a dutch oven or anything like it. Suffice it to say 45 years ago I bought a "waterless" cook set that I have used ever since, but it did not include a dutch oven and at that time they were not made for the oven. I just used a bread machine, which only makes one loaf, and baking pans for oven things. I tried to use the pizza stone, throwing ice cubes in the bottom of the oven, a pan of water under the pan, you know the drill. Nothing worked. Thus ensued the murder of my priceless 60 year old Sunbeam. :(

Cat

[Lucinda]

21. You might be able to find a good stock pot inexpensively

Yard sales, thrift stores etc. I bought a great clay cooker for next to nothing on ebay. Good luck!

[housewolf]

11. Awwww.... give her another chance!

Was your butter room temperature, or was it could? Did you cream your butter & sugar, add your liquid ingredients and then your dry ingredients in thirds? Or did you just dump everything in at once?

Did you read your manual about how to use her?

Do you know how to test bread dough to make sure there's sufficient gluten development?

I don't now what to say about the mashed potatoes, unless tried to mash a rather greater quantity than the capapcity of your machine.

Can you return her? It's possible that you have a defective one...

Did you check your manual re: adjusting the paddle height? The manual should show you the appropriate clearance you should have between the bottom of the bowl and the bottom of the paddle, it's possible that it needs to be adjusted.

Admittedly, it's a shame that you're having such problems with a new mixer! If I were you, I'd return it and buy instead a Kitchen Aid or a Cuisinart (both really great stand mixers).

[mntleo2]

14. I can adjust the paddle hieght?

I will go back to my manual but I do not remember anything about adjusting the paddle height and I *thought* I had read it cover to cover ('cept of course the French and Spanish part, which I can't read, lol).

Wow now I am going to go back and look.

Today I am going to my state capitol to do some sign waving and serious legislative arm twisting. We have a bill that needs our help and my Rep is working hard to promote it but we don't want it to die. I am an activist for low income people and as you know, the cuts on the backs of the poor, disabled, and children is massive everywhere and my state (WA) is no exception.

Plus I am SO proud of this homeless mom I am working with who graduated from law school and is bring a law suit against the state because she was not allowed to complete her degree training by interning for a law office that was not non-profit ~ since most law offices are not non-profit she has been stymied and literally punished for trying to get an internship that would count for "work" and make her independent with a livable wage.

We are speaking with our House Speaker about her. Here is the FaceBook link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_196959530324055

Pass the FB link on if you want.

Cat

[trud]

12. a few thoughts

If the manufacturer has actual humans who know what they're doing handling customer service, you might chat on the phone with them and see if they can shed any light.

Try to get the old one repaired.

Ebay, it sounds like paying as much for another like the old one, if you can get a working one, would be worth it.

[Paper Roses]

15. What were the claims from the manufacturer? If your machine does

not live up to it's expectations, based on the claims, I'd bring it back. If it is determined to be your fault, well I think you'll get the hang of it soon.

I have fallen victim to a few wondrous product claims and found that they did not do what they were supposed to do. Brought them back. I can not afford to spend on appliances that just don't cut it.
Good luck!

[grasswire]

19. have you tried thrift shops?

I see old mixers all the time in thrift stores. Especially if you can find a store that is associated with a retirement community. Also at estate sales.

About ten years ago I bought an early KA mixer -- one of the earliest models. IIRC it is from the 1930s. It runs like a top, but even so it has an issue with the beater not quite reaching to the bottom of the bowl.

I have been thinking that I'd like an old Sunbeam, too.

Oh...in the 80s I had an Oster big mixer that also had a food processor, blender, slicer apparatus with lots of attachments. It worked well. I gave it to a family member who needed it more than I did. Those Osters might still be available.

[mntleo2]

25. Good idea!

...I go to thrift shops often and used to see them all the time. But recently in the past few years I have not seen them at all (and of course Murphy's Law mandates there will never be one anywhere in sight, ESPECIALLY when I am looking for one)

Hope springs eternal though I never thought of looking at a Senior Center store because sometimes we think stuff like that is "too old" and practically give them away. However I am not so sure because old cooks like me know a valuable kitchen tool when we see one.

Maybe for instance other people will see the following as "junk" but ....One of my most prized tools is one I only use at this time of the year: a strawberry top remover thingy that takes the tops off strawberries and it pinches blemished and old parts off as well. When I make jam and freeze strawberries and have a 1/2 or whole flat to clean, to me that tool is a gem!

