What is the Best Kitchen Aid Attachment for the Baker

With the Christmas holidays quickly approaching, you may be asking what is the best Kitchen Aid Attachment for the baker?  If you are like me, I have my list ready of traditional baked goods that I make each season.  I bake up batches of cookies, candy and breads to give as gifts.  My stand mixer works real hard during the Christmas season!

The best attachment I have found for my Kitchen Aid is the Flex Edge Beater which fits both the 4.5 quart and 5 quart size mixers.  It fits 12 different models of stand mixers.  This beater is made of metal which makes it more durable for all the heavy mixing of cookie and bread batter that you will be doing.  I make a sugar cookie recipe that becomes real thick and this beater just cuts through the dough like butter!  

The rubber edge allows for continuously mixing the dough or batter without having to stop to scrape the sides of the bowl.  That is so nice when I am usually limited on time to do my baking.  Every little bit helps when needing to get so much baking done!  It cleans up easy too.  I like that as well.

I mentioned baking breads but I mean flavored loaf breads such as Pumpkin Spice or Banana Bread.  This beater is made for mixing batters with consistency such as these breads.  If you are making breads with a heavy yeast dough, then use a dough hook.  Each attachment works the best when using it for what it is designed for.  This Flex Edge Beater is made to scrape the bowl as it is mixing.  I love it!  If you own a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, than you will want to put this beater on your wish list!

How to Make Perfect Meringue in Your Mixer

I learned how to make the perfect meringue using my stand mixer years ago.  I loved to bake pies, cookies and muffins as a teenager and learned the special tips for perfect baking from my grandmother.  I was so fortunate to have my grandparents nearby when I was growing up and I have so many memories because of it.  Baking tips from my "nanny" was one of them.

We lived in Southern California where citrus fruit was abundant.  Nanny's lemon tree produced the larges lemons I think I ever saw.  And it so happened that Lemon Meringue Pie was my father's favorite flavor of pie.  So I learned with Nanny's help to make fresh lemon pie filling from scratch and fluffy egg white meringue to top it off with.  By making your own lemon filling using only egg yolks, you have the egg whites left over to make a nice meringue.

When separating the egg yolk from the whites, place the egg whites in a large mixer bowl.  I place them lightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator while I prepare the filling.  Once the filling is cooked and cooling, remove the mixer bowl with egg whites from refrigerator.  Add 1 tsp of cream of tartar to 4 egg whites and beat using a slower speed until thoroughly blended.

Get ready 6 tablespoons of sugar in small bowl keeping the tablespoon measure handy.  Turn on your mixer on the highest speed and add one tablespoon of sugar.  Whip for one minute then add another tablespoon of sugar, whip for one minute or so and repeat this step until all 6 tablespoons of sugar are mixed into egg white mixture.  The important tip in making a perfect smooth egg white meringue is to add the sugar very slowly and keep whipping the egg whites on high speed through this process.  You do not want to feel any granules of sugar in the meringue.

After all the sugar is in the mixture, whip on high until firm peaks form when lightly touched with spatula.  Carefully spoon the meringue on top of your pie filling and bake in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the meringue peaks are lightly browned.  Watch it carefully so the meringue does not burn.

Anyone of the best selling stand mixers are powerful enough to beat egg whites to just the right consistency to make a perfect meringue.  I hope my simple tip helps you to make a perfect meringue too.

How Does a Hamilton Beach Mixer Compare to a Kitchen Aid Mixer?

When shopping for a new mixer, one question you may ask is how does a Hamilton Beach Mixer compare to a Kitchen Aid Mixer?  This first thing about a Hamilton Beach brand stand mixer is that it is considerably less expensive than a Kitchen Aid.  With that in mind you may ask if it is than comparable in quality?  When money is not a question than a Kitchen Aid may be your choice because of all the attachment possibilities it has.  When you are on a budget and want a comparable stand mixer than this Hamilton Beach mixer is a great choice.

This 6-speed stand mixer has the same mixing action as a Kitchen Aid mixer.  Instead of the 2 beater mixing that we are used to, this one comes with the single beater, dough hook or whisk just like the Kitchen Aid.  It actually as a fold setting which is great when doing a lot of baking.  The 300 watt motor is almost as powerful as the 350 watt motor in the Kitchen Aid.  It comes with a 3.5 quart mixing bowl too.

If you are just starting out in the kitchen and need a mixer that will not break your budget, than this mixer is a good choice.  With a price way under $100, you will be getting a great appliance for your money.  It would make a great gift for a new cook too.

Compared to the large and heavy Kitchen Aid mixers, this one is a compact sized appliance and is not too heavy which is a plus for someone with limited strength or mobility.  It is a good choice as well due to the smaller size if you have limited storage space in your kitchen or home.

Kitchen Aid Artisan Series Outsells All Others

The Kitchen Aid Artisan Series stand mixer is one of the top-selling stand mixers of all time.  This mixer out sells all other Kitchen Aid mixers.  This fact does not necessarily mean that is is a better mixer over the other Kitchen Aid styles but it does come with many options for the busy baker or cook.  It is one of the first ones most people look at when shopping for a new mixer.  Let's explore the reasons that this mixer comes out on top when searching for stand mixers.

All serious bakers, cooks and chefs look for appliances and tools that will hold up with heavy use. This mixer comes with a powerful 325 watt motor which is important with mixing thick batters or recipes that call for lengthy whipping time.  The 1 year warranty is important too when looking seriously at a great mixer.  There are 10 speeds which is needed for making a variety of recipes.  You may need to knead bread dough slowly or whip up a meringue on high speed.

Kitchen Aid mixers including the Artisan Series have many attachments and accessories that can be added to create even more gourmet dishes.  Begin with the basic stand mixer and add a juicer, grinder, chopper and more to really get serious about cooking.  It does come with a nice 5-quart stainless steel bowl, dough hook, flat beater and wire whip; all you need to get you started.

The most popular thing about this wonderful stand mixer is that the Artisan Series comes in a large variety of colors.  You can select from a color scheme to match your kitchen decor.  Pick from red, yellow, teal, black and more.  Picking a color will be the hardest part of making the decision to purchase this stand mixer for yourself.  It would also make a wonderful gift for someone special.

A Great Starter Mixer to Get You Baking

The Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Classic Stand Mixer is a great starter mixer to get the new cook baking.  It fits into most budgets especially for someone starting out on their own or someone who has limited space in their kitchen.  This smaller mixer will do the basic jobs of mixing cake batters, egg whites, sauces and other simple items.  At under $40 with free shipping using Amazon Prime; the price is right.

If you want a stand mixer that has all the bells and whistles, then you will need to spend much more on a larger stand mixer.  I recommend anyone just getting started in experimenting with baking simple cookies, cakes, pies, etc. to start with this simple  Hamilton Beach Classic Stand Mixer so you are not frustrated with the complexity of use with the larger, fancier stand mixers.  This one will last you a while as you practice your baking techniques.

 

This Hamilton Beach stand mixer provides an average motor with 6 speeds, a 4 qt bowl and basic beaters.  It will double as a hand mixer which I find to be handy at times when I don't want to set up the whole mixer.  It stores away easily since it is light weight and compact.  Perfect for someone with a small kitchen or living area.

Once you are ready to advance to bread making and other fancier baking recipes, than you will want to review some of the other stand mixers in the $200 to $300 price range.  They come with larger motors, bowls and extra attachments.  I like the Kitchen Aid Artisan series or the Breville brand if you can spend a couple hundred dollars on a mixer.