My kitchen tip for this week is to think outside the box when it comes to counter space. If you have an appliance as heavy as a KitchenAid mixer, you probably store it on your countertop. (top photo source)
Here are three tips to help you make better use of time and space:
- Put a dishcloth or small towel under the mixer, making it easy to slide around your counter as needed.
- Allow yourself to store a few items inside the bowl. You know, those random little things that you use often and/or don’t seem to have a rightful “place” in your kitchen? In my bowl, you’ll find my candy thermometer, because I use it almost every week for homemade yogurt in a crock pot and was always leaving the sheath on the counter cluttering things up. You’ll recently find a coffee filter, which covers my new countertop-incubating yogurt starter (I can’t wait to tell you more about that and share a freebie with you in a few weeks!). Sometimes you’ll find a couple random items that were on my counter when someone stopped by and I quickly cleaned up! Tee hee hee…don’t tell!
- Try to use it twice, every time. I hate washing big things like mixer bowls, food processors, and blenders. I really despise using them quickly for one little things and them having to disassemble and clean the whole darn thing. Just this week, I’ve combined without washing in between:
- Chopping nuts and making these smoothies in the blender (not at the same time, mind you – you chop the nuts, quick rinse, then make smoothies)
- Slicing and shredding zucchini (for 2 batches of bread and two meals), then salsa, then chopping extra jalapenos to freeze in the food processor
- baking these breadsticks (half as hamburger buns), then pumpkin muffins AND zucchini bread – I did a quick rinse after the breadsticks and brazenly went from one quick bread recipe to another without even a thought to the disastrous consequences of not rinsing…and everything was delicious!
- I often double up on bread crumbs and green smoothies in the blender, and granola and granola bars with the KitchenAid. Less dishes is a super time saver!
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Dish towel under the mixer? Kind of ugly and unsanitary. Get some self stick felt pads that are used under chair legs, clean the rubber mixer feet well, and stick the felt on. No worry of counter scratches and it slides a lot better. Use the felt under other appliances too, like coffee makers. The felt won’t last forever but it should last for a couple of years.
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I sit my Kitchen Aid Mixer (and blender) on one of the thin flexible cutting boards. It slides easily on my counter. I use a clear one so it doesn’t stand out so much.
These are wonderful tips. I have a bread maker on my counter top and I do use it as a mixer too, for mixing cookie dough, quick breads, etc. For me it is easier to clean and I do try to use it more than once before I clean it.
If I had a KitchenAid, I would have it on my counter. Someday……. But I rarely get my Oster mixer out. It is just easier to mix doughs by hand for me.
The towel tip is awesome too. Thanks for that one.
I do have a catchall basket that I keep on my fridge that does the work of your bowl. But I will keep this in mind for when I get my KitchenAid!
Thanks for the tips. They’ll come in handy.
Shari
Thanks for the tips! I also try to use my kitchen aide for several things at once, but I’ll have to try the towel trick.
Great ideas! I got a mixer for Christmas and I really don’t know how I ever lived with out it. If there was ever a fire in my house, I might run back in to save my mixer ;o)
The towel tip is a great one! I store stuff in mine too. And use it twice is a must over here also! I schedule my baking around what could go next in the mixer (like doing muffins before yeast bread so there isn’t lingering yeast)
You use your mixer for breadcrumbs?
Whoops, no…I see how that was confusing though. I use the blender for breadcrumbs. Updated the post — thank you for pointing out the lack of clarity! (I often have unfinished thoughts, apparently…aren’t we all a little unfinished?) 🙂 Katie
Great tips!