Mixing Bowls (Equipment Overview)

A great mixing bowl will be used almost as much as a cutting board. They are great for mixing, of course, but are also useful for short term storage, transferring ingredients to pans, tossing seasonings, quick marinades, breading stations, and much more. Here are some simple guidelines for using mixing bowls more effectively.

USING A MIXING BOWL

If you are mixing or manipulating ingredients in any way, try to use a bowl that will fit about double the amount of food you are using. This will ensure adequate space to move the ingredients around without spilling over the side, and will still be small enough to be easy and efficient to handle.

Sometimes a mixing bowl can be used as a holding vessel before you move food to a pan, grill, or anything else, just make sure that it is big enough to fit everything. While your dog may thank you for letting scraps fall to the ground, that’s one less bite for you to enjoy.

Stainless steel is fantastic for mixing bowls. It is non reactive, it holds its shape well, it heats ok if you need to do a double boiler, it cleans easily, and is not prohibitively expensive.

Plastic mixing bowls work great for mixing ingredients and temporary food storage. They can be a great, low-cost option to get started, but they cannot be used as a double boiler, and they can potentially permanently stain depending on the food stored in them.

Shape matters. Wider, shallower bowls will allow for easier and more thorough mixing, while taller, narrower bowls work better for short term storage as they take up less horizontal space. Taller, narrower bowls may also be better if you are using an immersion blender.

It is easiest to have a couple different sizes and shapes of mixing bowls for different tasks, but that does not mean that it is impossible to have only one. If a Home Chef only buys one, it should be useful for multiple tasks. One that can fit about 6-8 quarts, is stainless steel, and leans towards wider and shallower is a good option.

PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS

Here are a few recommendations if you are in the market for mixing bowls.*

Fox Run, Stainless Steel, Mix Bowl Ss 8Qt ($)

Glad Set of 3 Nesting Mixing Bowls with Pour Spout ($)

Rorence Stainless Steele Mixing Bowls with Pour Spout ($$)

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