Food Processor Vs Stand Mixer For Dough: Which Is Right For You?

Mixing dry ingredients

Let’s face it, baking can seem like an overwhelming task. There are so many steps and you don’t know where to start. If this is the case for you, then it may be time to invest in a food processor or stand mixer – but which one? Well, when using the stand mixer, you will get a lot of fine granular parts mixed into your dough.

This is because you are using the hands of your arm muscles to mix instead of your wrists (which would normally mix with a hand mixer). The downside of this action is that it also incorporates lots of air into your mixture.

Your food processor, on the other hand, will be able to give you a lot of pockets of air. The main benefit of this is that it will make the mixture lighter and fluffier. Therefore if you are using a hand mixer, you will probably end up with something that is more dense and heavy than what you would get if using a food processor (just because air has been incorporated into your dough, whereas it wouldn’t have without the food processor).

A great example of this is when making muffins or other baked goods. Using a stand mixer (especially an electric one), your muffins will be light and buttery, whereas when doing them with a hand mixer they’ll turn out dense and heavy.

An example of this is when making muffins or other baked goods. Using a stand mixer (especially an electric one), your muffins will be light and buttery, whereas when doing them with a hand mixer they’ll turn out dense and heavy.

Use Your Food Processor For.

1) Doughs or batters that are going to be cooked or baked in the oven: Since your food processor is going to incorporate lots of air into your mixture, this will definitely help the dough bake up lighter and fluffier. If you’re going to be cooking your bread in the oven, then a processor is definitely going to be the way to go!

2) Fruit-based doughs: When you are making fruit-based doughs such as cake or cookie dough, it is important that they are light and fluffy. Most of the time you will see this done with a food processor because of its ability to incorporate a lot of air into your mixture.

3) Smaller quantities: If you need smaller quantities for baking, then using your food processor will be an easier way to do it. This goes for any baking where you need smaller portions for making cookies or other treats that don’t need much flour (for example chocolate chip cookies).

4) Doughs made with lots of sugar: If you are combining sugar with your dry ingredients, your food processor will do a much better job at incorporating the sugar into the mixture because it pulverizes the sugar and fully mixes it into the flour.

5) Doughs that need to get put into a mold for baking: If you are making something like a cake or a pie, you will be able to transfer it from your food processor directly into a mold (i.e. cake pan).

Use Your Stand Mixer For…

1) Mixtures that don’t need to be baked: The main purpose of your stand mixer is to beat and whip. Therefore, your stand mixer will be much better at doing this than a food processor and therefore will be excellent for things that don’t need to be baked.

2) Doughs or batter that needs to go into the oven: Your stand mixer is going to incorporate air into the mixture which is going to help your dough bake up lighter and fluffier. Therefore, if you’re making cookies, cupcakes or other baked goods where baking might be needed in the oven (particularly something like bread where it needs to rise), then your stand mixer may come in handy in getting that done.

3) Lots of dry ingredients: If you are making something like a cake or bread and you want to incorporate a lot of dry ingredients, your stand mixer would be excellent for this. It is going to do this quickly and with ease.

4) More than one mixing arm: When you are baking something that requires multiple mixing arms, your stand mixer is going to be the perfect tool. For example: Doughs made from scratch might require more mixing arms than what your food processor can provide. Therefore, since the stand mixer is able to mix just about anything, it will be the ideal tool for this job.

5) Doughs that need to be kneaded: When kneading is required, your stand mixer will be able to perform this task much better than a food processor. For example if you’re making bread, your stand mixer is going to be able to give you the best dough because it’s more powerful and can provide a much more vigorous kneading action.

6) More than one machine: When you want to make two or three different items at once, then having a second machine will come in handy (for example: when making pie crusts). If you were only doing one thing at a time with your food processor, then the two machines would not be compatible with each other.

7) Dough that needs to sit: Although this may seem like an unnecessary step, sometimes you will see recipes that call for dough to sit for a period of time. This could be anything from letting it rest or rise. If the recipe requires some extra time, then your food processor would not be good because it just wouldn’t be able to handle the work load required for this step.

