Using KitchenAid Stand Mixers for healthier meals

I have owned a KitchenAid stand mixer for years and absolute love using the small appliance for everything from mixing batter for homemade cakes, cookies, and muffins to kneading dough for bread and pizza crust. It whips cream, too! There are so many things you probably didn’t even know a stand mixer could do.

Just when I thought I couldn’t love it any more, the machine really dazzled me when I invested in the pasta cutter and roller set and started to make my own homemade pasta. How does the KitchenAid stand mixer do that?

One of the advantages with KitchenAid mixers that you don’t get with others is the convenient Attachment Hub at the front of the machine. Open the flap and screw in a variety of attachments to transform the machine into one that can do so much more than mix, whip, and knead.

I’m, of course, partial to the pasta cutter and roller set, which I have used numerous times to make homemade fettuccine, spaghetti, and even pasta sheets for filled ravioli or lasagne. If I had my way, however, I’d have a full set-up with so much more.

Indeed, KitchenAid offers tons of stand mixer attachments. Some have been around for a while, like the spiralizer for vegetables and the meat grinder for meats and other hard ingredients, like cheese. But exciting new options are being added all the time. Here are a few of my favourites, how they work, and for what you could use them.

KitchenAid pasta roller and cutter setPasta cutter and roller

As noted, the KitchenAid Pasta Roller & Cutter stand mixer attachment is one I own and have been using for years. It comes with three pieces: one for rolling the dough at various thicknesses, a cutter for spaghetti, and one for fettucine. Unlike manual rollers, simply attach the device and adjust the dial to the right thickness: start wide and roll through multiple times, getting thinner each time. To roll, turn the machine on to low and guide the dough through the top, grabbing it as it runs through the bottom.

While it’s a lot of work to make a significant amount of pasta (say, enough to feed a family of four), it’s worth it in the end. With a dusting of flour and a pasta rack to hang the noodles (or go the traditional route with a broomstick across two chairs), and the pasta will cook in boiling water in under two minutes. It’s as fresh as you can get.

KitchenAid food grinder attachmentFood grinder

Store-bought sausage is a nice indulgence, but buying in store means getting something with a bunch of additives and fillers; not to mention the price of meat is on the rise. Instead, grab a big slab of meat for a deal and use this KitchenAid food grinder attachment to make your own. Connect to the hub, roughly chop the raw meat, then run it through the chute. You can even add fresh herbs, spices, and garlic to the meat to grind it all together.

From pasta Bolognese to spaghetti with meatballs, use high-quality beef to even make homemade hamburgers and taco filling, too. The grinder can also be used for hard cheeses and vegetables, or even stale bread for breadcrumbs, making it even more versatile than the name suggests.

Make pizza crust in the mixer itself using the dough hook then add the meat grinder to grind some mozzarella for topping. Note: if you plan to make sausages, consider the sausage stuffer attachment which makes that process blazingly simple once you have grinded the meat.

KitchenAid ice cream makerIce cream maker

Homemade ice cream? Yes, please! Unlike the other attachments, the ice cream maker doesn’t use the Attachment Hub but rather comes in the form of a specific bowl that connects to the machine, just like the standard stainless-steel one does. Keep the bowl in the freezer and pull it out when you have a hankering for a sweet, icy treat. Add ingredients, whether you want cream-based on without, mix for 30 minutes, and voila! Fresh ice cream for everyone in the family to indulge.

Keep in mind that you have to prep ahead of time to ensure the bowl is sufficiently frozen or have a freezer large enough to keep it there 24/7 when not in use. If you have a chest freezer or second freezer in the home, this attachment will be worth the investment.

KitchenAid shaved ice maker attachmentShaved ice

One of the newer KitchenAid Hub attachments you might not yet know about is the ice shave attachment, which will bring you right back to your childhood and those shaved ice treats you begged your parents for at the local fair or amusement park. Connect, add water, juice, chocolate milk, or any other liquid and a minute later, it will come out the other end of the one-pint attachment shaved for enjoying with a spoon or eating in a bowl like ice cream (before it melts, of course!) For lactose-intolerant folks, it’s a great way to enjoy a sweet treat without the cream. You can shave plain ice then add flavour to it, or even fresh fruit.

KitchenAid food processor attachmentFood processor

I recently invested in a KitchenAid food processor, but for those with limited space or who want a simpler, cleaner set-up, there’s a food processor attachment for the mixer. It works much like any other standard food processor accept it attaches to the Hub to gain power from the machine so you don’t have to plug in a separate unit.

It comes with accessory discs for dicing, slicing, shredding, and julienning ingredients for all types of recipes. Use the food processor to grate cheese for pasta, chop onions and garlic for recipes, grate carrots for a cake, and all those other tasks that would otherwise take a lot of time and manual work to get done.

