7 Things to should know about stand mixers
- Written by Marlene Coleman
A Kitchenaid Hand mixer is one of the appliances that we have been using for ages. If you are an expert in baking cakes and cookies, you cannot imagine your life without it. This machine saves your muscles from exhausting and is a complete package to save your time and energy. Stand mixer is an automatic mixing machine containing a set of” beaters” which rotates, whisks and blends any food or liquid. However, it is mainly used in baking but it is a machine that can be used for multitasking like mixing ingredients, reducing the size, blending and grinding properties.
It is a high-speed machine and rotates faster than you think. This machine provides us the beating speed that we can never imagine with our hands. The machine mainly consists of a bowl attached to it and a set of beaters. It does get a little messy while working with this machine due to the spitting and splashing of the liquid from its bowl but the time and energy-saving property of this machine are worth all the mess. You cannot blend things as perfectly with your hands as you can do with a stand mixer.
History of a stand mixer
This amazing appliance might be serving our kitchen with true loyalty for years but still, we do not know much about it. A machine that seems to be advanced and modern but it was discovered more than 100 years back.
An Ohio engineer named Herbert Johnson (owner of Hobart manufacturing company) came up with the idea of inventing mixer in 1908 when he saw a man on television mixing the dough with a metal spoon. He thought why not invent the machine, which can work conveniently and with more speed. The first commercial product was used by the US navy in World War 1. At that time, it was a large size machine and was not appropriate to use as a kitchen appliance. In the year 1914 the first model of a stand mixer was launched as a kitchen appliance.
From then until now many companies have started making it and many new models and advancements have been made to this tremendously helping household appliances.
Parts of a stand mixer
Following are some of the main parts of a stand mixer:
Beater: A beater is used for grinding and mixing of substances like dough, cake batter, cream and many more.
Bowl: A bowl remains attached to the machine in which the thick consistency liquid is added.
Balloon whisk: A balloon whisk is a large whisk having many air spaces in it so that it can whisk substances like egg, whipping cream with a lighter force.
Splash Guard: It is a plastic lit that has a hole on its top, placed on the bowl to prevent any splashing of the liquid during a mix.
If you are thinking of buying a stand mixer here are “the 7 things to know about stand mixers”.
1) They are available in different designs
It is available in many designs and styles. The shape of the machine may vary according to the model. You can get a vast variety of colors available in this machine-like blue, red, grey and many more.
2) Look for the right features
Following are some of the features you should be looking in your stand mixer
Mixing capability: Before buying a stand mixer of any company, you should first have a look at its mixing features and capabilities. This includes what material it can mix, the speed of the beater, and the power of the motor.
Functionality: The main purpose of this machine is to make human life easier. The mixing should be smooth and proper. The use of the machine should be easy.
Support: It should have a warranty card and instruction book, providing you instructions about each and everything.
Availability of attachments: A good stand mixer will have all the extra attachments like blades, dough hook, scrapers along with it and you do not need to buy them.
3) Are they costly?
A few years back their cost was about $200 but now the cost has become much higher. Right now, the cost may start from $300 or more depending on the company and quality. We cannot say that this appliance is very cheap.
If we consider it an investment, it does not seem to be costly because once you will buy this machine and it will work for many years. As a one-time long run, investment this is surely a great deal.
The company from where you are buying this machine matters a lot since the quality of a product depends on brand quality. The better investment you will make, the longer your machine will run.
4) You can buy extra attachments
One of the best qualities of a stand mixer is its viability and feasibility. You can add attachments to it according to your convenience like you can add a dough hook on the bowl of your machine, which will help when you are preparing a large amount of dough.
The best attachment is the splash guard, which will prevent all the mess you have been worrying about.
5) You can get a new scraper blade
If your machine has a regular metal blade, you can instead use a silicone blade. The silicone blade to your beater will provide the same functioning as the rubber scraper does. It will scrape the beater bowl side by side and you do not need to stop the machine for removing the sticky dough from the wall of the bowl.
6) The paddle height adjustments
For the best and proper functioning, the paddle height should be appropriate with the height of the bowl. This machine has the best advantage that you can adjust the paddle with a screw according to the level of the bowl. Since if the paddle is below, it will hit the bowl or make scratches on it during the mixing. When it is high, the mixing will not be proper. This adjustment will help when your machine requires a new bowl or any part has been replaced.
7) Don’t worry about the mess
When we think about stand mixers, we get a thought of a lot of splashing of the liquid from the bowl of the mixer. However, this problem can easily be solved by using a splash guard over the bowl of your stand mixer, which prevents splashing. You can easily add ingredients from the top of the whole present on the splash guard.
If you do not have this attachment, you can put any cloth or towel under your machine before starting your work so that your kitchen counter does not get dirty.
Conclusion
A stand mixer is one of the most important appliances of a house and globally its sale is increasing very fast. It is your own choice that which company and what model you choose for your kitchen but make sure you have a basic knowledge about the appliance so that you can make a better decision.