My stand mixer threw up butter all over the kitchen last Tuesday

I was making a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale at my kid's school, and the paddle attachment just popped off mid-mix. Butter and sugar splattered across the counter, the wall, and my lucky apron. Turns out the locking pin was worn down after 12 years of heavy use. Has anyone else had this happen with a KitchenAid from the early 2010s?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen_sanchez107d ago

I have to disagree with the idea that this is a design flaw or a worn down locking pin being the problem. You mentioned "the paddle attachment just popped off mid-mix" but I think that sounds more like user error than a mechanical failure. I've had my KitchenAid since 2008, same era as yours, and I've never had the paddle come off even once. You have to make sure it's pushed up all the way and locked in with that little lever before you start, and I bet over time you might have gotten careless with that step. Plus, 12 years of heavy use on a stand mixer is a long time, and most people don't bother to tighten the screw on the attachment or check for wear themselves. I'd say give the machine some basic maintenance before blaming the hardware.

wyatt8627d ago

And yeah, @karen_sanchez10, I get what you're saying about checking the lock, but I had the EXACT same thing happen with my mixer from 2011. What finally fixed it for me was taking the attachment hub apart and cleaning out all the old grease and crud that had built up over the years. Once I put fresh food-grade grease on the little plastic gear that connects the paddle to the locking pin, it clicked back into place way more securely. Also made sure to tighten the set screw on the paddle itself with a hex key, which I'd never done before. Night and day difference - hasn't popped off since.