I have "aged" into being just a bit impaired wrist strengthwise when
mixing cookie dough, and I'd like to know of a recommendation for
something simple and economical I could get to use for this task. I do
enjoy taking fresh baked cookies aboard for my Marines to enjoy, but
even thinking about mixing that heavy dough is painful. I do have a
Kitchenaid mixer with it's original three types of beaters, and maybe
the single "blade" type of beater could work my flours through the mix,
but the mixer is just the 300 model. The bowl fitting it is too small
for the amount of batter I most often use (containing four cups of the
flours, along with the butters, chips, nuts and other bits of things).

As it is now I use my "stick" type of hand beater for creaming the
butter into the sugars and then the eggs, then I move the bowl into the
sink bottom so as to have an easier "leverage strength" for folding the
flours into that. So, to all you so helpful cooks, is there some sort
of heavy-duty electronic kitchen tool that isn't beyond a fifty dollar
range that I could look into getting for just this one painful task?

Picky ~JA~

On 2004-02-24, Richard's ~JA~ wrote:

flours into that. So, to all you so helpful cooks, is there some sort
of heavy-duty electronic kitchen tool that isn't beyond a fifty dollar
range that I could look into getting for just this one painful task?

Have you tried an illegal alien?

nb

Mix batter in two batches? If there's eggs in odd numbers, beat them first
then measure out half per batch.

Or, will the mixer head detach from the stand to use as hand mixer in larger
bowl? Dunno about Kitchenaid but my Mixmaster will. You could check garage
and yard sales. If desperate you could try chucking a beater in a hand held
electric drill, that would give you a fair amount of power.

"Richard's ~JA~" wrote in message
...
I have "aged" into being just a bit impaired wrist strengthwise when
mixing cookie dough, and I'd like to know of a recommendation for
something simple and economical I could get to use for this task.

Dan Levy wrote:

Or, will the mixer head detach from the stand to use as hand mixer in larger
bowl? Dunno about Kitchenaid but my Mixmaster will. You could check garage
and yard sales. If desperate you could try chucking a beater in a hand held
electric drill, that would give you a fair amount of power.

Kitchenaids don't detach to use as a handheld, and it would be
too heavy for comfortable use even by someone who's wrists were in
good shape. In fact, I think a handheld mixer is probably a
bad idea in general for someone with wrist strength problems.

A bigger KA, or as you suggested, divide the batter into two
batches that will fit in the one she is using.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

Dan=A0Levy thoughtfully suggests....
Mix batter in two batches? If there's eggs in
odd numbers, beat them first then measure
out half per batch.
Or, will the mixer head detach from the stand
to use as hand mixer in larger bowl? Dunno
about Kitchenaid but my Mixmaster will. You
could check garage and yard sales. If
desperate you could try chucking a beater in a
hand held electric drill, that would give you a
fair amount of power.
I don't know that halving the dough for mixing could be any less
painful, rather just take more time. My Kitchenaid does not allow for
any way to hand-mix, and a drill may not work either...plus I have none. =


The batch I make ends up being just over twelve dozen 3" cookies, and
for this time, they're all packed into containers for taking to work and
keeping. Setting the bowl into the sink with the creamed butter and
sugars, and then mixing the flour into the batter literally bare handed
worked pretty well tonight, I must say. Another first time try was to
make 15 cookie (baking sheet size amount) sized rolls of the dough,
wrapped in wax paper, then into the refer for about an hour ro sit there
until cutting and mashing onto the two bake sheets for baking. It
worked to be a far better method than spooning or "balling" the dough
onto the sheets.

For now, I will simply stick to the naked hand blending of any heavy
doughs, but thanks so much for trying to be of help!

Picky ~JA~

You need to find a secondhand Hobart N-50. That will handle anything
you can throw at it. They are expensive, but well worth it. I do not
have one, but I know folks that do. The other machine you should look
at is a 1000 watt 7 quart Viking mixer. I have a 6 quart Professional
KitchenAid which I love. Those are all the options I can think of at
the moment.

In article ,
says...
You need to find a secondhand Hobart N-50. That will handle anything
you can throw at it. They are expensive, but well worth it. I do not
have one, but I know folks that do. The other machine you should look
at is a 1000 watt 7 quart Viking mixer. I have a 6 quart Professional
KitchenAid which I love. Those are all the options I can think of at
the moment.

If I remember correctly, one of the limitations was a budget of $50.
--
Donna
A pessimist believes all women are bad. An optimist hopes they are

This is an excellent auction site for item your looking for.
http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=29394550&ssPageName=L2

Richard's ~JA~ wrote:

For now, I will simply stick to the naked hand blending of any heavy
doughs, but thanks so much for trying to be of help!

Check eBay, you might find a restaurant grade dough mixer there.
If not, check local restaurant supply stores.

kindly suggests....
Check eBay, you might find a restaurant grade
dough mixer there. If not, check local
restaurant supply stores.
Excellent suggestions, Stan. Spending whatever money it may take is not
the bigger issue now that I've tried simply using my bare hands to blend
the flours, chips and nuts into the rather big batch makings for 12
dozen 3" cookies. The arthritic joints problem did not become much of
an issue, clean up was a snap, and I've always the "spare" should my
usual right-handed do become tedious!

However, much appreciation to all who replied.

Picky ~JA~