Master your mixing

Stand mixers are a workhorse of versatility

You may recognize stand mixers as the powerhouse of any baker’s kitchen, but they can do more than make a mean batch of macaroons. The versatile attachments of stand mixers make a variety of tasks faster and easier, including some of the following examples.

Spiralize, peel and core. Trendy spiralizers with multiple blades create veggie faux pasta in seconds, letting you toss out handheld items that are clogging up your drawers. “They not only spiralize, they peel and core. The peeling is great for apple pie or potatoes, and makes it very little work,” says Costco member Derek Ernst, vice president of global marketing and product development at KitchenAid.

Slice and shred. Skip spending lots of time slicing fruits and veggies. Virginia Willis, a chef, food writer and Costco member, advises using a stand mixer to reduce the prep time for processes like grating carrots, and thinks they are perfect for big gatherings where serious prep occurs.

Process. A smaller attachment dices, slices, shreds and juliennes. “The technology in our high-end countertop processors, like exact slicing and dicing technologies, is baked into this attachment," Ernst says. "It truly operates like a top-of-the-line food processor."

Make pasta. “The pasta attachment is absolute genius, because the handcranked ones are still well-made, but you need another hand. With this roller, it does it for you,” explains Willis. You can now create fresh pasta, even gluten-free pasta, and macaroni noodles, quickly and easily.

Temper and slow cook. Precise-heat mixing bowls offer a ton of versatility. They heat up and hold temperatures so well that they can temper chocolate and can be used to cook anything made in a traditional slow cooker.

Juice. Speed up your juicing with a juicer and sauce attachment. “There are so many inferior single-use machines, but this attachment can be used, then put in a drawer for less clutter while maximizing your mixer,” says Willis.

Grind. With a meat grinder attachment, you can grind anything from meats and sausages to coleslaw and spices. You’ll know the ingredients in your ground meat and enjoy a fast, simple appliance.

Make ice cream. “Rather than having a separate ice cream maker, you have just a single small bowl,” explains Alyssa Rimmer, recipe developer and photographer at Simply Quinoa. Pop the bowl in the freezer for a few hours, then attach it to your mixer when you’re ready to make ice cream or its healthier siblings, like gelato, sherbet or sorbet.

Mill. Using a grain mill attachment significantly cuts your custom-flour prep time. “With a grain mill, you can control the coarseness of it. So if you’re gluten-free like me, I oftentimes have to piecemeal different grains together to get the texture I want. This attachment allows me to make just the amount I need,” says Rimmer.

Strain. For fine purées, break down ingredients and remove peels speedily with this one attachment: a fruit/vegetable strainer.

Whisk. Incorporate air into ingredients or mixtures with this feature. Ideal for whipping eggs, egg whites or heavy cream, the whisk attachment can be used in recipes for angel food and chiffon cake, meringue, marshmallow, potatoes and more.

Knead. A dough hook can take on dough for things like breads, rolls, pizza, focaccia, pasta and yeast-raised coffee cakes.

Mix. Used for stirring and beating ingredients and mixtures, a flat mixing paddle is best for cookie doughs, cake and biscuit batters, frostings and pie crusts, and even for combining ingredients for meatloaf or meatballs.

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