A Kitchen Stand Mixer Is The Cooking Secret

Rachel Ray is about to start baking her latest dinner delight, the garlic and herb three-cheese pizza, in her kitchen. When it is time for her to mix the dough, she simply moves to a small device called kitchen stand mixer conspicuously placed on the counter, puts the dough in the bowl of that device, and sets the timer on how long should the mixer work. The countertop machine then goes to work with its wire whip, flat beater, and dough hook, and Rachel Ray proceeds to prepare the other ingredients of her dish for the day.

Yes, life is definitely made easy by the use of a kitchen stand mixer. It is not a Rachel Ray secret as most chefs in the world, including our mothers, use it every time they need to mix dough for cookies, bread and other culinary treats. Mixing dough used to be done by the hands. How difficult must it have been for our grandmothers then to knead the flour with water, yeast, oil, butter, salt and sugar to get the desired texture of the bread dough before it could be declared ready for rising and shaping, and eventually, for baking in the oven?

These days, you can just put your bread dough in a mixer, turn it on, and by itself, it will do the kneading. You can set the timer for 45 seconds to 1 minute (depending on how large the dough you prepare, of course). When you see ball forms on the side of the blade, then that is the time when you should turn off the mixer because the kneading is done and the dough is ready for the oven.

While the kitchen stand mixer is at work, you can get on to work on other food items. You need not stand and hold it while it mixes your ingredients. Indeed, it feels like you got extra pairs of hands while it is doing the mixing. It is the versatility of this appliance that makes it an indispensable device in everyone's kitchen. When it is not mixing dough, you can also use it as meat grinder, fruit juicer, or blender. See what you are missing when you still have not gotten one on your kitchen countertop?

For those who still don’t have this kitchen device or are thinking of getting a new one that blends with the color of the kitchen tiles or the kitchen décor, it is important to take note of the following: watt size, controls, capacity of the mixing bowl, and warranty.

Of course, you want to know how the machine works and how much electricity it can consume in one setting. Not that you are a spendthrift but you just want to plug it in the right source. Or else a baking experience in the kitchen will be a nightmare if the smoke alarm goes off, God forbid!

Ah, controls! At times, you are in a hurry and you swear you know what button to push to adjust the settings (which depends on what food ingredient you are trying to mix or grind), to start the timer, and so and so forth, and wham, you just can’t remember. To give you enough time to prepare the other items for your veal piccata or when you want to leave the mixer on while you run to have a shower before your dinner date with husband, it is best to know the right buttons to push to make life easier.

Most of the countertop kitchen stand mixers have a bowl capacity of 1-7 quarts. You can also get the large industrialized model if you intend to use it in your restaurant and other food business, which, of course, has bigger bowl capacity. The yardstick here is: how do you intend to use it for? For home cooking only? The countertop kitchen stand mixer will do.

Last but not the least is the warranty. You hope that the kitchen stand mixer you have would crash on you after just a month of occasional use. You want it to withstand the test of time and the umptieth recipe. So, you have to get that written assurance of its quality and performance from its manufacturer. Otherwise, you shall demand for a replacement.

Indeed, a kitchen stand mixer is no Rachel Ray secret. It has been with us and has been helping us through the years.