Today Iand#8217;m very happy to share an interview I did recently with Jo Richardson. Jo works with KitchenAid Australia and New Zealand as their official home economist. Doesnand#8217;t that sound like a dream job?
Jo is an absolute wiz at using all KitchenAid products but I quizzed her specifically about the Artisan Stand Mixer. The beautiful one pictured above in and#8216;pistachioand#8217; was kindly gifted to me by KitchenAid so that I could have a play. I just love the muted retro colour and it works like a dream!
Therefore, the interview will appear in two parts. Today we will talk about how to get the best use out of your Artisan Mixer and tomorrow weand#8217;ll talk about using it for gluten free baking. Plus, Iand#8217;ll share Joand#8217;s wicked gluten free chocolate brownie recipe, so donand#8217;t forget to pop back again tomorrow.
Letand#8217;s get startedand#8230;
First things first, I think I have to ask what a lot of people might be thinking. The Artisan Stand Mixer is a bit intimidating for some home cooks, itand#8217;s big, heavy and shiny and some might say cumbersome to get out and use. What is the best way to get the most use out of it?
Itand#8217;s funny that you use the word intimidating. I would use the word inspirational! I look at it and think and#8216;You beautiful Goddess, youand#8217; and Iand#8217;ve always thought that from the very first time I saw a mixer and that was 30 years ago when they werenand#8217;t even sold in Australia. She definitely needs to sit on your bench as sheand#8217;s a very healthy 12.3 kilos so isnand#8217;t something you want to lug around. Besides, sheand#8217;s too beautiful to live in a box in the cupboard. She needs to sit on the bench as the pride of your kitchen and if itand#8217;s right there you will use it everyday, maybe even a couple of times a day.
To get the very best use out of it the secret is to use it regularly. Itand#8217;s a bit like a car because it has a motor, a very beautiful direct drive motor, and it likes to be worked. I have a few mixers because Iand#8217;m always recipe testing and if one isnand#8217;t being used I will put her on medium speed and let her run for five or ten minutes. Believe me, even after that short amount of time she feels so much better, just like a car that needs to be driven.
Look at her! Sheand#8217;s gorgeous. Thereand#8217;s no way this beautiful mixer isnand#8217;t female.
Now, I know some of my readers will be thinking and#8216;The Artisan Mixer looks great, but ughh, it looks so hard to clean!and#8217;. Is that true and what tips do you have?
No! All you need is hot soapy water and a quick wipe thatand#8217;s all youand#8217;ll ever need to do. Because sheand#8217;s got that beautiful rounded design there arenand#8217;t a lot of nooks and crannies so it is just a joy to clean. The beautiful gloss from the enamel paintwork just lasts and lasts and will look just like that after 30 years.
What about taking the attachments on and off? It looks tricky.
Itand#8217;s not tricky at all, in fact itand#8217;s just like putting an old fashioned light bulb in. You push the attachments in, have a bit of a wiggle and then they lock in. You donand#8217;t have to worry about being precious because sheand#8217;s very robust as sheand#8217;s a commercial machine for domestic use so youand#8217;re not going to hurt her!
While we are talking about attachments let me say that you will use your flat beater 99.9% of the time. Youand#8217;ll use the whisk for whipping cream and eggs but the flat beater for pretty much everything else. The design is that good and versatile.
I hate sifting! Do you have sift ingredients before adding them to the mixer?
Look Christie, Iand#8217;m a fabulous cook but Iand#8217;m also a fabulously lazy cook and Iand#8217;m too busy. I hate sifting. Hate it! Life is too busy for sifting! Simply pop the flour, baking powder and whatever else you want sifted and let the mixer gently caress the ingredients on speed 1. Easy.
Thereand#8217;s no sifting and no folding with a metal spoon either. I was classically trained as a home economist to fold ingredients together with a large metal spoon but now I say and#8216;absolutely not!and#8217;. Simply use the flat beater attachment on speed 1 to gently mix and youand#8217;ll get fantastic results.
OK, letand#8217;s get down to some serious business. The perfect whipped egg white. Iand#8217;m sure many people buy a Stand Mixer specifically for this purpose (and avoid that dead arm you get using a хэнд whisk!) Talk us through it Joand#8230;
Right. You want to start with an egg white that is room temperature. If Iand#8217;ve got an hour up my sleeve then Iand#8217;ll take the eggs out of the fridge and pop them on the bench, but if I donand#8217;t (or if itand#8217;s a freezing cold day in Melbourne), then Iand#8217;ll put them into a bowl and cover with warm tap water. Then Iand#8217;ll have a cup of tea and come back a bit later, drain them off and then youand#8217;ve got perfect room temperature egg whites.
Next, you want very clean and dry utensils and#8211; no oil, water or grease of any kind and#8211; on the whisk or the bowl. If Iand#8217;m making something for a really special occasion and Iand#8217;m a bit sceptical about the cleanliness of the mixer I will sometimes actually just wipe the bowl over with half a lemon. That will really clean it. Then you just need to dry it well.
Pop your eggs in and start the mixer on speed 1, then up to 2, 3, 4. When you are comfortable at about speed 6 or 8 you will notice that it starts to foam up quite quickly and you need to watch it very closely. It will go from soft peaks to firm peaks in a matter of minutes because the beater goes to 67 different points in the bowl, so it is possible to very quickly overbeat your eggs. If I can put it into perspective for you and#8211; no other mixer goes to more than 20 different points in the bowl and#8211; so you get results quickly with KitchenAid.
I donand#8217;t add sugar until the soft peak stage if making a meringue. It also helps to pop the food shield on because it directs the sugar to the very centre of the bowl as well as stopping anything splattering over your bench.
So many great tips there from Jo! The interview continues tomorrow with a фокус on gluten free baking and a wicked brownie recipe, join us then! In the meantime if you have any further questions about KitchenAid products then head to AskJo for more information.
Christie x
Fig andamp; Cherry received the KitchenAid Artisan Mixer with compliments of KitchenAid.
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