Choosing and Using the Correct Mixing Bowls

A mixing bowl should be purchased for convenience and durability. If the bowl will be used for pouring, consider one with a spout. Stainless steel bowls go from freezer to table and dishwasher, but not the microwave. They are lightweight and sturdy enough to last for decades, but the finish will dull and scratch from contact with metal utensils. Glass bowls are heavy and go from freezer to microwave, table, and dishwasher. However, glass bowls chip, crack, and are slippery when wet. Hand or Stand Many stand mixers come with two mixing bowls, varied in size. Purchasing additional bowls through the manufacturer simplifies baking projects. These bowls usually lock in place on the mixer, so they are not interchangeable with other mixing bowls.

Hand mixers can be used with any bowl. A heavy bowl with a skid-free rubber bottom will protect counters from scratches. Make sure the bowl's construction allows you to place the mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for an hour before whipping cream and in a slightly warm oven before creaming butter.

Size Does Matter
If the mixing bowl is too small, the batter peaks up the shaft of the beaters and over the edge of the bowl; if the mixing bowl is too large, the top half of the beaters can't work the batter. Whipped cream and egg whites can grow six to eight times their original volume, depending on the humidity; judge the bowl size accordingly. Cake mix ingredients should fill 50-60% of the bowl to start, leaving room for expansion as the ingredients are whipped.

When using stand mixers to make bread dough, a larger bowl is necessary to gradually work in the flour and knead the dough. If the bowl is too small, the dough works its way up the bread hooks and swirls to the top where the hooks attach to the machine.