What is the Ankarsrum Mixer?
Made in Sweden, the Ankarsrum Assistent Original Mixer is our favourite stand mixer on the market. Unlike other stand mixers, the bowl rotates rather than the mixing attachment—this allows for a myriad of benefits, from never needing to periodically stop the machine to scrape down the sides, as well as how this prevents the machine from overheating. The Ankarsrum particularly excels at bread-making, thanks to a roller mechanism that replicates the gentle process of hand-kneading dough. Though no larger than a standard stand mixer, the Ankarsrum’s metal bowl fits up to 5kg of dough thanks to a cylindrical design. The metal bowl is meant for bread dough, while the interchangeable clear bowl is designed for cake batters, meringues, and creams. To read more about the Ankarsrum food mixer and attachments, read our comprehensive guide here.
What difference do copper pans and bowls make in baking?
Copper is famous for responding almost instantaneously to changes in temperature. This makes it ideal for tasks like making caramel, browning butter, or making dairy-based ingredients that can easily burn if not minded carefully. Due to copper’s heat responsiveness, you rarely need to go above medium heat to cook in it. It is also a great material for mixing egg whites, as the ions in (unlined) copper stabilise the egg whites better than any other material, such as stainless steel or glass.
Why are some copper pans lined and others unlined?
Since copper is a reactive material, copper pans are often lined with a non-reactive material such as stainless steel or tin, making it easier to cook acidic ingredients like tomatoes or fruit without any metal leaching. However, the presence of sugar in an unlined copper pan prevents this effect—that’s why many copper pans designed for making sweets, such as jam pans, are unlined. An unlined pan makes copper’s heat responsiveness even more superior. To use an unlined copper pan, always put sugar in first before heating and adding other ingredients.
Should you grease a pan before baking, even if it is labeled ‘non-stick’?
We believe it is always necessary to grease a baking pan or line it with parchment paper in order to prevent baked goods from sticking to the pan, even if it is labeled ‘non-stick’ or ‘stick-resistant’. Our favourite method is to spread butter over the tin and lightly dust it with flour.
Baking
These items are designed for bakers of all levels and stripes, whether you enjoy turning out loaves of sourdough bread or piping pastry cream into profiteroles (or anything in between).