For those of you who’ve read my previous discussions, concerning my weekly cooking routine, you’re well aware of the fact that Fridays are an all-day cooking event on my calendar. I literally spend a good six hours or so of the day preparing a bulk meal that will satisfy “luncher” (lunch + dinner) needs for four adults and 1 child for the entire weekend (Friday evening through Sunday evening). So, when I was in the kitchen this past Friday, standing over my kitchen counter making angel biscuits, I couldn’t help but to count my blessings when looking down at my Kitchenaid standing mixer and observing its willingness to come to my rescue every time I need a hand (pun intended) with combining the ingredients of my culinary creations. Its name fits like a white test glove. This mixer is truly a personal food prep aide (in the tenth degree) in my kitchen. I can’t tell you the countless number of times that stress and wear and tear on my hands have been dismissed because of the effort given from my mixer. Listed within item #4 of my blog post, Teaching Hand-Saving Techniques, I even addressed the fact that standing mixers are equipment pieces that simulate the repetitive prep actions of mixing and kneading, minus the use of your own hands to do so. Hence, the reason I call it a hand-saving technique.
What was life like pre-Kitchenaid standing mixer? It’s but a fleeting memory, but I can tell you I was making a minuscule fraction of the amount of bread doughs, pie crusts, pie fillings, cookie doughs, cake batters, biscuit and roll doughs, brownie batters, muffin batters, bierock breads, and frostings than I do today. Let me tell you what. The store-bought counterfeit doesn’t hardly rank in taste and quality, when comparing to the homemade stuff, and is down-right unnerving to behold if you actually take a minute to read the labels on its packaging. I mean if I’m going to get carb/sugar intake I might as well indulge in the most pure version of it as possible with less chemical engineering and manipulating involved. Let’s just say that I’m an avid proponent of making your life easier in the kitchen, especially if you’re trying to crank out the good stuff from scratch. And I even went so far as to trade in my white 4.5 qt.-bowl Kitchenaid standing mixer with food processor for a red 7 qt.-bowl Kitchenaid standing mixer with the additional volume much needed for doubling and tripling recipes. (Red is the accent color in my kitchen so the mixer stands in cheery bright boldness on my countertop). Since I’m absolutely a fan of this piece of equipment, I’ll clarify “trade in” to mean I gave my smaller mixer to my mother, who has joined the make-your-own-sugary-confections movement. So, you can say my first mixer was handed down to the prior generation; somewhat of a reverse inheritance. Anyway, I’m keeping it all in the family.
So, if you’re looking to do some baking and haven’t yet thought of your best assistant in the kitchen (one that requires a one-time fee but keeps on working for you for free countless times after), think about perusing the mixer isle at your friendly neighborhood grocery or department store. Or, you can take a peek at an online store by clicking the picture below.
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