How To Use A Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
A KitchenAid stand mixer is one of the most useful tools that you can use in your kitchen. It is a multi-purpose and heavy-duty mixer that will help you make lots of ingredients and recipes. It is a highly-efficient tool if you know how to maximize its work. Give this workhorse a permanent and easily accessible spot on your counter, and let it earn its keep. Read how to use a KitchenAid stand mixer in this article.
Ways To Use a Kitchenaid Mixer
For Dinner Preparation
Shredding Cooked Chicken or Pork - Use the dough hook and turn it on for about 20 seconds at a time. This gives you shredded chicken or pork, not mushy ones.
Mixing Meatballs and Ground Beef for Hamburgers - Five minutes of dumping and mixing and 15 minutes of baking makes dinner and hamburger ready in a flash.
Mashed Potatoes. There's an art to mashed potatoes, which includes not mashing them for too long. Use the paddle and mix when they're hot, so they don't dry out.
For Making Sides and Snacks
Granola. Part of the art of granola is to make sure all the dry is covered with wet. The mixer takes care of this beautifully.
Mixing Dips. You know those dips where you add spices to cream cheese, and you stir like crazy, but it's hard because the cream cheese is lumpy.
Egg Salad. Use the wire whisk attachment for this one after a rough chop, and you'll have the perfect egg salad every time.
For Bread Recipes and Doughs
Pizza Dough. Have your pizza dough recipe for ready for a family gathering. Using the stand mixer will help you a lot on the job.
Traditional Bread. Man bread, whole wheat bread, white sandwich bread are all done in the mixer.
Tips in Using KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Don’t start on too high of a speed
We know you’re so excited to bake something yummy. But there’s nothing worse than putting ingredients into a bowl and turning your stand mixer on high. Flour, milk, butter—or whatever ingredient you have in the bowl—will go all over the kitchen. Plus, you risk ruining the recipe with inaccurate measurements. Play it safe by always starting on the lowest speed and letting ingredients incorporate a little before cranking it up.
Test your bowel clearance
If you've never tested your bowl clearance, you could be making a major mistake. A too-high clearance results in gobs of unmixed batter, while a too-low clearance can scratch the bottom of your bowl. Luckily, there's an easy fix. Look for a tiny screw on your KitchenAid head and turn it a little bit at a time until the mixer has proper clearance.
Chill the bowl always.
Try tossing the bowl and the attachment into the freezer for a few minutes. The extra hit of cold will help you reach perfectly stiff peaks fast.
Don’t plug your mixer into a power strip.
It’s tempting to plug all of your kitchen appliances into a power strip or surge protector. But some gadgets, like your KitchenAid, need to be plugged directly into a wall outlet. Since your stand mixer uses a considerable amount of energy, channeling power through a cord can increase your risk of fire or cause damage to your mixer’s motor.
Don’t use the mixer only for baking.
If you only use your KitchenAid to whip up cakes and brownies, you're missing out. The appliance is super versatile and can be used to shred meat, mix dips, mash potatoes, and much more.
Never use the wrong attachment.
Though there are many KitchenAid attachments you can buy, the most common mixers are the flat beater, wire whip, and dough hook. Each attachment is designed for a specific purpose: the flat beater is perfect for mixing together cookie dough and batter; the wire whip makes quick work of frosting, heavy cream, egg whites, and the dough hook expertly kneads bread dough. Using the wrong attachment on a recipe won't necessarily hurt your machine, but it can shorten the life of or even break an attachment.
Ideally, you'd leave your stand mixer out on the counter, but when that's not possible, store your appliance in a chest-height cabinet. When stashed too low or too high, you're at a greater risk of dropping the mixer or injuring yourself. You also want to make sure the mixer is stored upright and not on its side.
Use a splash guard
If you've ever splashed cake batter on your shirt or ended up with egg whites in your hair, listen up. Even when you start a project at low speed, there's still a chance for the batter and dry ingredients to go flying around your kitchen. Invest in a splash guard to minimize the risk. The small piece covers the bulk of the bowl while leaving room for the mixing element, and a small chute makes it easy to add more ingredients. Here's how to learn more about how to use appliances.
Conclusion
KitchenAid mixers are renowned for their versatility and dependability. They allow easy culinary creations utilizing doughs, batters, mixes, and even ice cream and homemade pasta for high-quality dishes of all types. The power hubs for optional accessories are a noteworthy addition, allowing your mixer to become an all-in-one electronic chef. It is important to know how to use a KitchenAid stand mixer to maximize its benefits.
