bit-tech Shopping: KitchenAid Accessory Pack: Food Grinder, Slicer/Shredder and Strainer

Rating: 2

Time with product: 90 Days

Strengths: if you need mashing this is the way to go

Weaknesses: Not worth for anything else.

Summary: I'm a mechanical engineer and I love to cook, so I buy quality to last... Well the name it is not a sign of quality... Let see if I can start somewhere... the cones are not stainless steel, but carbon steel chromed. Which mean that they will rust. Check your set with a magnet, if it is not sticking it's a true stainless steel. The blades are either dull, unevenly sharpened, or not at all. It mashes or puree very well, but the cuts are uneven and messy. I just wanted a slicer, not a musher.The sharpening on the slicing cones is visibly uneven. one side slices, the other not. The gap between the cones and the body is too big, food goes in, get pushed in by the dull cones to end up in a mess. Has anyone heard of balancing???? The cones rotate unevenly, which adds to the previous mess. The length of the blades is smaller than the size of the spout. A total mess... probably bypassed the engineering department

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Works well; convenient to use.

Weaknesses: Mostly made of plastic.

Summary: I love this pack of attachments. It takes a while to get used to assembling it to attach it to the mixer, but if you've read through the manual, it's a snap. I've used all three - the food grinder works great with strips of half-frozen meat, rather than chunks; the slider/shredder works great with firm vegetables and fruits such as cucumbers, carrots, apples; the veg/fruit strainer is awesome as I've used it to make applesauce without peeling or coring the apples. Nevertheless, I would have preferred that they be made of stainless steel, rather than plastic as I am concerned that with time, it might crack or turn yellow/stain. Clean up is quite easy, but it does take a while to clean the grinder due to the fat in the meat.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Solid construction, variety of pieces

Weaknesses: must clean right after use, sticks out from mixer quite a bit

Summary: I loved the variety of attachments but was a bit surprised at their size when I got them out of the box. They're much bigger than I expected but all feel very solid. So far I've used the piece that looks like a drill bit in pushing egg noodle dough through a set of pasta plates. When using that it seemed to work well but at times seemed to slip slightly and made a bit of an odd noise. I used this with the 575 watt pro unit so I'm not sure what caused this but everything worked without a problem. I needed to clean it immediately after using it. I found that waiting made cleanup a real pain. The attachments are large, so you want to make sure you have plenty of counter space, or you'll do a juggling act trying to hold a bowl underneath where the pasta, nuts, cheese, meat, whatever, comes out of the unit.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 10

Strengths: Easy to use and clean (just drop in the dishwasher), the most useful product combination.

Weaknesses: Slicer

Summary: I am very happy with this product and would recommend it to anyone with Kitchenaid mixer. This is the most useful combination of attachments. I have been using one or the other item from the set almost every day.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Easy to clean, dishwasher safe.Simple to install and detach.Powerful and fast.

Weaknesses: Feels and looks kind of like cheap plastic on outside.Shredding cup does tend to get fairly tight.Bulky and long! If limited on counter space, cannot keep unit on.

Summary: This is my first stand mixer attachment. In the past I used a hand meat grinder, and this attachment is superior in every way. Easily handled chicken, pork, and beef, even partially frozen or with lots of tendons.The food slicer is "nice" but if it didn't come with the package I would not purchase it. Considering my two-four people serving use, the time to assemble the unit, process the food, and clean easily outgrows shredding by hand or chopping with a knife. The only application I've found is to preshred a block of cheese to bag in the fridge. Though I'll be sure to pull this out next time I'm preparing a dish for a party or potluck.I haven't had a chance to try the fruit strainer, but will get around when pomegranates or rasberries are back in season.Conclusion: A good price for all three units. I wish they offered this in black, because the white plastic drags down my shiny black mixer. The internals seem relatively well made, stainless steel and secure interlocks. In retrospect, I really only needed the food grinder, but in time, I'll probably find a good application for all the parts.