7 KitchenAid Mixer Mistakes Everyone Has Made

You love your KitchenAid mixer, but are you using it properly? No appliance in the kitchen can make a cook feel more professional than a stand mixer. Whether you have a KitchenAid or a Kenmore, the controls seem simple enough, but you may be making some common mistakes.

1. Your attachment is too high
If you have the opposite problem and the attachment does not seem to reach the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl, you need to lower the height of the attachment. Follow the instructions above, but instead of turning the screw counterclockwise, turn it clockwise a half turn. Just make sure that the attachments do not touch the bottom of the bowl.

2. You start too fast
If your kitchen gets splattered with batter every time you use your mixer, the problem is probably your speed. Always start at the lowest speed and gradually increase it to the speed recommended in your recipe.

3. You are not using the correct whisk
The metal or coated whisk that comes with your mixer is fine, but you'll get the best results if you use a silicone scraper. This is a beater that scrapes the edges of the bowl so you do not have to stop the mixer and do it yourself.

4. You are not cleaning your mixer properly
Dough, flour, and other cooking debris can get stuck in the working parts of your blender. This debris can make your blender work harder or block some of the mechanisms.

5. No cooling of the bowl
Whipped cream will not, well, whip? Try putting the bowl (and attachment!) in the freezer for a few minutes. The extra cold will help you quickly achieve perfectly stiff peaks.

6. If you plug your blender into a power strip.
It's tempting to plug all your kitchen appliances into a power strip or surge protector. But some appliances, like your KitchenAid, need to be plugged directly into an outlet. Since your stand mixer uses a significant amount of power, plugging it in through a cord can increase the risk of fire or damage your mixer's motor.

7. Use the mixer only for baking
If you only use your KitchenAid to bake cakes and brownies, you are missing out. This versatile appliance can also be used to shred meat, blend dips, mash potatoes and much more.