KitchenAid--Whisk or Beater?

[Luci]

My new KA came last night. I got the Professional 575 watt with the 6 qt bowl. I've done a search and haven't quite come up with the answer to my questions.

I want to make a batch of body butter this a.m. I pretty much use the Kimberly's Whipped Shea recipe with a few changes. I've been making it with my Sunbeam stand mixer using the beaters. Do I use the KA beater for this or the whisk attachment? My Sunbeam didn't have a whisk but I was pleased with the result after beating the crap out of it for a lengthy time.

I would appreciate any advice from the many of you who make butters with a KA. Anxious to get this monster of a machine working!

[Crafty1]

i use my whisk attachment for my KA

Congrats on your KA. I must say, once I switched from using my Sunbeam to the KA, I noticed a great difference in my finished products.

Enjoy and HAVE LOADS of FUN!

[CareBear]

I have only used my whisk attachment. might be interesting to try it both ways though. I think the whisk would put more air into it.

[spatreats4u]

I think I am the only person on here who DOES NOT use my kitchen aide for my products- I cant do it:embarasse I cant deal with the fact its for food and then put lotion or body products in there. I am wierd I know. I am sure some dont put their fo or micas in the kitchen aide and then some that do but even if I dont put those products in I still cant do it. I still use my hand mixer for all that stuff. But anyway I too would suggest the wisk= lighter fluffier product. Sorry to babble- maybe more convincing myself here that others do it, so I could too lol

[Christine Flapp]

Congratulations--best investment you will ever make! Nothing like a Kitchen Aid for professional results. I use the whisk for butters, however, I use the dough hook esp. in the winter when butters take longer to soften because a whisk is delicate & can bend if you try to soften something very hard. I also purchased the water bath option, which attaches to the bottom of the bowl because I can use it with hot water or ice which alleviates for the most part having to refrigerate the mixture during whippings.

[RobinInOR]

I use the beater cuz my shea is too stiff for the wisk.

[TexasBrat]

I think I am the only person on here who DOES NOT use my kitchen aide for my products- I cant do it:embarasse I cant deal with the fact its for food and then put lotion or body products in there. I am wierd I know. I am sure some dont put their fo or micas in the kitchen aide and then some that do but even if I dont put those products in I still cant do it. I still use my hand mixer for all that stuff. But anyway I too would suggest the wisk= lighter fluffier product. Sorry to babble- maybe more convincing myself here that others do it, so I could too lol

You are not alone, that is one kitchen appliance that will stay for food only. I can't bring myself to use it for b&b. I bake a lot so I can't bring myself to do it. I have food fly up everywhere and onto the mixer when I use it so I know that if I made lotion or scrubs in it then the same thing would happen.

[CareBear]

You are not alone, that is one kitchen appliance that will stay for food only. I can't bring myself to use it for b&b. I bake a lot so I can't bring myself to do it. I have food fly up everywhere and onto the mixer when I use it so I know that if I made lotion or scrubs in it then the same thing would happen.

That's funny. I cannot bring myself to use my precious KA for food...

[spatreats4u]

:highfive:

You are not alone, that is one kitchen appliance that will stay for food only. I can't bring myself to use it for b&b. I bake a lot so I can't bring myself to do it. I have food fly up everywhere and onto the mixer when I use it so I know that if I made lotion or scrubs in it then the same thing would happen.

[Tall Blonde]

I hate to say this, but lotions gave me an excuse to buy a new KA. I bake bread for the family at least once a week and I reasoned that the 6 cup model wasn't large enough for us. So I put that one in the garage for lotions and butters, and bought myself the grande 12 cup version.:embarasse

[Luci]

Thanks for all the replies! Once I saw that first response about the whisk, I got right in the kitchen and got busy. I made a one-lb. batch of Amazing Grace, and another one-lb batch that I split between Black Raspberry Vanilla and Commando.

I was getting good results with my Sunbeam, but the KA made it go by much more quickly. The splash guard worked like a charm. No splatter on the walls, etc. What a relief for that. The butter was so fluffy that I could barely get 2 oz net weight in my 4 oz jars. I had to really pack it down before sealing them.

The recipe I have been using calls for me to melt my butters. I do this on very low heat. I do the alternating with the freezer, etc. I did not know that there was a water bath option. Must check that out.

I have been making a sugar scrub with the fbb base and shealoe, etc. that I do not melt. I will give that a try using the beaters.

Thank you again for your replies. BTW--I don't cook much these days, but I don't really see where using the mixer for food should be a problem. I have always thoroughly cleaned all parts of my mixers after each batch. I wash out the bowls, etc. and also use my dishwasher.

[Carrie]

I think I am the only person on here who DOES NOT use my kitchen aide for my products- I cant do it:embarasse I cant deal with the fact its for food and then put lotion or body products in there. I am wierd I know. I am sure some dont put their fo or micas in the kitchen aide and then some that do but even if I dont put those products in I still cant do it. I still use my hand mixer for all that stuff. But anyway I too would suggest the wisk= lighter fluffier product. Sorry to babble- maybe more convincing myself here that others do it, so I could too lol

You use your KA for food. Mine has never seen my kitchen, except of course the day I bought it I had to go thru the kitchen to put it away.

I use the paddle for my butters. I used to use a whisk but my butters would always deflate. I don't use the freezer so that may have something to do with it.

[LaVida]

I bought my pink KA for products only... most of my bowls and pots are for products *l* you should see my product pot shelves and my food cooking pot drawer... a shame.

I use my whisk for my monoi parfait... I have to end up taking it off and hand whisking the rest because there's a lot on the sides..... I think KA's are good for the start of mixing but for me it's best to use my electric hand mixer for the rest....