Home Chef Cooking Tips

I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer

Last modified on 2009-12-08 03:13:14 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Photo by vmiramontes

There’s a reason this is the first post on this page, and the title says it all – I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. My KSM90, in Empire Green was the first small appliance I purchased back in the early 90’s and almost 20 yrs later, it still mixes, beats, and kneads with ease.  It is definitely my favorite, and most used, kitchen appliance.

If you are a more than occassional baker, this is the one small appliance you need. Stand mixers are durable and versatile and depending on the brand you buy, it will come with one or more of the following mixer blades (all KitchenAid models come with all three):

Flat Beater (shown in image above) - Basic blade for all types of cake mixes and creaming butter
Whisk – Whipping egg whites and cream
Dough hook – For kneading bread and pizza doughs

Stand mixers come with two types of mixer heads, tilt-up or stationary (with the bowl raising/lowering below it). I prefer the tilt-head mixer, probably because it’s the type I have, but also since it’s very easy to add the ingredients, instal and remove the bowl (with a simple twist), and change mixing blades (they are spring loaded onto the shaft).

Your mixers bowl should be at least 4 qts, as this will hold a large batch of bread or pizza dough. Whether you plan on kneading dough or not, you’re still going to want a solidly build mixer (read HEAVY). The heavy duty construction is primarily the result of the motor size, A larger motor will allow the mixer to operate smoothly at all speeds, regardless of the texture of the dough. Also, when your dough is kneading (and being moved around the inside of the bowl) you don’t want your mixer to be dancing across your counter-top. A solid, quality mixer (20 lbs minimum) will stay put.

When I purchased my mixer, my color options were White, Black, Red, and Green. Today’s mixers come in a much wider variety of colors – the KitchenAid Artisan Series for example, is available in 24 colors from White to Onxy Black, with Butter cup, Cinnamon, Pistachio, and more in between.

Many manufacturers also offer a variety of attachments, some of which may be included with the basic mixer or can purchased separately.  The only reason I happen to have the Attachment Pack is because it was a free bonus  when I purchased my mixer. To this day, I can’t remember using any of the attachments more than once. Don’t buy a mixer based on these extras (no matter how cool they look), especially if you know you won’ tbe using them.  But, if you’re tight on space, and are looking for a mixer that can multi-task as a juicer, cheese shredder, sausage stuffer, french fry cutter, pasta maker, and more, there’s an attachment (or a complete pack) waiting for you.

The other thing I love about my stand mixer is that it is much more kid friendly than a hand held mixer. My kids (7 yr old twins) love to help make birthday cakes, cupcakes, brownies and cookies. With the stand mixer, they can concentrate on adding the ingredients (and watching them mix) while I control the mixer speed. Also, since the ingredients are being added from above, their fingers stay safely away from the mixing blades.

So like I said before, I love my KitchenAid mixer (and so do my kids).

Electric Rice Cookers

Last modified on 2009-12-08 03:09:10 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Photo by DennisSylvesterHurd

Rice cookers are not vegetable steamers that can also be used for rice.  They are a highly specialized appliance that can prepare any type of rice perfectly, and all you need to do is add the ingredients. Rice cookers will also keep the rice warm once it is fully cooked, and even reheat cold rice.

The big question is, do you really need gadget that makes only rice?

By answering a few simple questions, you can determine if a rice cooker is right for you. The answers will also tell you if you’re better off spending your money on another more useful appliance.

If you eat rice at least 3x a week, a rice cooker is a good investment. If you are eating rice only once a week, but consistently every week, you may want to consider a rice cooker with a smaller capacity (4 cups). If rice is only an occassional side dish (or you enjoy the taste of Uncel Ben’s or Rice a Roni) you will be better off perfecting rice on your stove top, and saving the counter space for another appliance.

Assuming rice is a dietary staple, you’re most likely not concerned with the 15 – 20 minutes it takes to simmer on your stove top. This is important, becuase good rice, like good barbecue, takes time, and for perfect rice, rice cookers take their time.

rice cooker are available in two basic varieties: the simpler on/off, and the more sophisticated fuzzy logic.

On/Off Cookers

This style of rice cooker operates exactly how the name implies, the heating unit turns on – cooks the rice – turn off. Some manufacturers offer basic programming features like preset timers and warming capability once the rice is finished, but the key component is that the heating cycle turns on and remains at a fixed temperature during the cooking cycle, then turns off. As a result, these models will cook the rice faster, and some of the simpler models will only be capable of preparing white rice.

Models include:

Panasonic SR-TMB10
Sanyo ECJ-N55W

Fuzzy-Logic Cookers

These rice cookers are microprocessor controlled, so by continuously monitoring the temperature they are able to continuously adjust both the cooking time and temperature in order to maintain the optimum moisture level for perfect rice every time. Since the time and temperature are continuously monitored and adjusted, fuzzy logic models will require longer cooking times than the simpler on/off models.

The fuzzy-logic rice cookers are also much more versatile in that they can also cook specialty rices such as arborio, basmati, and sushi rice. The best models are not only highly programmable (timer settings, and warming options) but will even allow you to program in your preferences for texture (hard, soft, sticky or wet).

Models include:

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy-logic NS-ZCC10
Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy-logic NS-ZCC18
Sanyo Micom ECJ-D55S

The best fuzzy logic rice cookers also utilize induction heating. Instead of the heat being generated from an electrical plate under the cooker, and electric current creates a magnetic field which generates heat all around the cooking chamber. Induction heating provides four key improvements:

1. More uniform heating
2. More accurate temperture sensing
3. More accurate and finer temperature control
4. Temperature changes are immediate

Now do you really need the latest and greatest style of rice cooker?

Remember, before even starting to look for a rice cooker, answer the following questions: 

How often do I eat rice?
How much rice will I typically cook at any one time?
What type of rice do I prefer?
What features do I need (timer, programmable, etc)?

This will insure you purchase an appliance that you need and will use.