Vent: I swore by my stand mixer for years, but my hands changed my mind

Last week, I was making a batch of brioche for a friend's party in Seattle and my mixer motor started smoking. I had to finish the dough by hand, and honestly, the texture was way better. The dough felt smoother and had more spring after a 15 minute hand knead. I've been baking for 3 years and always thought the machine was faster and more consistent. Now I'm doing all my enriched doughs by hand and the results are just different. Has anyone else gone back to hand mixing for certain things?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby5612mo ago

Noticed the same thing when my old blender died making pesto last summer. Had to use a mortar and pestle and the flavor was totally different, like the herbs released more oils when crushed slow. Feels like we're sold on machines doing everything better but sometimes your hands just give you more control over the little stuff. Makes me wonder what other kitchen tools we use out of habit instead of need. You ever try doing something by hand and get surprised by the result?

wren8062mo ago

Totally get what you mean, @ruby561. It makes me see how much we trade control for convenience without even realizing it. I started grating cheese by hand again and it melts so much better than the bagged stuff. That pesto story is a perfect example of how speed can actually work against the flavor. Sometimes the slower way isn't just more satisfying, it gives a genuinely better result that machines just can't copy.

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