Editors' Picks: Mixing Bowls

So, you want to buy a mixing bowl.

Should you get stainless steel, glass, ceramic, or plastic? Would you like a bowl with high sides or a bowl that's wide and shallow? A nesting set sounds great, but then open stock gives you lots of options. Would you like a bowl with a lid? A bowl with a non-skid bottom? A bowl with a pour spout? And have I now asked you too many questions and you don't want to buy a mixing bowl after all?!

Fear not, dear reader. It's really not as complicated as I'm making it out to be. When it comes to mixing bowls, our recommendations are pretty straightforward.

The Two Types of Mixing Bowls You Should Have

For home cooks we recommend having both stainless steel and glass mixing bowls, in a variety of sizes:

• Small: 1–1 1/2 quart
• Medium: 2 1/2–3 quart
• Large: 4–6 quart
• Extra-large: 8 quart

Stainless steel mixing bowls are light, unbreakable, and easy to move around. Wide, shallow stainless steel bowls are great for cooking tasks like whisking or tossing, where you don't want to deal with a heavy bowl that's hard to lift. Stainless steel bowls can also be safely used in a double-boiler setup.

Glass mixing bowls are heavier and sturdier. Glass bowls are well-suited for tasks like stirring or mixing muffin or cake batter. Glass can also go in the microwave. It's also nice to have a glass bowl for making bread, so you can see the dough rise through the glass. Glass bowls also double as serving bowls.

What About Plastic and Ceramic Mixing Bowls?

While they're lovely, we don't recommend buying a ceramic mixing bowl set for the purposes of regular home cooking. Ceramic bowls are heavy and hard to maneuver, and they're just not practical for everyday cooking. If you have a set, save it for serving!

We don't recommend plastic mixing bowls because plastic is porous and retains stains and smells. You also can't put it in the microwave or use it in a double boiler.

A Note About Mixing Bowl Sizes

Most mixing bowl sets come in size ranges of 1 1/2 quarts to 5–6 quarts. That's enough to cover almost every cooking need you'd have.

We also recommend picking up a larger 8-quart mixing bowl, separately if need be. An extra-large mixing bowl is great to have on hand when you're making a big batch of something. Plus, you can turn it upside down and use it to cover cakes and pies on the countertop!

Other Mixing Bowl Features to Consider

Rims: We like a little rim on our mixing bowls because it gives us something to grip when we're holding the bowl, particularly when lifting.

Lids: Bowls that come with lids are great ... sometimes. Depending on your storage space, it may not be worth it. I've found it cumbersome to store plastic lids I only occasionally use. In that case, a more flexible reusable lid like these silicone stretch lids is a good alternative.

Depth: Deep bowls are great ... sometimes. A bowl with high sides is very helpful when you're using an electric hand mixer since it keeps splatters to a minimum. But they're not ideally suited for tasks that require more range of motion, like folding an airy batter. Shorter cooks may also find it more cumbersome to work with a deep, narrow bowl.

Non-skid bottoms: Non-skid bottoms are great ... sometimes. (Do you see a theme here?) Yes, in theory, they're made to stabilize your bowl when vigorously whisking or mixing, but you're often paying a premium for a feature that doesn't always work as intended. Plus, that rubber bottom means you can't use the bowl in a double boiler setup.

Pour spout: This is really a personal preference. I don't find them a make-or-break feature for me, but you may differ on that!