Spatula blade cuts down scraping time

The blade works with KitchenAid stand mixers.

The KitchenAid stand mixer is one kitchen tool many home cooks won't do without. What they're willing to give up is the endless stop-the-mixer/scrape-the-bowl step to make sure ingredients are thoroughly mixed. It's critical for baked goods, which require an even dispersal of leavening ingredients for proper rising.

Enter the SideSwipe spatula mixer blade, designed by an Ohio-based mechanical engineer who noticed how many times his wife had to stop and scrape whenever she used the KitchenAid's standard flat blade. SideSwipe is a flat food-grade silicone wiper with little fins, overlaying a nylon and aluminum frame; it costs about $24.95. During mixing, the fins scrape down the sides of the bowl so you don't have to stop and start the motor constantly. It works on KitchenAid's 4.5- and 5-quart tilt-head stand mixers (expect a blade for bowl-lift stand mixers later this year).

We put SideSwipe through its paces recently with a batch of cookies and mashed potatoes. One of the secrets to a great cookie is perfectly creamed butter and sugar, and on this task the SideSwipe performed as promised. After two minutes of beating on medium-low speed, the butter mixture was light and aerated, and no traces of sugar remained on the sides of the workbowl or around the bottom divot. Dry ingredients also incorporated well, although chocolate chips and nuts had to be added by hand to avoid damaging the blade. However, gobs of cookie dough stuck between the SideSwipe's silicone wipers, which meant scraping time wasn't totally eliminated.

The blade fared better with the mashed potatoes, delivering smooth, fluffy spuds without a hint of gumminess.

One critical point: You must adjust the blade height on your mixer before using the SideSwipe, a simple procedure that requires one counterclockwise turn of the inset screw on your mixer (directions provided). The blade is top-rack dishwasher safe. No more stops and starts like a failing car transmission. - DIANA BURRELL

SideSwipe Spatula Mixer Blade is available from sideswipeblade.com.