Cat

[hippywife]

22. You know, I think you're not going to be entirely happy

with anything else after your long relationship with your old mixer. And that is one of my grumbles with the KA, is that the dough climbs the hook, oh, and having to stop and scrap the bowl on occasion. The make a paddle attachment that fits that that automatically scrapes the bowl made by someone other than KA, so I haven't tried that.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=scraper+paddle+for+kitchenaid&x=0&y=0

With regard to not being able to walk away when the dough is being kneaded, my take on it is this: "Hey! At least all I have to do is stand here and push it back down once in awhile rather than kill my back leaning over the table kneading the dough."

Altho, I learned a very hard lesson with mine not too long ago.:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=85214

Hope you can find something you can be content with, if not entirely happy. :hi:

[mntleo2]

23. Yeah well ...

...yeah I was spoiled by my Sunbeam 'cause I could walk away from it and do other things. And yeah as a person whose job was to help my mom made potato bread, (three loves at a time), I did plenty of kneading and mixing all right. Standing over a machine pushing the dough down is a MUCH nicer!

OW! My hand hurt just reading what happened to you. Did it do much damage?

Ok I have to tell this kitchen injury story:

My ex is a professional cook and we are still friends but while married the kitchen was a battle ground. He was so critical of my cooking yet REFUSED to help. It used to make me mad and I would tell him to cook it himself, if he was SO much better and if he wanted it that way.

One day I'd just had it and I yelled at him so loud and hard that, I am not making this up, I THREW OUT MY JAW. I had to go to the hospital and have it reset because the lower jaw was kind of tilted to one side.

So the doc is asking me how I got my injury (with the DH who was *not* very dear at that time standing right there, and I could not lie). With a muffled voice because besides being embarrassed to death, talking was painful and hard, but I mumbled how it happened. Unfortunately this was while Dr was working on the reset. I could see as I gazed into his twinkling eyes that he was struggling while still working on realigning the top and bottom of my face. Suddenly he exploded in laughter and worse, my husband began to laugh too. I felt the doc's hand slip and I thought he was going to re-injure my jaw, but thankfully that didn't happen.

To my horror they both ended up sitting on the examining room floor howling while I glared at them. They couldn't even tell the nurse who ran in to see why the ruckus. I tried to tell her through the din and my swollen jaw why they were laughing and immediately she took my side. She stood with me and glared at them until they calmed down. But they could not look at each other and I knew this was going to be a story to tell in the break room from now on. I guess I will give the doc the credit that he tried not to laugh and be very professional and serious ~ at first.

To this day whenever I get irritated my ex says, "Be careful or you might throw out your jaw again!"

But I will say after that day, he began to help in the kitchen and even take over the cooking duties.

Sometimes bad stuff becomes good stuff, ya know?

Cat

[mntleo2]

27. What you descibe was my concern

...this is why I wrote about Ruby in the first place.

I mean I know I have had the same mixer for 40 years, but maybe I just don't know how to use Ruby in a way that she is a good tool for my kitchen. Maybe there are tricks and common knowledge things that seasoned owners know that I do not. I cannot tell you how many times in my life I picked up a gadget and wondered, "What the hell is THIS for?" But when it was demonstrated or described how to use it, well hey, then it was pretty darn slick!

I may be an old fart, but I AM open to learning new things, and darn it, I believed I could tame Ruby if I just learn how to use her right. Also I am learning from this thread that some of the problems I encounter are common ones and surely there are ways around them, I just need to learn what they are.

Like for instance the scraping thing. I am wondering if I can just remove the paddle and let it rest in the dough while I get to the back of the bowl and if others commonly do it this way or if this would even work. I am wondering about speed and if my flat cakes and bread is because of over mixing because I am not used to the Ruby's powerful motor and for sure now I am seeing why so many of these mixers have shields for the bowl, etc.

I am still mystified by the lumpy cake batter though. I comes out with these tiny lumps that will not mix out. The frosting comes out that way too, with flecks of butter that refuse to cream into the other ingredients. I tried adding liquids first and then the dry on top and this kinda helped but it still has those small lumps.

Also, while certain things require following a recipe and measuring, often I am a "by guess and by gosh" cook and I am thinking Ruby needs things to be measured and maybe in some order I don't know.

Thanks for letting me ruminate!

Cat

[housewolf]

29. There's a Yahoo group for stand mixers

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mixer-Owners/


It's been around for a long, long time. You might find some help there, too

[Warpy]

30. The only scraping I generally have to do is up above the level

of whatever is being mixed, just to reincorporate it with the rest of the stuff in there.

I also know that when the bread dough climbs the hook, it's done and it's time to flop it into a bowl to sit and rise.

[hippywife]

31. Not true...

mine always climbs the hook from the very beginning.

And as far as scraping, sometimes some of the loose unincorporated flour is on the bottom depending on what's being made.

[Warpy]

32. I haven't had that problem, sorry

Probably because I've got the cheap one that's underpowered.