Most stand mixers come with three main attachments: flat beaters, wire whips, and dough hooks. Each one has a specific purpose. Not sure which to use? Here’s a simple guide to help!
Flat Beater
The flat beater is the most versatile stand mixer attachment. It has a broad, flat shape that makes it perfect for mixing ingredients without adding too much air. You’ll probably use this one the most.
Best Uses:
- Mixing cake medium to heavy batters
- Blending cookie dough
- Mashing potatoes
- Mixing frosting or buttercream
- Combining meat for meatballs or meatloaf
Wire Whip
The wire whip or whisk attachment, is designed to incorporate air into mixtures. It has multiple thin wires that quickly aerate ingredients. They’re perfect for anything that needs to be light, fluffy, or aerated.
Best Uses:
- Whipping cream
- Beating egg whites for meringue
- Making airy cake batters
- Mixing soufflé bases
- Preparing homemade mayonnaise
Dough Hook
It’s right in the name. The dough hook is designed for kneading dough. It comes in two shapes: the C-shaped hook and the spiral hook. Both work by pushing and folding the dough. It simulates the action of hand kneading.
Best Uses:
- Kneading bread dough
- Preparing pizza dough
- Mixing pasta dough
- Making bagel or pretzel dough
Other Essential Stand Mixer Attachments
Most stand mixers come with the basic flat beater, wire whip, and dough hook. You usually don’t have to pay for these attachments. If you want your stand mixer to perform a function other than what the basic attachments can do, you’ll need to pay for extra accessories. Here’s what you need to know about these additional attachments:
Flex Edge Beater
This is similar to a flat beater but has a silicone or rubber edge that scrapes the bowl as it mixes. You won’t need to stop and scrape manually.
Best for:
- Mixing cake batters
- Blending soft cookie dough
- Combining soft butter and sugar
- Preparing mashed potatoes
- Mixing cheesecake batter
Pastry Beater
The pastry beater is a newer attachment designed for cutting butter into flour. It’s similar to a pastry cutter. It helps create flaky pastries.
Best for:
- Making pie crusts
- Mixing biscuit dough
- Preparing scones
- Cutting butter into dry ingredients
Food Grinder Attachment
A food grinder attachment attaches to the power hub of your stand mixer and allows you to grind meats, cheese, and other ingredients.
Best for:
- Grinding meat for burgers or sausages
- Making homemade ground turkey or chicken
- Grinding cheese
- Preparing fresh breadcrumbs
Pasta Roller and Cutter
This attachment rolls out fresh pasta dough and cuts it into different shapes. It usually comes with different rollers and cutters for making spaghetti, fettuccine, or lasagna sheets.
Best for:
- Rolling out pasta dough
- Cutting spaghetti or fettuccine
- Making homemade lasagna sheets
Vegetable Spiralizer
A vegetable spiralizer attachment has a blade attachment that turns vegetables into spirals or ribbons.
Best for:
- Making zucchini noodles (zoodles)
- Slicing potatoes for chips
- Creating vegetable ribbons for salads
Citrus Juicer
The citrus juicer attachment lets you extract juice from fresh oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits. It’s a cone-shaped attachment.
Best for:
- Juicing citrus fruits
- Making fresh lemonade or orange juice
Final Thoughts
Each of these attachments is designed to make mixing easier and more effective. Now you know which one to grab depending on what you’re making!
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