8) Dough that is going to be shaped: If you are having difficulty trying to shape your dough because it is too sticky and doesn’t have enough structure, then using your stand mixer might just make this much easier. This is why you’ll see most professional bakers using them.

9) Dough mixing: When making bread and other items that require dough mixtures, then your stand mixer will be able to mix these mixtures much easier than a food processor. If you are struggling to get the mixture smooth, then this might be where your food processor comes in handy.

10) Extra mixing arms: When you want to make something like pie crust or bread dough in a larger quantity, then having more than one mixer arm is essential if you want to do so. For example if you are making a full recipe of pie crust or bread and don’t want to spend extra money on a second food processor.

11) Dough that needs to be mixed but not kneaded: If you are making a recipe that calls for dough to rest or rise and it doesn’t need to be kneaded, then your stand mixer can come in handy. It won’t be able to handle the kneading but will definitely be able to mix the dough sufficiently.

12) Dough that can be poured into a pan: If you are making something like cake or muffins, then using your stand mixer will allow you to pour the mixture directly into your pan (i.e. cake pan).

It is important that you understand which of these machines are able to and should perform certain tasks by reading through this article. You will also learn which tasks they will not be able to perform. It is important that you maintain your food processors and stand mixers by keeping them clean. This will ensure that they are going to last you much longer and function properly when it comes time to use them.

Which is better for dough stand mixer or food processor?

Stand mixer food processor. Even with a stand mixer you will have to prepare the dough and then transfer it to the food processor. In order to make batter and dough, they are both going to be required in this case. You can get a food processor that also has mixing attachments but you may find that your stand mixer is much easier to use and clean.

Why is a stand mixer better than a food processor?

The main reason why someone would buy a stand mixer over a food processor is because of its versatility. That is why it can do so many more things (especially if you have the attachment pieces). It is much easier to clean and takes up less room. So it is the perfect tool for your kitchen.

Why is a food processor better than a stand mixer?

The main reason why someone would buy a food processor over a stand mixer is because it can do so much more than a stand mixer can do. It will be able to chop and slice vegetables, shred cheese, and also knead dough. A food processor will have more attachments as well which can come in very handy with all of these tasks. So if you are looking for something that does it all, then getting a food processor would be worth your money.

Is it better to make pizza dough by hand or mixer?

If you are not an experienced professional, then using a food processor or a stand mixer to knead your pizza dough can be quite tricky. This is because the dough is going to be very sticky and you will need to knead it for at least 10 minutes. If it is too stiff, the crust will not be able to cook evenly. So if you find yourself making pizza on a regular basis, then investing in a stand mixer might be worth your time.

Can you use a stand mixer for pizza dough?

Yes it is possible to use your stand mixer for pizza dough. It will require some kneading and also some extra flour in order to keep the dough from sticking. The reason why you would do this is because mixing the dough by hand will take too long and it won’t really be worth the effort at the end of it all.

Can you use a food processor for pizza dough?

You can most definitely use your food processor to make your pizza dough. If you don’t have a stand mixer, a food processor is much more convenient to have around especially if you are baking on a regular basis. Using a food processor will definitely save you valuable time as well.

How much flour do you add with a stand mixer?

Typically in a stand mixer, you are going to be adding about 1 cup of flour to the first mixing motion. Then on the second motion, you are usually going to add another 1 or 2 cups of flour. Depending on the type of bread or cake that you are making, this can change.

CONCLUSION:

This brings us to the end of our article. We hope that you have a better understanding of which machine is going to be the most useful in your kitchen and why. Most of these machines will be able to perform more than what we stated, this is just what they are good at. Using your food processors and stand mixers correctly and properly can help ensure that they are going to last you for many years and that you will get much use out of them. We hope that this article has helped you gain a better understanding of what these machines are capable of doing as well as how you can use them correctly in order to get the best results from them.