Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

Have you ever pulled out your stand mixer for a baking project and arbitrarily attached a beater to the spring latch, only to have your dough wad up in a small metal cage minutes later?

Even though your mixer's blades are all part of the same machine, they don't all have a uniform use. Using the wrong attachment is annoying at best, when you have to wrangle all that food out, and dangerous at worst, as it can affect the longevity of your precious stand mixer.

The last thing you want to do that pricey machine is prematurely tire out its motor, and many recipes just won't work with the improper attachment. Fortunately, this all has a simple fix: learn the difference between your stand mixer's attachments once and for all, and never put your recipe (or your mixer!) at risk again.

Dough Hook

kitchenaid dough hook on gradient Credit: Amazon

This one's pretty straightforward: Use your dough hook for any dough that involves yeast. Pizza dough, bread dough, pasta dough, and buns are all fair game here. If you can knead it, then your dough hook can, too.

Your dough hook especially comes in handy with heavier doughs, which are cumbersome to knead by hand. If your mixer came with a spiral dough hook, it'll do the same job, just in a different way.

Flat Beater

kitchenaid flat beater on gradient Credit: Amazon

Your flat beater will likely end up being your ride-or-die stand mixer attachment. It's intended for heavier, non-yeast mixtures like mashed potatoes, cakes, cookie batter, meatloaf, and frostings. It's an ace at creaming butter and sugar, which is great for fluffy cakes and homemade frosting. If you aren't sure which beater to use, then you should probably go with your flat beater.

Wire Whip

wire whip beater attachment on gradient background Credit: Amazon

Take a look at your wire whip's frame and you can probably guess what it's for — delicate mixes, like homemade whipped cream, angel food cake, or meringue. Also known as a balloon whisk, your wire whip's structure will seamlessly aerate egg whites and other sensitive ingredients.

If you use the wire whip for heavier mixtures, like cookie dough, it will become a nice little cage and collect your mixture at its center. It's annoying to get trapped stuff out, extra irritating to clean, and will wear down the attachment much faster.