What Kind Of Mixer Is Your Favorite?
by Karen Rose Smith
I'll admit it. I don't like change. But when my thirty year old Sunbeam mixer stopped working, I had to replace it. My mom had a Kitchen Aid mixer specifically for bread making. But it was so heavy that my dad had to be around to lift the head, etc. Did I really want to look at Kitchen Aids after using a Sunbeam for so many years?
My chief complaint with the Sunbeam had always been its hard work for cookie making. Once I added all the flour, it struggled to finish. But I really appreciated the Sunbeam bowl. It was wide enough that adding ingredients during mixing a recipe was easy. The Kitchen Aid bowls looked difficult. (I watch several cooking shows and they all use them.)
With arthritis and fibromyalgia, I was worried about lifting the head on the Kitchen Aid. But I decided to try one with a four quart bowl. And let's face it, since my favorite color is turquoise, that color sold it!
It took me a few months to get used to the differences. The deep bowl was the major one. It had a collar to prevent flour puffing up but I definitely couldn't make that work. So I learned how to add flour. Slowly. What I liked immediately was the lowest speed that let me mix dry ingredients. The head of the mixer is heavier than I was used to, but it has a smooth glide up. No matter what batter I'm mixing, the paddle sweeps it all from the depths of the bowl. For ease in moving the mixer, I set it on a silicone cutting pad that I can easily slide in whatever position I need it.
What I appreciate most about the Kitchen Aid is that I can now mix recipes that I used to have to knead or mix by hand. The many attachments make even creaming butter a snap. In the past, I've mixed scone batter by hand. But I decided to try a new recipe for my second Daisy's Tea Garden mystery in the mixer. It worked beautifully.
It took me a little while to perfect my technique (translated--not puffing flour everywhere) but now I wouldn't trade my Kitchen Aid for any other mixer.
Look for Karen's next Daisy Tea Garden mystery (book 2) in June 2018!
I'll admit it. I don't like change. But when my thirty year old Sunbeam mixer stopped working, I had to replace it. My mom had a Kitchen Aid mixer specifically for bread making. But it was so heavy that my dad had to be around to lift the head, etc. Did I really want to look at Kitchen Aids after using a Sunbeam for so many years?
My chief complaint with the Sunbeam had always been its hard work for cookie making. Once I added all the flour, it struggled to finish. But I really appreciated the Sunbeam bowl. It was wide enough that adding ingredients during mixing a recipe was easy. The Kitchen Aid bowls looked difficult. (I watch several cooking shows and they all use them.)
With arthritis and fibromyalgia, I was worried about lifting the head on the Kitchen Aid. But I decided to try one with a four quart bowl. And let's face it, since my favorite color is turquoise, that color sold it!
It took me a few months to get used to the differences. The deep bowl was the major one. It had a collar to prevent flour puffing up but I definitely couldn't make that work. So I learned how to add flour. Slowly. What I liked immediately was the lowest speed that let me mix dry ingredients. The head of the mixer is heavier than I was used to, but it has a smooth glide up. No matter what batter I'm mixing, the paddle sweeps it all from the depths of the bowl. For ease in moving the mixer, I set it on a silicone cutting pad that I can easily slide in whatever position I need it.
What I appreciate most about the Kitchen Aid is that I can now mix recipes that I used to have to knead or mix by hand. The many attachments make even creaming butter a snap. In the past, I've mixed scone batter by hand. But I decided to try a new recipe for my second Daisy's Tea Garden mystery in the mixer. It worked beautifully.
It took me a little while to perfect my technique (translated--not puffing flour everywhere) but now I wouldn't trade my Kitchen Aid for any other mixer.
Look for Karen's next Daisy Tea Garden mystery (book 2) in June 2018!
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