The 'Dime Test' Improves Your Stand Mixer, Here's How

For avid bakers, a stand mixer is absolutely worth the hype. Even though the KitchenAid Artisan Mini can set you back $300, and some pricier options, like the KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer, retail for almost $600, reviewers appreciate that these appliances are powerful and reliable.

Although the stand mixer is beloved by many, as with any appliance, it's not without some quirks and occasional frustrations. One complaint is that the attachment sometimes fails to reach the bottom of the bowl, resulting in an unevenly mixed batter (or whatever your current cooking project may be). Thankfully, you can easily adjust your mixer so that the attachment sits lower or higher in the bowl, as needed.

To test whether your mixer does in fact need to be adjusted, reach for a dime. Toss it in the bottom of the appliance's clean mixing bowl with the paddle attachment in place and turn the motor on low. If the attachment fails to move the dime at all, it's too high. If the coin keeps jamming under the attachment, it's too low. If the dime moves in a circle around the bowl effortlessly, your mixer should be OK.

You may already know that you can purchase a variety of attachments for your KitchenAid stand mixer, allowing you to use it for things you didn't know your KitchenAid could do — anything from shaving ice to grinding beef. However, the default attachments — the paddle, whisk, and simple dough hook — all insert to the underside of the head and will be most affected by a poorly adjusted mixer, as they always interact with the stainless steel bowl.

If you've done the dime test and assessed that your stand mixer needs adjusting, you may be wondering how exactly to do so. In this case, it's as easily done as said: All you have to do is turn a single screw very slightly.

First, grab a flathead screwdriver. If you have a tilt-head mixer, tilt the head back; you'll see the relevant screw in the hinge connecting the head to the "neck" of the mixer. If you have a bowl-lift version, lower the bowl and locate the screw on the "neck" below the head. Using the screwdriver, give this hardware a twist to the right if your attachment was judged to be too high, or to the left if it was too low. Don't move the screw in any kind of dramatic fashion, as over-turning it can throw the mixer off even worse. Start small, and go from there.