KitchenAid

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To Reject or Not To Reject: That’s The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Posted by Tee Dee on June 2, 2012
Posted in: The Journey. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

What I have learned during my shortbread journey is: Everything matters when baking.

Weeks ago, I blogged about my stand mixer, “Who Needs A KitchenAid Stand Mixer“, and how it allows me time to get other things done while my cookie dough is mixing.  Well, I quickly found out what happens when shortbread dough is “overmixed”;  Let’s just say that the texture of the dough changes significantly, and that’s not good.

My shortbread is a soft and delicate cookie, but when I attempt to use the overmixed dough, each attempt is a failure.  One of the main problems is that the already soft structure of the shortbread becomes too light and too delicate.  The shortbread taste does not change but after they are baked and cooled they break and crumble when lifted off of the cookie sheet, and they become immediate rejects.

I found a great chart at Baking 911 called “Cookies – Problems and Solutions“.  The chart lists different cookie scenarios and a solutions for each issue.  I refer to Baking 911 for good information and tips or when situations arise that cause me confusion.

I would never serve shortbread that does not meet my standards, but because I hate throwing away food, my broken shortbread “rejects” become sweet treats for the household (they make great Shortbread Sprinkles over ice cream), and my son loves that.

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Who Needs A KitchenAid Stand Mixer?

Posted by Tee Dee on April 7, 2012
Posted in: The Journey. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 6 Comments

Who Needs A KitchenAid Stand Mixer?

My baking adventures began with whatever was in my kitchen, and being the daughter of an Alabama – down home – pound cake – sweet potato pie – and/or tea cake baker I inherited a General Electric hand mixer that was handed down to my mother when we moved to California 44 years ago.

That GE hand mixer was the only mixer I had. Eventually, my mother moved up to a KitchenAid stand mixer, and the GE was passed down to me. Even though I envied her, I was not willing to pay the price for one of my own. So, when I started making shortbread, the process was slow but sure. After a few months, I began to hear the strain on my GE when I was making my shortbread dough. Fear of being in the middle of a large shortbread request and the 44-year-old GE grinding to a halt had me researching and contemplating buying a KitchenAid of my own, but the price, THE PRICE, I just couldn’t justify it.

Luck would have it that my mother was going on vacation and she allowed me the use of her KitchenAid while she was away. OMG! Why didn’t anyone tell me how much simpler my life could be with the KitchenAid (more like why didn’t anyone make me listen)? The ability to turn on the mixer and walk away . . . GENIUS! I was able to get so much done, and I loved it. From that moment on, I was hooked. My new purpose in life, besides providing fabulous shortbread cookies, was to find a way to afford a KitchenAid.

Unfortunately, my eye-opening experience happened during the Christmas holidays and, again, I found myself unable to spend money on myself because I wanted to provide a nice Christmas for my son.

After the holidays were over, I calculated the loving gifts from my bosses and co-workers and found that even though I could not afford a KitchenAid, I could afford a different stand mixer, but I was not sure which mixer was worthy of my investment. I researched high and low. I compared reviews as well as prices, and in the end I chose a 300 watt Hamilton Beach (for half the price of a KitchenAid).

When the mailman delivered my stand mixer, I was excited. Granted, my Hamilton Beach was a little smaller (3 quart bowl) and lighter (in weight) than my mother’s KitchenAid, but when I started mixing with my Hamilton Beach, I found that it was a valuable resource and a life-saver for me. Now I understand that just like cars, my standard sedan (Hamilton Beach) will get me where I need to be and get the job done, but a luxury sedan (KitchenAid) may get me there faster and offer more frills.

Since the purchase of my Hamilton Beach stand mixer, baking (shortbread and bread) has been much more enjoyable. Do I need a KitchenAid? Well, since my current stand mixer is getting the job done, at this time I don’t. Although it’s not as efficient as my mother’s KitchenAid, it’s an extreme improvement from my GE hand mixer. Meanwhile, I am constantly researching and reading reviews on stand mixers, because my next purchase will be a valuable investiment (probably a KitchenAid). What do you think?

UPDATE – December 2014:

I finally got that KitchenAid (pictured above), and I was able to get the exact one that I wanted. It is wayyyyy better than my Hamilton Beach. Life is so much easier in the kitchen.