Evaluation:  Fair

I tested it creaming butter.  It didn’t eliminate the need for scraping because a fairly thick circle of butter formed right above where the blade met the side of the bowl; even after scraping it down, it reformed immediately.  On the plus side, it creamed the butter a lot more effectively than the metal blade that came with the unit, which couldn’t reach a thin layer of butter lying against the surface of the metal bowl. 

The SideSwipe I had on my KA was a lot better about not forming the line above the blades; the SideSwipe’s blades are angled slightly downwards, tending to throw the butter/batter back down into the bowl, rather than allowing it to creep up past the blade.  Since the Beater Blade is one continuous strip of silicone, rather than individual blades, it can’t be angled in a similar fashion.  The SideSwipe was also easier to install, since it was designed for the particular mixer, whereas the Beater Blade fits both Viking and Cuisinart mixers and requires adjustment to fit properly.

Given the choice, I’d take the SideSwipe, but, unfortunately, they don’t make it for the Cusinart.  They say maybe in the summer of 2012.

Thanks for the review!

That is very interesting. I actually get similar results with the BB for the 6qt KA. I haven’t used mine for awhile.

Flour Girl - 07 December 2011 09:53 PM

That is very interesting. I actually get similar results with the BB for the 6qt KA. I haven’t used mine for awhile.

Thanks for the data point.  Cooks Illustrated rated the SideSwipe more highly several years go, which is why I bought it for the KA.  I actually thought the Beater Blade would be better because there were no gaps between the blades, which should have been more effective in cleaning the sides of the bowl, and I thought the blade itself would be easier to scrape batter off.  The latter is at least true.    I’ll probably keep using it to cream butter, at least.

I agree with your opinion. I have never tried the SS. I have tried KA’s version. The bowl was a mess. Batter up the sides and so thin, it was difficult scraping the batter down to the bottom of the bowl.

I do like the BB for creaming and for incorporating eggs when there is a small quantity of creamed butter and sugar; but, cleaning the BB and then changing to the standard paddle blade has not been worth the effort for me.

I have been doing it the old fashioned way, stopping the mixer and scrapping the sides. I don’t mind the effort because I feel the results I attain are more reliable.  I know most people feel Roses’s recipes are not adversely affected but, in my experience, I have noticed slight differences. Perhaps it is my insecurity???  That is totally possible

Great review.  As far as I experienced, the BB has curved in top edges, so I don’t know what is the complaint.  R we complaining about wanting perfection?  I baked every cake from RHC and the BB was a god sent.  moreover, I’ve been testing the BB to do things that are risky, like folding sponge cakes, recombining frozen sourcream, and adding delicate things to the batter that I don’t want the snug rubber blades to smash.

here some results i can lovely share with BB:

1- the chocolate oblivion works great!  Stop the mixer, remove the whisk, add the choco butter mix on the whipped eggs at once, attach the BB, mix at speed 1 for 30 seconds and it magically mixes jing and jang so quickly that te deflation isn’t any more than by hand with my giant JB prince balloon whisk. 

2- making cordon rose cheesecake with frozen thawed sourcream that inevitably separates.  BB the sc with sugar and cream cheese all together, it comes like magic.

3- using frozen thawed sc on butter cakes.  Cake emulsifies fine.

I judge by cake results, not by circles on the bowl or by what CI says.  I don’t like very much how CI tests when they are not actually baking!

Hector, do you adjust the beating time at all?

I dont.