Finding The Right Mixing Bowls

How much time do you spend thinking about mixing bowls? Probably not a lot, but they are very important tools when you are ready to bake.  If you went through your kitchen cupboards right now, I bet you will find at least a dozen mixing bowls, all in different sizes and made from different material.  This humble kitchen tool is an important piece when it comes to successful baking.

Mixing Bowls Are Now Multi Purpose Bowls

Mixing bowls have always been handy tools to have in a home kitchen, but recently they have been more multi purpose.  This has happened since manufacturers has started making bowls with lids.  Now you can mix in the bowl, then put on the lid and use the bowl as storage.  This is a really handy way to rid your cupboards of excess storage containers.  Your bowls can serve two purposes without taking up a lot of space.

Another improvement with mixing bowls has been the addition of a pour spout on the bowl.  It’s almost a given that you will be pouring a mixture out of the bowl into a cooking pan or tray.  Standard mixing bowls came without a handle or a spout, making pouring a bit of a challenge.  It’s common to find mixing bowls with both a handy handle and a convenient pour spout, making every baker’s life much easier.

Plenty Of Different Materials Can Be Used In Making The Bowls

For many years, cooks and bakers had only a couple of choices for the materials used to make mixing bowls.  Glass was popular, but it tended to be heavy and broke when dropped.  That may sound obvious, but glass bowls were costly and dropping things in a kitchen is a common occurrence.

Aluminum was used for bowls and was loved for its light weight.  These bowls were also indestructible, you could drop them and they were usually no worse for wear.  They would scratch, especially if steel kitchen utensils were used, and you could end up with a rough surface.  Aluminum is also known to react with acids in food, creating problems with taste and texture.

Plastic was introduced in the 1950s as a material for kitchen tools and it was a hit.  It wouldn’t break or scratch, was lightweight and could go into the dishwasher.  Today, many manufacturers use plastic for all type of kitchen tools and utensils.  There are some concerns about chemical additives to plastic, but for the most part these are not problems with mixing bowls.

Ceramic And Stone Mixing Bowls

Ceramic bowls will brighten up almost any kitchen.  They can be very colorful, they are durable and they are easy to clean.  They may be a bit more costly than plastic bowls but they will last a long time and will do a great job in any home kitchen.

Stone is a great material for  mixing bowls.  It can withstand high temperatures, cold temperatures and metal utensils.  You can pop it into the dishwasher for easy cleaning and it is very durable.  The downside to stone is that it is heavy and can break.  Still, stone bowls are favored by bakers who mix heavy batters or dough recipes.

Every kitchen needs at least one good set of mixing bowls.  Check your budget and check your baking requirements to decide which set is best for your needs.