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A question about kitchen mixers

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I have bought my husband a kitchen mixer for Christmas (the type with a big bowl on a stand) but I was wondering what you would actually use it for. Obviously I thought of making cakes but I was stuck after that! Can you make bread and pizza bases in them? What other ideas are there? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Comments

  • Dunroamin
    Dunroamin Posts: 16,908 Forumite
    You can make bread if there's a dough hook included, just as you can whisk egg whites or cream if there's a whisk attachment.
  • nuatha
    nuatha Posts: 1,932 Forumite
    edited 12 December 2013 at 11:50AM
    You can make bread in a stand mixer, I've also made pastry, meringues and the usual baking standbys. I've even used one to blend meatloaf and pates.
  • ariba10
    ariba10 Posts: 5,432 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    It is an item that in the average household is used twice or three times a year.

    In reality there is not a lot you can do with it.
    I used to be indecisive but now I am not sure.
  • Things I make in mine/use it for:
    Cakes
    Biscuits
    whipping cream
    Batter
    Making icecream mixes up
    pizza dough
    bread bough
    pastry
    general baking (scones etc)
    shredding chicken
    buttercream
    Meringue


    In reality there's a lot you can do with it if/when you have the time.


    I don't use mine as often as I should/I want to but can't wait to get on maternity leave and get a proper oven to be using it atleast twice a week!
    ************************************
    Daughter born 26/03/14
    Son born 13/02/21
  • Nicki
    Nicki Posts: 8,166 Forumite
    ariba10 wrote: »
    It is an item that in the average household is used twice or three times a year.

    In reality there is not a lot you can do with it.

    Depends on the household surely? If you don't do a lot of cooking from scratch, then maybe. But if you like to bake for example, you could easily use it 2-3 times a week.

    OP, in addition to making a sponge cake mix, you can use most mixers to:
    1. make bread or pizza bases as you ask
    2. whip cream or egg whites
    3. make pastry
    4. make batters for pancakes or yorkshire puddings
    5. mash potatoes
    6. make standard icing and buttercream frosting
    7. puree cooked fruit and vegetables
    8. make fresh pasta dough

    and with some types of food mixers you can also buy attachments, which would let you:

    9 makes sausages
    10 make icecream
    11 shape the pasta dough you made in the basic mixer
    12. shred raw vegetables
    13 blend soups
    14 peel potatoes

    and probably loads of things I haven't thought of! Hope your OH is a real foodie and chef and will enjoy playing with it :D
  • ariba10
    ariba10 Posts: 5,432 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Nicki wrote: »
    Depends on the household surely? If you don't do a lot of cooking from scratch, then maybe. But if you like to bake for example, you could easily use it 2-3 times a week.

    OP, in addition to making a sponge cake mix, you can use most mixers to:
    1. make bread or pizza bases as you ask
    2. whip cream or egg whites
    3. make pastry
    4. make batters for pancakes or yorkshire puddings
    5. mash potatoes
    6. make standard icing and buttercream frosting
    7. puree cooked fruit and vegetables
    8. make fresh pasta dough

    and with some types of food mixers you can also buy attachments, which would let you:

    9 makes sausages
    10 make icecream
    11 shape the pasta dough you made in the basic mixer
    12. shred raw vegetables
    13 blend soups
    14 peel potatoes

    and probably loads of things I haven't thought of! Hope your OH is a real foodie and chef and will enjoy playing with it :D

    By the time you clean the thing, apart from finding somewhere to keep it- Is it worth the effort?

    The one kitchen appliance that we would not be without (and is used almost daily) is a Panasonic Bread maker.
    I used to be indecisive but now I am not sure.
  • sonastin
    sonastin Posts: 3,210 Forumite
    I got a mixer a couple of months ago. So far, I've used mine for:

    cake mixes (once a week usually)
    crumble mix (I hate "rubbing in" by hand. two big batches for weekly sunday dessert)
    pastry (one batch so far, going to attempt a second this weekend)
    pizza dough (we have pizza every couple of weeks)
    bread dough (I use a breadmaker most of the time but if I'm going to be home at the right intervals for knocking back, putting in oven, etc, I like a "handmade" loaf)
    mashed potato (only twice, usually easier to mash by hand but a) wanted to experiment and b) wanted particularly smooth mash for my niece)
    pasta (only once so far - dried is so much cheaper and fresh is really hard to roll out with the rubbish tools I have at present)

    Have plans for whipping cream over christmas and I'm hoping santa is going to bring some new attachments to play with (see above comment on pasta!)

    If your hubby likes to play in the kitchen and cooks things that involve the sort of stuff we've been talking about, a kitchmen mixer is a great idea. If he's like my partner whose culinary repertoire ends with sticking a pork chop under the grill and serving it with boiled veg and mash, Ariba10's assessment is probably more accurate. But then I wouldn't dream of getting it for my partner so I'm guessing yours has shown some interest or it wouldn't even be an idea for a gift!
  • floss2
    floss2 Posts: 8,030 Forumite
    ariba10 wrote: »
    It is an item that in the average household is used twice or three times a year.

    In reality there is not a lot you can do with it.

    Take a look at the Kenwood recipe book. Our household of 2 adults (one of whom works away an awful lot) are obviously not "average", and neither was my household of 2 adults, 2 kids...

    Ours is used at least 3 times a week, more at times like Christmas or when we have guests round. DH reckons buying me a Ken last birthday means he should get a new Barbie this year :rotfl:
  • floss2
    floss2 Posts: 8,030 Forumite
    ariba10 wrote: »
    By the time you clean the thing, apart from finding somewhere to keep it- Is it worth the effort?

    Keep it on the worktop if there is space, and it takes no more time to clean than a breadmaker pan & paddle, less if you have a dishwasher (or OH with Marigolds ;))
  • sonastin
    sonastin Posts: 3,210 Forumite
    ariba10 wrote: »
    By the time you clean the thing, apart from finding somewhere to keep it- Is it worth the effort?

    In a word, yes.

    I find mine easier to clean than the hand mixer and stick blender I was using before I got it.

    And it sits on my worktop next to my panasonic breadmaker. OK so I realise I am lucky to have enough worktop to leave things like that out all the time but if you use it often enough, it is worth making the space for it.

    Forgot to add in my previous post, mine has a blender attachment which has been used for thai green curry paste at least 3 times so far. Much easier than with the stick blender, although the blender bit is harder to clean than the bowl and beater/dough hook attachments.
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