There are a few common mistakes people make when using a stand mixer It can be forgetting to put the splash guard on while they’re in a rush to mix ingredients or substituting an attachment because they can’t find the proper one. To increase the quality of your food and keep the kitchen clean and organized, follow the proper uses for your stand mixer and avoid these mistakes.

Not Starting with the Right Speed

When you’re beginning to mix your ingredients together, it’s important that you start the mixing process on a lower setting. The ingredients you just put in aren’t properly mixed together yet, which means they may fly out of the bowl and splatter on yourself and all over the kitchen. Start with a slower speed before incrementally increasing it.

Not Using the Splash Guard

Even when you begin at a slower speed, you still run the risk of ingredients getting thrown out of the bowl. To prevent this from happening, attach the splash guard to your mixer. Whether you’re using the slowest speed or the highest, the splash guard will stop the raw ingredients from making a mess of the kitchen.

Not Checking the Bowl Clearance

Always be sure the attachment is firmly emerged in the ingredients you’re mixing. Having too high of a clearance will mean that much of the batter will remain unmixed and unsuitable for baking, while a clearance that’s too low will only scratch the bottom of the mixing bowl and possibly damage the attachment. Whether you’re using a smaller mixer or an industrial dough mixer, you should know how to adjust the clearance before using the mixer.

Not Using the Proper Attachments

Mixers typically have three different types of attachments: a flat beater, a wire whip, and a dough hook. Each serves its own particular purpose. The flat beater is best for mixing cookie dough and batters, while the wire whip specializes in whipping frosting, heavy cream, and eggs. The dough hook is designed to knead bread dough. Be aware of which recipes require which attachment. Using the wrong attachment could mean breaking the tool or producing poor-quality food.

Not Knowing Your Mixer

The best way to avoid these mistakes people make when using a stand mixer is to thoroughly look over the user manual for your mixer. Depending on the model, it could have limitations that you’re not aware of and that only apply to that particular model. Having knowledge of your own mixer, along with knowing the common mistakes for every mixer, will increase the quality of your food and ensure everything is in working order.