05/10/2022
The first job that a stand mixer does best is whipping foods, be it cream or egg whites. It's great for aerating liquid mixtures: the stand mixer's large and open balloon whisk, combined with the power of the motor, produces thicker whipped cream and meringue than the narrow tines of a traditional whisk or hand mixer beaters.
Whilst whipping cream or egg whites by hand is fairly easy, there are times when the sheer power of a stand mixer comes in especially handy. French buttercream, for example, requires egg yolks to be whipped, which is mechanically demanding. Swiss meringue is also difficult to beat by hand, mainly because the process requires you to add sugar beforehand, and sugar slows down coagulation.
We also shouldn't underestimate the ease with which the mixer whisks. Beaten egg whites aren't just for meringues; they also play a crucial role in any soufflé, sweet or savory, as the air trapped in the proteins gives the soufflé airiness. The same principle is key to our easy angel food pie, although the stand mixer doesn't just make the recipe "easy" - the whole technique relies primarily on the stand mixer's sheer ability to blend the ingredients.
The whisk is also ideal for icing: American, French, Swiss meringue and Italian butter are made much easier with a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. (German Buttercream and Cream Cheese Buttercream and Quick and Easy Cream Cheese Frosting also take a little time with the whisk attachment, but they need the extra help of a spatula, which we'll cover in the next section.)
