Every cook setting up a kitchen will need a set of mixing bowls. Whether she is scrambling eggs for breakfast or making a cake, she will find a need for mixing bowls. With all the varieties around, the search may be confusing.
The first thing a cook will need to consider is what materials the bowls are made of. Mixing bowls come in glass, plastic, stainless steel, copper, ceramic, pottery and wood. Material may be determined by use or by personal preference.
Some cooks may prefer the lighter weight of plastic or the durability of stainless steel. Each material has its pros and cons. Cooks who use the microwave fairly often may opt for plastic or glass mixing bowls. Plastic melts occasionally, however, so caution is necessary when using these in the microwave. Some cooks swear by metal, ceramic or pottery mixing bowls.
Most mixing bowls come in sets with several different sizes included. This allows a cook to choose the bowl that best fits the cooking job at hand. However, mixing bowls are also sold separately, and there is an advantage to this. If a cook finds that he uses the microwave for jobs such as melting butter or softening cream cheese, he can buy a complete set of mixing bowls in his preferred material, such as stainless steel, and a smaller single bowl made of a microwave-safe material.
Mixing bowls are not usually crammed with special features, but some come with lids, which is helpful. There is a mixing bowl available that has a lid with a hole in the top. The idea is that the cook can mix items in the bowl using an electric mixer, and the bowl’s contents will not spray out. That’s a mixing bowl for gadget hounds.
Mixing bowls are available wherever kitchen items are sold. People buy mixing bowls at department stores, discount stores and high-end kitchen supply stores. They range in price from 15 US dollars (USD) for a basic plastic set to over 75 USD for a deluxe metal or pottery set from a kitchen store. A beginning cook should look for a set of mixing bowls that is reasonably priced and has at least four different-sized bowls.
