KitchenAid Precise Heat Mixing Bowl KSM1CBL

[JoNorvelleWalker]

If I read the offer correctly, Williams-Sonoma is having a 35% off sale for KitchenAid mixers and attachments, including, it looks like, the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl for the tilt head mixers (though perhaps not for the bowl lift mixers, not sure).  Sale is today and tomorrow.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I read the William Sonoma page too late at night...the bowl lift version of the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl is also included in the WS KitchenAid sale.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Now that I have a mixer to use with my KSM1CBL I was hoping tonight to make the base for ice cream.  But it is now 12:38 am, I haven't had dinner, and I am just now sitting down with my well earned mai tai.  I don't think the ice cream will happen tonight.

 

However I have a question.  The KSM1CBL comes with a silicone edged beater.  I've never used a flexible beater with a mixer before, and I'm not sure what to expect.  The beater hugs the bowl rather tightly, and when the mixer is run with beater in place, it makes a disturbing thunk as the flexible edge of the beater whacks the bowl.  Is this normal do you think?  I could just use the whisk attachment for ice cream.

 

[pbear]

FWIW, a quick UTube search turned up a bunch of videos.  Didn't check out any, but perhaps they'll give you a basis for comparison.

Edited June 25, 2015 by pbear (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I listened to (as well as watched) a few of those videos but I didn't hear quite the same sound.  And I think the most relevant video was actually of a third party beater as opposed to a KitchenAid beater.  It's possible this is less of an issue when there is batter or other material in the bowl, rather than running the mixer with a dry bowl as I have been doing.

 

Doesn't anyone on eGullet have a KitchenAid with silicone beater who could comment?

[rotuts]

I have a KA Profession 6.  I have a silicone beater similar to yours, but I don't recall if it is 3d party or from KA

 

this was back when silicone beaters were a bit new

 

it does not make a sound similar to what you mention.

 

Id use the silicone blade and start on the slowest speed and put your hand on the regular plain bowl and try to note where the blade is

 

in its cycle when it makes the sound and feel for vibration at the same time.

 

Im guessing as it does not seem to be a continuous sound/vibration some dynamic is out of a whack I think

 

i also have not ever run the machine with that blade with an empty bowl.

 

try a 'cookie-like' batter and see if that changes anything.

 

if not. call customer service and get someone with technical knowledge on the phone and

 

put the phone near the mixer and see if they can hear the whack and tell you what to do.

[ElsieD]

I have the silicone beater but don't remember if it is a KA or some other brand. I do know it was specifically made for the KA. I also remember that there was more than one type of silicone beater and the one you bought depended on the model of KA that you had. That said, mine does not make any sort of thumping noise, in fact, it doesn't make any unusual noise at all, but I have only ever used it when there was something in the bowl to mix.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have a KA Profession 6.  I have a silicone beater similar to yours, but I don't recall if it is 3d party or from KA

 

this was back when silicone beaters were a bit new

 

it does not make a sound similar to what you mention.

 

Id use the silicone blade and start on the slowest speed and put your hand on the regular plain bowl and try to note where the blade is

 

in its cycle when it makes the sound and feel for vibration at the same time.

 

Im guessing as it does not seem to be a continuous sound/vibration some dynamic is out of a whack I think

 

i also have not ever run the machine with that blade with an empty bowl.

 

try a 'cookie-like' batter and see if that changes anything.

 

if not. call customer service and get someone with technical knowledge on the phone and

 

put the phone near the mixer and see if they can hear the whack and tell you what to do.

 

For better or for worse I have only the one silicone beater, and it is for the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl.  For regular bowls, on my old KitchenAid there is an aluminum beater, while the beater for the new KitchenAid is stainless steel.  I have never used a silicone beater before and have nothing to compare it with.

 

However it does not sound right and I am a little afraid to use it.  I tried with water in the bowl but that was no better.  In contrast the whisk seems to run perfectly.

 

I called KitchenAid this evening and spoke to representatives from both the home and commercial divisions.  Apparently the silicone beater is supposed to fit rather tight so that it scrapes the bowl.  Maybe I am worrying needlessly.  The commercial representative mentioned that they have a KSM1CBL there but have never tried it on a mixer.  They use the KSM1CBL for making caramel.

[rotuts]

this may then have to do with the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl. and not the main machine.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

this may then have to do with the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl. and not the main machine.

 

Indeed.

