Do you bake by hand or machine?

[Josephine]

I was wondering how many people make cakes the old fashioned way with a spoon/hand whisk etc or use a mixer? I use a wooden spoon at the moment for most bakes (very old fashioned I know!), partly because it's the way I was taught as I was growing up, and partly because I have never been able to afford a decent mixer!

For those who use both, does it make any difference to the actual cakes themselves? Or is it just labour saving?

 

[Becky]

I don't have a mixer, I use an electronic hand whisk for some things (eg creaming together butter and sugar) and a silicone spoon for mixing. It's never good to overmix the batter once the flour has been added - once flour is mixed with wet ingredients the gluten starts to develop so the less you mix it the lighter the cake will be. So I guess hand mixing once the flour has been added can make a difference to the cake, but if you are using a mixer then as long as you watch it carefully there is no harm done!

 

[Andrea]

I very rarely use a mixer, I usually always mix everything by hand. I feel more like I am the one making it then as silly as that might sound! Either way works though. I have a kitchen aid that I can use if I am being lazy that day!

 

[Dorothy]

I usually like baking the old fashion way too, but I have used a mixer now and again, I don't think it tastes any different either way though, I haven't really noticed it anyway.

 

[meghna]

I too have an electronic hand whisk, I always wish to buy a Kitchen aid stand mixer in the future, perhaps when I'll begin to save a little more, they are so expensive! My electronic hand whisk is pretty inexpensive and the pastries and cookies that I baked using it came out pretty decent. I will never part with it though even after bringing in a stand mixer.

 

[Dorothy]

I too have an electronic hand whisk, I always wish to buy a Kitchen aid stand mixer in the future, perhaps when I'll begin to save a little more, they are so expensive! My electronic hand whisk is pretty inexpensive and the pastries and cookies that I baked using it came out pretty decent. I will never part with it though even after bringing in a stand mixer.

I have never used an electronic hand whisk but I think I might like the idea. How much do the electronic hand whisks usually cost and where is the best place to buy one.

 

[Andrea]

I usually like baking the old fashion way too, but I have used a mixer now and again, I don't think it tastes any different either way though, I haven't really noticed it anyway.

I have never noticed a difference either. I think it just depends on what you feel more comfortable with. Sometimes when I use my Kitchen Aid I feel like I over mix it. So depending on what I am making sometimes I would just prefer to hand mix it.

 

[Becky]

I have never used an electronic hand whisk but I think I might like the idea. How much do the electronic hand whisks usually cost and where is the best place to buy one.

I use a Kenwood kMix, and it's the best whisk I've had. It is very sturdy and feels really well made, but the downside it that it's quite heavy to hold after a while. I think I got mine from Amazon!

 

[rach519]

I use a Bosch mixer and it is incredible. I love not having to hold it while it mixes, and I can do other things in the meantime.

 

[MissDJ]

For pastry dough, I use a pastry-cutter. Over-mixing pastry dough renders it leaden, so it requires a light touch. For cake and muffin batters, I use an electric hand mixer. For cookie dough and brownie batter, I use a wooden spoon.

 

[sking]

I bake by hand. I have looked at the price of bread machines they are still a little up in price for me.

 

[limcid]

I use a bread oven for breads. I even use the bread oven to prepare the dough for crackers I like to make. It does a great job. I wouldn't have the patience to knead the dough for as long as the machine does it.

 

[winnifred]

I still mix and bake by hand using a large spoon and a wisk. But I make pretty simple things like cookies, cakes and breads, so hand mixing works best for me.

 

[brittany]

It depends on what I'm making. I use a mixer for mashed potatoes. I use my hand to mix cake, and puddings and such.

 

[Cariad9]

I've got a magimix food processor which is pretty much all singing and dancing. If I'm in a hurry, or can't be bothered, then I have no qualms about using it (after all is still better than ready-made). However if I have a whole afternoon free then nothing is better than cranking up the music and spending the afternoon dancing around the kitchen in a flurry of flour pretending that the dough is someone's face!

 

[Inkling]

I prefer to go at it by hand. Since I primarily bake breads I usually don't have to worry too much about the dough sticking onto me. It's also, in my opinion, the best part of making the bread and great stress relief too. Nothing is better to me than going through the motions each time trying to make it even better than the last batch of bread you baked.

 

[OliviaS]

I make bread by hand. I prefer to shape the loaf and bake it on a baking sheet.

My boyfriend uses a bread machine though, and, though this is a silly reason, I don't like the shape of the bread from the machine. It's a big cube shaped loaf - probably around six by six inches and seven or eight inches in width. Absolutely gigantic.

Besides, there's something more natural about making the bread by hand. I feel like I deserve a big hunk of bread more after I kneaded it myself.

 

[Mortontfrh]

Unfortunately I don't have any fancy tools, so I usually just stick to the basics. I'm looking to invest in a mixer and a bread machine, but that's going to have to come after I get my paycheck. Can't say that I mind getting down and dirty and mixing with my hands every now and then though!

 

[VioletxSkye]

I usually bake by hand. Mainly because pulling out equipment is too much work for me. It's an easier clean up in my opinion and alot more fun if you're going it if you're bored.

 

[Babble64]

Until a few months ago I did almost everything by hand as well. I did have a hand-held mixer I'd use for some things (like whipping cream) but mostly I used the good old wooden spoon method. I must admit, though, that I've fallen in love with the Kitchen Aid stand mixer that came with my new hubby last year! (I could never have afforded one if he hadn't brought his along.) I've used it for everything, including chocolate chip cookies, which I thought I'd always mix by hand! VioletxSkye has a very valid point, though. I don't have room on my counter to keep the mixer out and it's VERY heavy to move back and forth. Still, I'm glad I have the option and I really enjoy using it.