Ask any experienced baker what their most useful kitchen tool is and you will probably hear "stand mixer" mentioned more than any other item. Every recipe requires mixing of some sort and there are three ways that this can be accomplished. One way is by hand, the way our grandmothers did it. You can use a silicone or plastic spoon, or a wooden spoon, and mix your batter or dough. It's hard work, but it gets the job done. The second way to mix would be with a hand mixer. Another old fashioned version of this would be the hand crank mixer, another tool that your grandmother used. Today, almost all hand mixers are electric. They are lightweight and have two or three speeds. They also can get the job done, with less effort than a spoon but more effort than a stand mixer.
The third way to mix is a stand mixer. Every major kitchen appliance company makes a stand mixer, they are the workhorses of many home kitchens. Usually they are made of cast steel, although some have plastic casings. They have large bowls that can be turned, large motors that can handle almost any batter or dough, and a wide variety of attachments for any type of mixing, whipping or beating.
The Cuisinart Precision Master Stand Mixer
While there are many good stand mixers available, I have always been partial to anything made by Cuisinart. There reputation for quality is unsurpassed and I have never been disappointed in any of their products. That is true of their Precision Master Stand Mixer. The first thing that you notice with this mixer is how solid it is made. The base is die cast steel and is rugged. Motor size matters a lot when you are choosing a stand mixer, you need it to be strong enough to handle everything from whipping egg whites to kneading bread dough. This unit has a 500 watt motor, large enough to handle any chore that you might give it. Cuisinart added 12 speeds to this motor, more than enough to properly mix any recipe that you are working with. The bowl is very large, 5.5 quarts is a very good size. If the bowl is too small you will end up having to make multiple batches of some recipes. Included is a splash guard, and the bowl has a handy handle. When you buy a mixer, you want to make sure that there are plenty of attachments included. This set has everything you will need-a kneading hook, a whisk and a flat paddle. Is the Cuisinart the most inexpensive mixer you can find? No, you will pay around $330 for the entire package. This is higher than some mixers, less than other. However, from a value standpoint, this is a good investment. The quality is excellent and the mixer is very well made. It will serve you for hundreds of recipes and many years of good baking.
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