[cookielady]

I just got the Precise Heat Mixing Bowl - mostly for tempering chocolate.  Instructions leave a lot to be desired. But for the temper mode it says to press the Manual/Chocolate button 2 times. The Chocolate indicator will flash and the temperature will display. (does not say to change the temperature). Press the Start/Cancel button "preheating will display. During preheating add 3/4 of the chocolate into the Precise Heat Mixing bowl. After 2 minutes of preheating the chocolate will begin to visibly melt. Begin stirring. Use the flex edge beater and the Stir setting on your stand mixture. Once the Precise Heat Mixing bowl is preheated, a tone will sound. Display will flash between "104F" and "Add" When ready to add the remaining chocolate press the Temperature/Time selection toggle button and add the chocolate in small amounts until the desired temperature is reached.  This is where I have a problem, dark chocolate needs to be melted at 120^F, and Milk/White chocolate needs to be melted at 110^ F. then cooled down to 85^ and 83^ respectively. 104^F is not high enough to melt for tempering. But it does not say you can alter the temperature during that first stage, only mentions changing temperature for the cooling down stage. Going to do a batch of chocolate today or tomorrow to see how it turns out.

[gemini333]

Did you have any luck tempering the chocolate?  I tried it yesterday and put 3/4 of the chocolate in and when it reached the "104F/Add" stage, my chocolate was still solid and nowhere close to melted.

[cookielady]

I made a batch of chocolates - but I screwed up! (although the chocolates were fine and have all been consumed <g>)

I had pressed the button twice like it said, and I can't remember what I did but it wasn't showing the chocolate tempering mode. I set the temperature for 120^ as I was using dark chocolate (Callebaut Belgian chocolate). As I hadn't set the machine right, it wasn't in tempering mode, so I didn't get the ADD stage. When the chocolate melted I set the temperature to 85^ for tempering. I coated the molds fine, but after I filled the molds and it was time to seal them the chocolate had cooled down too much, but I sealed the chocolates anyway.

 

I will be making a batch of milk chocolates next week so will be able to answer you better.

 

You say the chocolate hadn't melted? Was it a solid block? You should have chopped it into smaller pieces or used the discs. What chocolcate were you using?

[cookielady]

I have come to the conclusion that this machine is useless for tempering chocolate.

[Kerry Beal]

4 minutes ago, cookielady said:

I have come to the conclusion that this machine is useless for tempering chocolate.

Funny you should mention that - I was down at Tomric the other day - they had just sent theirs back having discovered the same thing!

[cookielady]

57 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Funny you should mention that - I was down at Tomric the other day - they had just sent theirs back having discovered the same thing!

 

I had called Kitchenaid and was told I could alter the temperature in the chocolate mode - need to melt dark chocolate at a different temperature than milk or white chocolate and temper it at a different temperature. This turns out not to be true. Also when the machine showed the temperature was 104, I checked it both with a chocolate tempering thermometer and a thermopop thermometer and the temperature was not 104 it was only 90.

I have had it for over 30 days and my husband threw out the box it was in so can't return it. (I always tell my husband not to throw away boxes until we are sure we don't need to return an item - and you would think after 43 years of marriage he would know!) BTW Kerry, does Tomric ship to residences or are they strictly for professionals??

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, cookielady said:

 

I had called Kitchenaid and was told I could alter the temperature in the chocolate mode - need to melt dark chocolate at a different temperature than milk or white chocolate and temper it at a different temperature. This turns out not to be true. Also when the machine showed the temperature was 104, I checked it both with a chocolate tempering thermometer and a thermopop thermometer and the temperature was not 104 it was only 90.

 

You could always keep the unit and use it for making ice cream!  (Enjoying a bowl of vanilla here at the very moment, snacking while eGulleting.)  I have to admit my PHMB is a single purpose appliance.  But what it does it does very, very well.  And that is to hold the mix at a constant temperature while being stirred.

 

What it does not do is hold the contents at the set temperature (unless the bowl is covered).  Nor is it any good for heating ingredients rapidly.

 

I have never tried tempering chocolate in the PHMB but were I to do so I would figure out by trial and error what setting temperatures to use, the same way I figured this out for making ice cream.  I know to set the temperature to 198 deg F and the mixer to speed 4.  This holds the temperature at 160 deg F.  I can come back an hour later.  I don't have to check on anything or even think about it.

 

I suspect even the preprogrammed tempering function would work if you wait for the melted chocolate to come up to 104 deg F (assuming the bowl is covered) before adding the rest of the chocolate, as opposed to adding right when the machine says to add.

[cookielady]

14 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

You could always keep the unit and use it for making ice cream!  (Enjoying a bowl of vanilla here at the very moment, snacking while eGulleting.)  I have to admit my PHMB is a single purpose appliance.  But what it does it does very, very well.  And that is to hold the mix at a constant temperature while being stirred.

 I didn't know you could make ice cream in it!

14 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

What it does not do is hold the contents at the set temperature (unless the bowl is covered).  Nor is it any good for heating ingredients rapidly.

 

I have never tried tempering chocolate in the PHMB but were I to do so I would figure out by trial and error what setting temperatures to use, the same way I figured this out for making ice cream.  I know to set the temperature to 198 deg F and the mixer to speed 4.  This holds the temperature at 160 deg F.  I can come back an hour later.  I don't have to check on anything or even think about it.

