Which Speed should I Use? Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer

When Should I Use 1/2 Speed (Fold Speed)?

The ½ Speed, or Fold Speed, is designed to take over folding tasks you used to do by hand, such as folding in delicate ingredients, folding in egg whites or cream to keep the air in fluffy mixtures, or avoiding overmixing. Many people also use fold speed when they are first adding dry ingredients to a recipe to help prevent mess. Fold speed should only be used with the flat beater to optimize gentle mixing and thorough ingredient incorporation.

Fold speed should not be used for kneading, whipping, or mixing. These functions require higher speeds to achieve optimal results. Kneading on fold speed can cause a slowdown, so increase to speed 2 to avoid this issue.

When Should I Use Low Speeds? (1-3)

Speeds 1-3 can be used with the flat beater for any recipes that require slow mixing. These recipes are especially useful for mashing potatoes and other vegetables, shredding meat, or mashing fruits. For recipes that require creaming (cakes, cookies, frosting), speeds 1-3 will not be fast enough.

Speed 2 is optimal for kneading bread dough with the dough hook. This speed protects the mixer motor and ensures optimal kneading results. Most bread doughs are kneaded on speed 2 within 5 minutes. If you are ever kneading on ½ Speed or Speed 1 and see your mixer slow down, bump up the speed to the optimal Speed 2 to get better results. Don’t increase beyond speed 2: use of a higher speed than Speed 2 for mixing can potentially put too much strain on the motor.

Whipping egg whites and cream with the wire whip should only be done at higher speeds. Low speeds will take a very long time to create stiff peaks.

When Should I Use Medium Speeds? (4-6)

Medium speeds are ideal for creaming butter and sugar with the flat beater for cakes, cookies, and frostings. Medium speeds should not be used for kneading with the dough hook. For some whipping recipes, medium speeds can be used, but higher speeds achieve optimal whipping results in less time.

When Should I Use High Speeds? (7-10)

High speeds should be used for whipping egg whites and cream with the wire whip, which achieves stiff peaks quickly. High speeds are not ideal for mixing with the flat beater (medium speeds are best for creaming). High speeds should also not be used for kneading with the dough hook, as this could put a lot of strain on the motor.