Before I buy a new stand mixer...

September 9, 2008 8:04 PM

Will a Kitchenaid stand mixer work well with small volumes - such as a single egg white?
posted by cwhitfcd to Food & Drink (13 answers total)

I've found that it's not the best for small volumes as the attachments only go so far into the bowl. If you do small volumes often you might want to try a stick blender instead
posted by alcopop at 8:14 PM on September 9, 2008

Best answer: Depends on what you plan to do with the egg white. If you're whipping it into a foam, then it'll work. The whisk attachment will get more and more purchase as the foam stiffens and expands. You'll get similar results with small amounts of whipping cream.

For things that don't expand, the results are more (ahem) mixed.
posted by jedicus at 8:15 PM on September 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It works okay, not great. I make pancakes almost every weekend with a single egg white beaten until stiff and I always just do it by hand with a whisk--not worth taking up all that space in the dishwasher with that big bowl.
posted by HotToddy at 8:20 PM on September 9, 2008

The Professional model (the one that raises the bowl into place rather than swiveling the head upwards) is virtually useless for small batches of anything.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:35 PM on September 9, 2008

Don't burn me at the stake - I hate my Kitchen Aid. I use the meat grinder and the chopper and mix stinking dog food and every once in a great while I make cheese straws, but that's it. I can't see in the bowl, a lot sticks to the sides, there's usually a puddle of unmixed at the bottom, and it over beats in a flash... I just don't like it. And whisking is so much fun. Why bring machinery into it?

However, I am single. If you have a family to feed, it might make sense to do a single egg white.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 8:55 PM on September 9, 2008

For the professional model - I have the 600 series I think - You can adjust the bowl so that the attachments get into the bottom of the bowl properly. I've never had a problem with small amounts, except for room in the dishwasher (assuming you have one). Also assuming you do have a dishwasher, make sure you get the white coated attachments instead of or addition to the stainless steel ones; only the coated attachments can go in the dishwasher.
posted by miscbuff at 9:25 PM on September 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

I prefer to use our stick blender with it's whisk attachment for a single egg white, mostly because it's easier to clean a small bowl and the little whisk than the big kitchen aid bowl and whisk. If I didn't have the stick blender, I'd probably just whisk the egg white by hand. The KA works fine, I just hate washing giant things that I've used for something small.
posted by oneirodynia at 10:24 PM on September 9, 2008

A stick blender or hand mixer (both of which you should easily be able to find for less than $20) will work better.
posted by Atom12 at 3:51 AM on September 10, 2008

Best answer: Agreeing with miscbuff about the Kitchenaid, and adding that you can adjust the height of the blade in the Artisan series mixers, also. Instructions are in your owner's manual. It's a little fiddly, but I had no trouble adjusting it in about three minutes when I bought a SideSwipe blade.

The slightly lower blade height really helps the mixer get every last bit at the bottom of the bowl, even with small amounts.
posted by weezetr at 4:53 AM on September 10, 2008

When I used the larger pro models I found I had to prop it up to touch the bottom of the bowl manually, even when I had 60 egg yolks going around in there. I would just lift edge of the bowl, hear that metal on metal, and think of England.
posted by jon_kill at 7:04 AM on September 10, 2008 [1 favorite]

I bought my Kitchenaid at a thrift store, and the beaters were adjusted so low that the whisk attachment's wires had worn half away. The previous owner obviously had no problem getting to the stuff on the bottom of the bowl.
posted by pullayup at 7:19 AM on September 10, 2008

I personally find the Kitchenaid to be overkill for a single egg. All of the attachments and the bowl need to be hand washed. That's a lot of work for a single egg. I would just beat the egg in a bowl with a traditional whisk. They're easier to clean and you don't risk over-beating it.

But again, if we knew what you were cooking, in the larger context, we may be able to give better answers.
posted by jeffamaphone at 7:58 AM on September 10, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks, just wanted to know because I have some recipes that start off whipping a single egg white. In fact the manual for the Artisan says that the minimum mixture capacity of ... 1 egg white! (The deluxe minimum is 2 egg whites).

As a few have mentioned, if I was whipping a single egg white this would be overkill. But it's nice to know I can do all the prep for these recipes with one appliance.
posted by cwhitfcd at 3:44 AM on September 11, 2008