Stand Mixer Mayhem

I thought, and everyone told me, that having a stand mixer would make me enjoy cooking and baking more (I still don't think I am domesticated quite yet, but I am getting there. We received one from my in-laws as a wedding gift. From the first time I used it there was something wrong with the latch and it wouldn't lock when I put the arm down. So I usually ended up holding it down...which kind of defeats the purpose and I am sure not what my in-laws would have wanted. It took me six months to get around to calling KitchenAid. When I originally started this post it was intended to focus on the great customer service KitchenAid provided and how much I loved their 1 year total replacement warranty. I was going to tell you how I used it to make pizza dough this weekend and how much easier my life was now that I didn't have to stand next to the thin and hold the top arm down.

Below is that problem latch I was telling you about. I was so happy when I used the new one how perfectly it latched....

...the old one had already been shipped free of charge back to KitchenAid and I was a satisfied customer. But when I turned it on the mix and knead my pizza dough what I found that in order to use the "stir" setting I had to go to the "2" setting and then move back to the "stir" setting, which make flour and water fly everywhere! What's more is that after about a minute of kneading I realized that I  had been sent what I am calling a "walking mixer". The thing would have wobbled its way off the end of the counter had I not been there to hold it down ( the same thing I had to do with the old one but for a different reason! It was maddening!)

And that shot is after I had cleaned up a bit. It was a mess. I am hoping KitchenAid can make it right...I haven't given up on them yet. Stayed tuned to see what happens and I promise to keep you posted.