When creaming butter, or making cake batters with a stand mixer,  it has always been necessary to stop the mixer at intervals in order to scrape the mixture down from the sides of the bowl. Depending on what you are mixing, this can mean stopping the mixer a dozen times in order to get everything into the mix. The butter creeps up the side of the bowl. The flour sticks to the side of the bowl. Stopping to scrape the bowl can make what is supposed to be a “hands-free” process seem like a lot of effort.

I love my Kitchenaid stand mixer. But, when I was reviewing the Breville stand mixer, I saw it included a rubber edged beater that would eliminate the need for scraping down the bowl. I thought, “What a great idea! I wish Kitchenaid had that!”. Now, that technology is available for Kitchenaid’s products.

The SideSwipe company has seen the need, and created a product to fix this problem. They have created a unique paddle design that eliminates the need for scraping down the bowl. It fixes the problem by adding a flexible, silicone fin to the edge of the paddle that scrapes the bowl while it is mixing the ingredients.

How does the SideSwipe paddle work?

The alternating wiper fins, Side Swipe has added to the paddle attachment, allow for both horizontal and vertical mixing action. They scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and send ingredients downward. The fins are made from a flexible silicone that allows chocolate chips and nuts to be incorporated into the mix, without being crushed or jammed against the bowl. These fins prevent the mix from creeping up the paddle attachment too, which can be a problem when mixing heavy doughs.

Here is a video comparing the new Side Swipe paddle attachment to the standard Kitchenaid  paddle attachment. I was amazed at what a dramatic difference this design makes!

The alternating Side-Swipe fins are extra-long to accommodate variations in mixers and bowls. Approved by Cook’s Illustrated, this attachment automatically creates more thoroughly combined, fluffier mixtures. No stopping the mixer to add ingredients, the beater pushes the ingredients down into the mix. No stopping the mixer to scrape the bowl. Not stopping the mixer adds up to faster mixing, and gives you the “hands-free” experience that using a mixer should be.

Dishwasher Safe, Durable Blade Design

Another plus to the Side-Swipe design is that the beaters are dishwasher safe. They have a heavy-duty, reinforced-nylon frame that won’t crack in the dishwasher.  This is the same material that is commonly used for kitchen tools.  Nylon does not crack or deteriorate when exposed to the high temperatures in dishwashers.  In fact, this material is so tough that it is being used in place of the metal racks in some dishwashers. 

The beater also has an aluminum core that is durable and attaches securely to the mixer.  Providing a fit that won’t wear out, crack, or loosen over time.

The fins are constructed of easy to clean silicone.  Silicone is deemed to be the most food-safe plastic. The silicone used in this product is BPA free

If you allow the mixture to dry on the blade before running the dishwasher, cleaning the fins will be more difficult. Be sure you rinse the attachment before placing it in the dishwasher.

Click here to see the current lowest price for the SideSwipe Beater.

The SideSwipe has been given an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars by consumers who have purchased it on Amazon. This is based on 65 reviews. Here’s what they are saying;

 This mixer blade is the best thing I have ever had for my cakes and icings! I hate having to stop and scrape the bowl down during mixing and with this swiping attachment I do not have to! It cleans the sides and bottom as it mixes! You won’t regret this purchase!

I bought this because the paddle that came with my 6qt KitchenAid mixer is NOT dishwasher safe but this one is. I like how it scrapes the sides of the bowl to get better mixing. Before I had to scrape down the sides because, of course, the metal paddle doesn’t touch the sides. So far it’s held up well and I will never go back to the other one.

See SideSwipe for Kitchenaid 6qt and Pro 5-Plus Stand Mixers Here.

Check out the SideSwipe beater for the KichenAid Classic Mixer Series and Artisan. 4.5-5qt bowls here.

The SideSwipe for the 4.5-5 qt bowl-lift Kitchenaid models can be viewed here.

The Side-Swipe beaters are currently being produced for the Kitchenaid models only. The company does have plans to start producing them for many of the better brands of mixers including; Electrolux, Viking, Hamilton beach Eclectrics, Cusinart, Bosch, and DeLonghi. These models should be available in the Summer of 2012.

Be Sociable, Share!

•