Monday Must Have: The Beater Blade (and the reason I've been M.I.A.)

I know, I know, it's been three weeks since my one and only post in January so far. But it's Monday, so let's start with the Monday Must Have and then if you want to know more about what I've been up to, I'll give you the scoop.

I've had my eye on this kitchen gadget for a few months now. I've read some reviews, kept eyeing it at the store and hoped that it would go on sale. It didn't, but after reading positive reviews and promising to treat myself after the busy holidays, I finally purchased a Beater Blade for my Kitchen Aid mixer.

I use the paddle attachment (see the attachment on the left in the above picture) for most of my mixing needs; cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes, some types of frosting, muffins, cookies and more, and I've always been pleased with the results. What really intrigued me with the idea of the Beater Blade, is that it is supposed to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl, so you don't have to scrape as often with a spatula. And the fact, that it looked like a very cool gadget. So last week, I finally purchased one and the first chance I had, I used it.

The package lists a few claims that the Beater Blade can do to make the mixing process even better:

1) Scrapes the dimple at the bottom.

2) Virtually eliminates hand scraping and batter build-up.

3) Cuts mixing time by as much as 50%.

I wanted to know if the Beater Blade claims were going to be as fantastic as they sounded, so I tested it on three different 5-inch cakes that I made for a Wedding Consultation for the bride to sample. Each of the cakes have very specific mixing methods and all needed to have the bowl scraped down from time to time during the mixing process.

The first cake batter that I mixed, was completely mixed in about half the time and because I didn't have to stop and scrape the bowl several times, it really was much faster! I used it on the second and third cakes and I was very happy with the results--less mixing time, and the batter was mixed completely and my cakes turned out the way they were supposed to.

The biggest test was the bottom of the mixing bowl, where the butter in these types of mixing methods, tends to collect and I always need to be sure to scrape it very well and make sure it gets incorporated in the batter, especially with larger amounts of batter. Every time I checked that problem spot it was clean and all the ingredients were uniformly mixed into the batter. *Note the bottom part of the Beater Blade and how it is set up to scrape even that hard-to-reach area when using the regular paddle attachment.

You can see how the bottom of the mixer bowl is raised in the middle and since the Beater Blade has the scraper split in the middle, it is very effective in scraping the bowl very clean and incorporating it throughout the batter.

Everything that the package said the Beater Blade could do, it did. I will continue to use this attachment with many future baking needs. The website suggests that this can replace your paddle attachment. However, I still love the paddle attachment and I don't mind scraping down my mixer bowl from time to time. I think both attachments are a valuable asset to any kitchen, especially if you are a serious baker and bake quite often. I would definitely recommend the Beater Blade to anyone who would like to save a bit of time during the mixing process.

OK, so now let me explain what I've been doing for the last three weeks. After finishing a busy holiday season, I took advantage of the first week being very slow (you know, everyone is starting diets and new year's resolutions to not eat sweets, etc.) and I have been thinking about what changes I want to make in my own life. I also took a week off from baking, just to have some time to clear my head and enjoy a little vacation from work.

So nothing too major, just took some time off, did somethings just for me, and even had some friends come and visit from out-of-town. I also taught a cake decorating class here in the Jillicious Kitchen and have been working on getting desserts ready for the Valentine's Day menu. I'm still trying to figure out what changes I want to make in my personal life and business life too--but that seems to be an on-going process and when I figure it all out, I'll keep you updated.

Although many of you who read my blog, I haven't met in person, I feel like I do know some of you and for those of you who sent me kind emails inquiring of my whereabouts, I really appreciated it and want to say a BIG THANK YOU!! Those emails and comments really made my day. I've really missed reading your blogs and I will be catching up on those this week as well. Again, thank you for the wonderful support and caring that you've shown me over the past few months as I've worked on this blog.