KitchenAid pasta press attachmentPasta press

As you might have guessed, I’m a sucker for a big plate of piping hot pasta, and next on my wish list in addition to the pasta roller and cutter set is the Pasta Press stand mixer attachment. With this one, you can make macaroni, bucatini, spaghetti, fusilli, and rigatoni, all without any tricky work by hand. Just connect one of the six included pasta plates to the main attachment unit, turn the mixer on, add the dough, and watch the noodles magically appear. There’s even a built-in wire cutter for getting noodles exactly the size you want them to be.

If you have kids at home who love picking which pasta they’ll have for lunch or dinner, they’ll have fun helping you with the process.

A KitchenAid stand mixer is much more than just a mixer

This merely scratches the surface in terms of the KitchenAid stand mixer attachments you can choose from to expand the usefulness of the small kitchen appliance.

Check out the great KitchenAid stand mixers, all of which work with the versatile KitchenAid stand mixer attachments, at Best Buy Online.

Christine Persaud
Christine Persaud
With 20+ years of experience in trade and consumer tech journalism, I have covered the tech space since before social media was a "thing" and the smartphone as we know it was even invented. Writing for various technology, lifestyle, and entertainment sites, I have covered and reviewed hundreds of tech products, from home appliances to wearables, fitness tech to headphones, TV entertainment products and services, and more. I'm also a passionate foodie who loves to cook and bake, a TV show fanatic (happy to give what to watch recommendations!), and proud mother to a 12-year-old son.
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538 COMMENTS

  1. Most Intrested in the Pasta cutter and roller. I have aways wanted to make my own pasta and this tool would make it so easy!

  2. There are so many great accessories for this! The shaved ice attachment or ice cream maker would be musts for me!

  5. I would love to try the Ice cream maker – it would be a lot of fun to try different flavours. I have never made my own ice cream, so I think it would be wonderful.

  6. All the attachments are amazing! I can’t believe this one appliance can do it all. I would love the food processor. This would make everything so much easier. No more stopping in the middle of making cookies to chop raisins or other fruits.

  7. The food grinder attachment sounds tempting, I would love to try it to speed up the meal preparation time and allow us more cheese buying options instead of always buying pre-sliced.

  8. I think I would love to try the ice cream maker bowl for the Kitchen Aid mixer. It would be fun to make ice cream treats at home.

  9. I would like to try the pasta roller and cutter attachment. My mother made noodles for the family when I was a kid and I would like to give it a try.

  11. I would try the Ice Cream maker first. Would love to make different berry flavors. Also would be really neat to come up with total new flavors to try. We are huge Ice Cream fans in this home.

  15. I would love to try the KitchenAid food processor attachment. This would speed up my food preparation immensely but also a great way to save space and not need another entire appliance.

  18. I had no idea there was an ice cream maker attachment! That would be amazing. I could experiment with crazy flaours.

  22. We would like the food processor attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer. This would save on having to purchase two appliances and I often need a food processor to try recipes.

  24. I would love to try the shaved ice attachment as Asian shaved ice is one of my go to desserts and want to be able to make it at home for my family

  26. Oh all the attachments sound great and I would love to have them all. I have always wanted to make my own pasta so I’m going with the pasta roller and cutter attachment. I imagine homemade pasta is light and tasty. And I would feel like a pro too.

  27. I would be excited to attempt in making my own pasta with the KitchenAid Pasta Roller & Cutter stand mixer attachment.

  31. The sausage stuffer attachment to the food grinder would be so useful and would be fun to make our own instead of buying them at the store.

  33. I would love to win this because I love to make pasta at home for my family! I am also very adventurous in the kitchen so I’d love to try all of the different attachments to make cool things for my family!

  34. I would love the pasta attachment! Fresh pasta is lovely and not having to roll it out would fantastic

  36. I would love to try the KitchenAid Espresso Machine and coffee Grinder! I always wanted an Espresso Machine and since i trust the quality of KitchenAid , this would be a great addition to my collection of great products made by them!.
    I love Espresso coffee !!
    Lisa

  37. I would like to try the Ice Cream Maker because I can make ice cream in my home for my grandchildren who are big fans of ice cream.

  42. There is nothing like freshly made ice cream….so smooth and creamy and made with fresh fruit….so yummy! So I would love to use the ice cream maker accessories!

  43. I would love to try the Pasta press. Homemade spaghetti, rigatoni and fusilli would be great, I could make them healthy and save a lot as pasta is so expensive right now!

  48. I would like to try the pasta press stand mixer attachment so my family can enjoy homemade pastas like spaghetti and fusilli.

  50. All the attachments sound very impressive but I would conservation the ice cream maker first because in our house its all about the treats and making the little (and big) kids smile. Nothing like a fresh ice cream cone.

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