 

Aren't those temperatures high for ice cream? Would love to make ice cream

I suspect even the preprogrammed tempering function would work if you wait for the melted chocolate to come up to 104 deg F (assuming the bowl is covered) before adding the rest of the chocolate, as opposed to adding right when the machine says to add.

You can't change the temperature in the automatic tempering mode - I tried. But if it does hold the correct temperature I could try the manual mode. For dark chocolate I need to melt it to 120 deg F then cool it down to 85 deg F to temper it, with milk chocolate and white chocolate the melting temperature is 110 deg F and then cool down to 83 deg F.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

@cookielady if it's not clear I use the PHMB for reducing and pasteurizing the ice cream mix, not of course for freezing (I have a Cuisinart for freezing).  The ice cream topic in the Pastry & Baking forum is an exciting place to hang out.

 

Earlier in this thread Kerry suggested a way to try tempering:

 

"For tempering chocolate - I'd use it like the mol'dart - so put the chocolate in the night before, take lid off in am, turn down temp, seed and wait until reaches lower temp."

 

As long as the bowl is covered the temperature of the chocolate should eventually reach very close to the set temperature.  At least it does with water, as shown by my experiments.

Edited December 22, 2015 by JoNorvelleWalker
spelling (log)

[cookielady]

23 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

@cookielady if it's not clear I use the PHMB for reducing and pasteurizing the ice cream mix, not of course for freezing (I have a Cuisinart for freezing).  The ice cream topic in the Pastry & Baking forum is an exciting place to hang out.

Ah! That makes sense

Quote

Earlier in this thread Kerry suggested a way to try tempering:

I'll go back and read the earlier messages :)

 

"For tempering chocolate - I'd use it like the mol'dart - so put the chocolate in the night before, take lid off in am, turn down temp, seed and wait until reaches lower temp."

Not familiar with mol'dart, but I guess you are saying to melt the chocolate the night before and leave it stirring with the lid on all night then in the morning turn down the temperature etc? Will the melted chocolate still be hot in the morning???

As long as the bowl is covered the temperature of the chocolate should eventually reach very close to the set temperature.  At least it does with water, as shown by my experiments.

Shh don't mention chocolate and water together LOL

 

Edited December 22, 2015 by cookielady (log)

[Kerry Beal]

5 hours ago, cookielady said:

 

I had called Kitchenaid and was told I could alter the temperature in the chocolate mode - need to melt dark chocolate at a different temperature than milk or white chocolate and temper it at a different temperature. This turns out not to be true. Also when the machine showed the temperature was 104, I checked it both with a chocolate tempering thermometer and a thermopop thermometer and the temperature was not 104 it was only 90.

I have had it for over 30 days and my husband threw out the box it was in so can't return it. (I always tell my husband not to throw away boxes until we are sure we don't need to return an item - and you would think after 43 years of marriage he would know!) BTW Kerry, does Tomric ship to residences or are they strictly for professionals??

Pretty sure they will ship to residences - I think you still need to contact them about setting up an account of some sort though. Ask for Lois - she's very helpful.

[cookielady]

7 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Pretty sure they will ship to residences - I think you still need to contact them about setting up an account of some sort though. Ask for Lois - she's very helpful.

 

7 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Pretty sure they will ship to residences - I think you still need to contact them about setting up an account of some sort though. Ask for Lois - she's very helpful.

Thanks Kerry. I found their website and they have a mold I have been looking for (I had found it on another site but it was way too expensive, Tomric has it much cheaper) I will get it next month after the holidays - Christmas has been expensive with gift buying for grandchildren and great grandchildren. Tomric certainly has a great selection of molds, so am hoping they will ship to residences as I would love to get more molds.

[Alex]

The bowl is $149.95, shipped, at Chef's Catalog's going-out-of-business sale. (The site is very slow at the moment.)

[pastrygirl]

Any updates on the heated mixing bowl?  My mom found it in the Williams Sonoma catalog and thought it might be a useful thing for me as a chocolatier, and my birthday is coming up...

 

Reading through the thread, it sounds like it's probably too small to do much with if it only holds 2 quarts.  But did anyone ever figure out how to temper chocolate with it?  If so, how many lbs or kg of chocolate will fit?  Would anyone recommend it for anything besides small batches of ice cream? 

 

I have a 6kg mol d' art melter that I use for chocolate when I feel like letting it melt overnight, but in practice mostly I use a pretty big bowl (about 12" diameter) over hot water so I have room to dump molds back into the bowl, and I've gotten used to polishing molds and otherwise multi-tasking while I wait.

 

Thanks!

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Sorry, no experience with using the PHMB with chocolate.  I use it only for ice cream.  It might make quite a good slow cooker, but really heating while mixing is its justification in life.