mixer

KitchenAid Stand Mixer turns ninety

Stand mixers, being the workhorses of the kitchen, get put through the paces. I suppose it is this connection that inspires the home chef to decorate his or her stand mixer such that it is their own. From Alton Brown's flame hot-rod mixer to cow spot decals you can purchase yourself, the mixer has become an extension of personality in the kitchen. It certainly makes sense, since the stand mixer is the one doing all the work for us.

The KitchenAid 90th Anniversary Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl celebrates the longevity of the ubiquitous kitchen appliance. Complete with all … Read more

Streamline your small appliances

In my kitchen, I'm fortunate enough to have an appliance garage. My bread machine, food processor, blender, rice cooker, and sandwich press all get crammed into that space. It's lovely--I close the garage doors, and my counters look, if not pristine, then at least relatively clutter-free. But it's not easy to fit all those appliances into the small space the garage affords.

I'm seriously considering an appliance I recently discovered: the Universal Plus Kitchen Machine from Bosch. This is a seriously cool stand mixer that can function as a blender, mixer with dough hook, food processor, … Read more

Make music magic

If you've got the talent, Magix's Music Maker can provide you with a digital mixing tool that rocks. Expect a fairly steep learning curve if you're new to the program, but don't let that intimidate you: along with a robust feature set, Music Maker comes with tutorials and direct links to the help forums.

The new features are robust additions to the already loaded feature set. The built-in drum machine, BeatBox, has been overhauled and is more flexible. The Infobox feature teaches you about music as you're producing it, as well as displaying long-form tooltips … Read more

Mixing drinks with a tornado

Presentation is everything. And $20 price tags don't hurt either. Why blend the boring old-fashioned way, when you could be blending in style? In style, that is, with a tornado.The Vortex Portable Mixer is powered by a 9000rpm motor that quickly and effectively mixes whatever liquid-based material you put in it.

Although it is mainly designed and marketed toward protein shake drinkers (who would rather avoid nasty bits of dry clumps in their beverage), the portable mixer has numerous uses. For example, a spinning (and dizzying) tornado in a bottle could be a fascinating twist on old-timey cocktail … Read more

This mixer scrapes the bowl

I rely on my stand mixer for everything from bread dough to mashed potatoes. My only disappointment with the machine is the fact that it never seems to mix in any batter on the side of the bowl or any flour at the bottom. I know the mixer's designers didn't want to bump the various metal attachments up against the mixing bowl, but I need something that gets a little closer.

The BeaterBlade does just that, as well as handling more delicate tasks like folding whipped egg whites in a batter for a chiffon or souffle.

Rather than … Read more

Vestax VCI-300 gives DJs peace of mind

One of the biggest arguments against laptop-based DJ setups is that they just aren't as reliable as a conventional turntable rig. For analog gear, the worst thing you have to worry about is a frayed cable or a warped record--unlike digital DJs who live with a constant fear that a software update may invalidate an audio-card driver or cripple their MIDI controller. The more components in the equation (external storage, USB drivers, software authorization dongles), the more you need a computer science degree just to diagnose the problem.

One way to tackle the reliability is to borrow a page … Read more

$9 million for SpotMixer's video ad service

One True Media, the parent company of an online video ad creator called SpotMixer, has announced a fresh $9 million in Series B venture funding. The round was led by DAG Ventures, with contributions from NTT Finance and existing investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

Amid widespread financial difficulties (to say the least) in the media business, SpotMixer and its new investors are pitching it as a cost-cutting option for small companies.

"While the market opportunity for video advertising remains well-defined, smaller businesses are more concerned than ever about how to most cost-effectively spend their limited advertising dollars," … Read more

Cuisinart powers up stand mixers

When it comes to the kitchen, options are a cook's best friend. Stand mixers have long offered versatility and performance to help cooks save time. Cuisinart has two models of stand mixers, the SM-70, a 7-quart model, and the SM-55, a 5.5-quart model.

Both stand mixers have several attachments designed to do many tasks. In addition to standard paddle attachments, accessories include a pasta maker, a mincer and grinder, food processor, juicer, and even a blender. In addition to the accessory attachments, the convenience of power is also included. The larger stand mixer has a 1,000-watt motor, … Read more

Numark iDJ mixer sheds novelty, goes legit

The first Numark iDJ wasn't just half-baked, it was downright unusable for DJing. The thing needed two iPods and lacked basic DJ essentials such as pitch control.

By comparison, the Numark iDJ2 is hands-down one of the best digital DJ products we've tested. With its large color screen, responsive jog wheels, balanced XLR outputs, and support for iPod video playback, the iDJ2 performs like a champ and packs in more than just the basics. Like any sub-$1,000 digital deck, the iDJ2 still won't get you much in terms of DJ cred, but it also won'… Read more