The big, scary Stand Mixer
So many professional chefs and home cooks rave about the benefits of using a Stand mixer. So I am just going to have to knuckle down and learn how to use one. We have even got an old one belonging to Chef Chahna here at home, so actually I have no excuses any more.
There are two types of Stand mixer, the bowl-lift mixer and the tilt-head mixer. Each has its own pros and cons, as well as its suitability for different baking demands. So lets have a look at them both.
The bowl-lift mixer
This mixer is the larger and more powerful of the two types. The mixing bowl sits on the arms of the mixer and and once the ingredients have been added, the bowl is raised up to the mixing attachment using a lever.
The machine is taller and heavier than the tilt-lift, up to 43cm(17 inches) high. This often makes it harder to store in a standard kitchen cupboard and so it has to be kept on the bench top. However its capacity is 5.5L to 6.8L and the motor power range is 325 to 1000 watts. This make it the better choice for a large family or if you are planning to start production baking for Farmers markets or selling online. The more powerful motor can also cope easily with heavy bread doughs and is not as likely to move across the bench when mixing on high speeds.
The tilt-head mixer
The tilt-head Stand mixer is usually a better option for most home bakers. They are a lighter and more compact machine, so allow easier cupboard storage and manoeuvrability. They also allow more manageable bowl removal and attachment changes. But remember that they can move on the bench during high speed mixing, so if you want to avoid a smashed mixer and a dented floor, then never leave you tilt-head mixer unattended when it is in use.
The bowl capacity of a tilt-head mixer ranges from 3.3L to 4.8L and the motor power range is most commonly 250-325 watts.
So now we just have to get to know the Stand mixer we have chosen and bought ( or else dropped big hints to husbands, or rich family members as a birthday/Christmas present )
They always come with an instruction manual. You are either an instruction manual person or you're not. I'm a bit of an inbetweeny, I won't sit down and read the whole thing, but I do tend to read about the particular bit I want to try out.
Thankfully instruction manuals often look huge but usually only have a few pages for English speakers and the rest is just repeat instructions in a load of different languages. So you open it with dread, and then feel the same huge relief that you got when you were let off homework at school or when you thought your washing machine was kaput and it turned out to be a simple quick fix.
So an instruction manual can be your friend (not a close friend, more of an aquaintance) Also the instruction manual often includes a number of recipes that best show the machine's capabilities, and each recipe gets you to use a different attachment until you have tried them all out. Its a fun way to get familiar with you new machine.
A few important tips from Chef Chahna
Never leave your Stand mixer while it is mixing , especially if it is the lighter tilt-head version, because on high speeds, they can move across the bench and dive for the floor.
Always start any mixing or beating on the lowest speed and gradually increase . If you start on too high a speed, you will end up with most of your ingredients lining the bench, walls and you too - not a nice look.
Never put a utensil into the bowl while it is still mixing , because if it hits the beating attachment, it can easily bend or damage it. If you need to scrape down the sides of the bowl, just turn it all off briefly before you scrape.
For the best whipped cream, put the mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for a short while before you start. It really makes a big difference to the final quality of the silky smooth whipped cream.
Now after all of my research, tips and advice from Chahna and reading some of the instruction booklet for the Stand mixer handed down to us from Chahna, I am actually going to have to try the damn thing out . This could be my " Go Hard or Go Home " moment.
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