Stand Mixers
A heavy-duty stand mixer with a bowl may be used for a wide range of food preparation tasks, including beating cake batter, whisking egg whites or cream and kneading heavy dough mixtures. Additional attachments are normally available for carrying out further tasks such as:
- A liquidiser for chopping, pulverising and blending
- A meat mincing attachment
- A coffee grinder
- A pasta maker
- A bowl with an abrasive interior to peel potatoes and other root vegetables
- A slicer and shredder
- A citrus juicer
- A centrifugal juicer for vegetables and non-citrus fruits
- A sieve and paddle for making smooth purées
- An ice cream maker
- A can opener
Bowls can be made from plastic, stainless steel or toughened glass; glass is more durable than plastic, whilst steel, being light and almost unbreakable, is the best choice of all.
The best stand mixers have what is termed as a 'planetary' mixing action; that is, the beaters or whisks travel in a circle around the bowl as they rotate, thus ensuring that every part of the mixture is dealt with efficiently and unbeaten ingredients are not left in a ring around the bowl.
It is important to check that the mixer comes with a powerful motor (the higher the wattage, the more powerful the mixer) to ensure that it will be capable of coping with heavy-duty jobs such as kneading dough. The base should be solid and heavy with a rubber pad or feet to prevent the machine from 'creeping' when it is in use.
