KitchenAid Stand Mixer - Must Have Kitchen Appliance!

Recently we renovated our house and a new kitchen was top of the list. New tiles, new cupboards, new major appliances, and new gadgets galore.

I was shopping for pots and pans in a specialty kitchen shop and behind the counter was the perfect stand mixer for my glamorous new kitchen.

A KitchenAid Artisan mixer in Blue Willow.

Although I thought long and hard (for a moment or two!), I brought one home.

Wow!

Sorry Ms Barrett Browning!

There are so many things I love about my stand mixer, I'll just tell you about a few.

1. The colour
2. It's so stylish
3. Easy to operate
4. Comes with three beaters
5. Comes with a stainless steel bowl
6. I can buy accessories for it (My birthday's in January!)
7. It comes with a 'splash guard'. (It's really called a shield.)
8. It's made of all metal, no plastic bits.
9. Change beaters fast
10. 10 speeds, each with 'soft start'

A yummy cake? A pavlova?

No, just a 'Nanna's Impossible Pie'!

You know the one — all the ingredients in the bowl in one go — and Bob's your uncle.

Of course you know he's not my uncle, he's my husband, and he loves Nanna's Impossible.

The shield which I have christened the splash guard, stopped flour and stuff from going all over the kitchen and me. Love that!

A beautiful book written by Kay Halsey.

Recipes have very clear instructions, some with step by step pictures showing how to complete a task, for example: how to make a basic pasta dough.

What's inside?

The first part of the book deals with how the mixer works, including information about each accessory, showing pictures of each one.

Like any all-round cook book, the main section contains recipes for starters, main courses, vegetable dishes, pasta, desserts, cakes, breads and cookies.

Each recipe gives the country of origin and some of the background of the dish — a fun addition.

At the back is an index.

Special features

All the recipes have:

• a colour photo of the cake or dish, as you would expect
• a wonderful feature for the new mixer user: a little icon at the top of the instructions showing which beater to use (my favourite feature)
• an icon for any accessory that is used in the preparation of the dish
• a photographic guide for specific accessories (such as the juicer) when that accessory is used in the recipe
• the speed setting for each step is included in the instructions (great for new mixer owners)

Great for new mixer owners

I love this book and give it ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Even if you are not a new user, you will find much to enjoy inside the pages, so that you can get the best use out of your mixer.

As it says in the title, effortlessly!

Thank you Kay Halsey.

KitchenAid[dot]com has many helpful videos.

Jo Richardson, KitchenAid Home Economist, is easy to listen to as she demonstrates.

Each video in her series offers Jo's hints and tips for:

• recipe preparation
• using the mixer
• modern takes on classical recipe preparation.

A favourite tip was sifting the flours together in the mixing bowl using the flat beater on speed 1. No more messing with old fashioned flour sifters!

Additionally, she explains which beater is best for the task, and why.

As well as Jo's videos, there are several (featuring other presenters): one for each of the attachments for the mixer, such as the juicer or the pasta maker, so you can see exactly how they operate.

An excellent learning resource for you.

Love the idea of this accessory. Won't this be fun in the summer months?

I have tried many ice cream makers over the years and none was really that great.

I decided to ask Santa for one of these. I'll tell you how I found it if he delivers one.

In Australia, we can buy a brand of scone mix which uses a special recipe from the CWA (Country Womens Association) and donates to them for each packet purchased.

The instructions suggest a mixer with a K beater.

Method

1. Empty the packet into the bowl.
2. Add the water.
3. Two minutes on speed 2.
4. Let sit for 5, cut and bake.

My kind of cooking!

Thanks to the packet mix and my Blue Willow mixer, I am a champion scone maker. VBG!

.... now I have a fabulous stand mixer.

I want to play with the new attachments Santa brings me. (Hint, hint!)

I hope Santa is nice to you too.