Cuisinart SM55BC Instruction Manual - Page 5

Maximum Capacities for the Cuisinart™ Stand Mixer 5.5 Quart (5 L) Stand Mix Yeast dough 12 cups (3 L) of flour (most breads, pizza) Cookie dough 10 dozen cookies Whipping cream 6 cups (2.2 L) Egg whites 12 TROUBLESHOOTING 1. Problem: The accessories knock against the bottom of the bowl or are not reaching the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl. Solution: Adjust the height by doing the following: • Detach the accessory. • Hold and loosen the nut as shown. • For ideal operation, the chef's whisk and flat mixing paddle should be almost touching the bottom of the bowl. • Raise the stand mixer head, hold the accessory in place, and tighten. 2. Problem: Your stand mixer has an overload protection device and if overloaded, it will shut down to protect the motor. Solution: In the unlikely event that this happens: • Turn off and unplug the unit. • Reduce the load by removing some of the ingredients, and allow the stand mixer to stand for a few minutes. • Plug in and reset the speed. If the stand mixer does not start when you press the on button, allow the unit to stand for additional time. TIPS aND HINTS • Before preheating the oven, adjust shelves to accommodate your baking task. Pies bake best when baked in the lower third of the oven. • Carefully follow each mixing step in a recipe. Take care not to over- or undermix. Make use of the Countdown Timer feature of the Cuisinart™ Stand Mixer to help with suggested mixing times. • Don't crowd the oven, and avoid opening the oven door during baking - use the oven light to help you watch. With certain recipes, particularly cookies, when baking more than one pan in the oven at a time, rotate pans halfway through the baking cycle. • Proper measurements are very important when baking. To measure flour correctly, stir the flour first, then spoon into the measuring cup. Level off the top with the blunt side of a knife blade or the handle of a spoon. Do not press or compact flour. It is also very important not to measure directly from the bag - while the flour is pre-sifted, it has been pressed/ compacted to fit into the bag. Baked goods made from unstirred flour are likely to be heavy and dry because too much flour is used. • Remove butter from the refrigerator and cut into ½-inch (1.25 cm) pieces to help it come to room temperature while measuring out the remaining ingredients - this will hasten the softening process. Do not warm butter in the microwave, which can change the structure of the butter if it melts and give the finished product a different texture. • To separate eggs for use in any recipe, break them one at a time into a small bowl. Gently remove the yolks, then transfer the whites to a spotlessly clean glass or stainless bowl. If a yolk breaks into a white, use that egg for another recipe. Just a drop of egg yolk in the  white prevents them from whipping properly. • For whipping egg whites, both the mixing bowl and chef's whisk must be spotlessly clean and dry. Any trace of fat or oil will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. • To check the freshness of eggs, place them in a bowl of warm water - if they float, they are not fresh. • To melt chocolate for a recipe, place chopped chocolate in a double boiler insert or larger bowl over a pan of barely simmering hot water. The water should not boil, nor should it touch the bottom of the double boiler insert or bowl. If it does, this could cause the chocolate to "seize" and you will not be able to use it in your recipe. • Always test yeast for freshness before using it in a recipe. Sprinkle a little over warm (105-110°F [40°-45°C]) water from recipe and add a pinch of sugar or flour from the recipe. If it does not become foamy/bubbly in 5 to 10 minutes, the yeast may be "dead." Start over with fresh yeast from a new package. • For mixing yeast doughs, begin by using the flat mixing paddle. When starting a recipe, dough is thinner and more like a batter and mixes more efficiently and smoothly with a paddle. After a very thick, smooth batter forms, switch to the dough hook to complete the recipe. Cookie Baking • Use an ice cream scoop to measure out cookie dough - this keeps the cookies evenly shaped and uniform in size. We recommend ice cream scoops in several sizes - #'s 40, 50 and 60, as well as a larger one (about 1⁄3 to ½ cup [75 ml 125 ml]) for jumbo cookies. Ice cream scoops, also known as "dishers" are also good for filling muffin tins. Use a #16 ice cream scoop to make muffins or meatballs. • To better maintain cookie shapes, put scoops of cookie dough onto sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap on a tray and chill before baking. Most cookie dough can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days prior to baking - be sure to wrap well. • Cookie dough may also be frozen. Shape into individual cookies, double wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. • Line baking sheets with parchment for easy release and easy cleanup. • Let cookies rest on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool. This keeps cookies from wrinkling, crumbling or breaking. • Cookies must cool completely before being put into storage containers to avoid them becoming soggy and misshapen. Bread Baking • One ¼-ounce (7 g) packet of yeast equals 2¼ teaspoons (11.25 ml) yeast. • Using milk in place of water will produce a softer crust. • After baking, you can soften the crust, if desired, by rubbing it with unsalted butter soon after removing it from the oven. This prevents it from drying out too quickly. • If a recipe calls for a specific type of flour, use the flour recommended. If you do not have bread flour, you can substitute unbleached, all-purpose flour, but your bread may not rise quite as much. • Do not use "lite" or tub margarines for bread baking - the first ingredient is often water and they do not work well in any baking. • Vital gluten is the dried protein taken from the flour by eliminating the starch. It is a good dough conditioner or enhancement for yeast breads, especially for whole grain breads or when using all-purpose flour. If a recipe specifically calls for vital gluten, we recommend that it be used for best results. • For 100% whole wheat bread use 1½ teaspoons (7 ml) vital gluten per cup of flour. • Lite salt can be used if it has both potassium chloride and sodium. • Many bread recipes have a "range" amount of flour - start by using the lower end of the range, then add more flour as needed to produce a smooth, not sticky dough. • Before measuring molasses or honey, oil the measuring spoon to help it run off better.