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Bowls are just bowls, right? Nope! Seven of America’s most innovative bakers gave us six tips to picking the underappreciated workhorse of your kitchen
A mixing bowl isn’t the most glamorous piece of gear in a kitchen. It doesn’t slice or sear. It doesn’t plug in. There’s no Bluetooth. It doesn’t cost $400. And that’s kind of the point.
A good mixing bowl is humble, reliable, endlessly useful — and possibly the most underrated workhorse in a baker’s kitchen. It’s where the cake is literally made, and also the cookies, muffins, and Cesar salad in a pinch. I also use mine for mis en place when cooking, a refrigerator organization system, and even a compost bin.
We asked a group of professional bakers, pastry chefs, and serious home cooks across the country to tell us what they actually use and love. While their preferences range in size, shape, and material, they agree on a few things: stainless steel rules, plastic is out (mostly), and form should follow function.
Here’s what they said.
Our experts
Navil Rivera, baker at Proof Bakery in Los Angeles
Kaitlin Guerin, pastry chef at Lagniappe Baking Co. in New Orleans and James Beard award finalist
Chris Lier, head of bread and pastry at Bub & Grandma’s in Los Angeles
Elaine Carroll, actress, comedian and frequent baker
Jiyoon Jang, chef-owner of Modu Cafe in Los Angeles
Amanda Rockman of Rockman Bakery in Austin
Alli Gelles, baker and artist, @cakes4sport
Stainless steel is the popular choice
Mixing bowls come in all kinds of materials — ceramic, plastic, glass, and even wood. But it’s stainless steel that comes the most highly recommended, by far, thanks to price, weight, versatility, and affordability.
Navil Rivera, a baker and a member of the Community Outreach Committee at popular Los Angeles bakery Proof, is emphatic about stainless steel bowls’ superiority. “Stainless steel, for sure.” Rivera says. “It’s multi-use! You can use them to mix whatever you’d like, [and you] don’t have to worry about cracking or melting the material.”
Kaitlin Guerin of New Orleans’ Lagniapple Baking Co. echoes the sentiment. “Stainless steel is way more sustainable and affordable. I love my mixing bowls. I use them for everything. If I could put a bowl in the oven and cook the cake out of it, I would.”
While Chris Lier of iconic LA bread company Bub & Grandma’s isn’t loyal to brands, he sticks to stainless. “I do love stainless [steel] bowls, just because they’re sturdy but light enough, and can be kind of banged around.”
Actress, comedian, and frequent baker Elaine Carroll also offers her seal of approval on stainless steel. “Stainless steel all the way, baby,” she says. “Ceramic is heavy, it chips, it breaks. Glass, too. These materials are slower to respond to temperature changes.”
For something affordable, this basic set is a great place to start. It includes five sizes, ranging from 3⁄4 quart to 5 quart, and is made with dishwasher-safe, food-grade stainless.
If you’re looking for something on the higher end — maybe for a gift, or if you have open shelving in your kitchen — this set from All-Clad, purveyor of excellent stainless steel cookware, is more of a status buy.
Don’t be precious — buy a set
Usually when it comes to kitchen equipment I’m a less-is-more type of shopper—not when it comes to bowls. You’ll really appreciate having a set. Smaller bowls are good for organization, and for scrambled eggs in the morning, medium for small batches of cookies and marinating meat, and large for most of your daily baking needs.
Rivera says a three-bowl set is the sweet spot: “One largeish bowl for mixing batters together, a medium size one that ideally fits over a saucepan, and a small one for measuring ingredients. If you have to pick one, I’d say go with a good medium bowl!”
Jang uses a full spectrum in her kitchen: “I have a mix of small 2-quart bowls, medium 5- to 8-quart, and large 15-to-20-quart bowls.” Her favorites? “Simple, no fluff bowls. All from kitchen supply stores like Webstaurant Store, Action Sales, Charlie’s Fixtures, and Surfas.”
Many commercial kitchens use bowls from Vollrath. They’re affordable, durable, and lightweight, and can be purchased from restaurant supply stores. This five-piece set covers all the bases, size-wise.
Carroll agrees with Rivera that a five-quart bowl is the most essential in her kitchen: “The standard five-quart size plays the most often. I’ll use the smallest one for whisking eggs, salad dressings, etc. The medium-sized one plays the least often.
A pour spout goes a long way
Guerin says that any set with multiple sizes and a small pour spout on each one is a great start. “Any bowl that has the little lip on it that comes in a set. That’s super important,” says Guerin. “Buy a set — you’ll use them all.”
Amanda Rockman of Austin’s Rockman Bakery emphasizes the importance of prioritizing practical features, such as a pour spout: “I like a bowl with the pour spout when making pancake batter—one less thing to clean and can just drop batter right into the pan,” she says. “We have a set [with spouts], and it has saved me from some spills!”
For the aesthetically focused, Great Jones’ Stir Crazy set is not only attractive, with its charming retro stripes, but practical, with double pour spouts that can double as small handles.
This melamine set has a jaunty spout, handy for lots of jobs (pancakes!). Its bowls are also equipped with a nonslip footed base, BPA-free, and nonreactive with acidic foods.
And if you love the look of stoneware, look no further than this set from this pour-spout-equipped Kaloh set from West Elm, which has three different demure shades that complement each other in an ombre palette.
Size and shape matter
When choosing a mixing bowl, much of the talk is about material, but size is also a major factor. If you’re buying your bowls a la carte, don’t be afraid to go for a big bowl; there is a certain feeling of making a salad or mixing cake batter in a huge bowl that can only be described as luxurious. Still, keep in mind, the biggest size consideration is the size of your cabinet and sink — you’ll need to store and clean your bowls when they’re not being used, obviously. Don’t be afraid to pull out the tape measure.
“If I’m mixing, I need them to be at least two times bigger than what’s going into them,” says Jiyoon Jang of LA’s Modu Cafe. “That’s enough height and width for me to mix without worrying about the ingredients falling out of the bowl.”
Make sure to choose a bowl or set that is easy to maneuver around your cooking and baking workspace, whether that means your tiny New York apartment kitchen or your huge farmhouse sink in the suburbs. Lier, whose bread-focused workflow can be highly physical, adds: “[I love] my mixing bowl at home because it fits perfectly across one of the basins of my sink.”
Alli Gelles, the cake artist behind @cakes4sport, finds that what works best for her is a 3-quart size, which “will cover most of your everyday needs, although I do love to have a small one too.” However, she’s not too precious, and points out, “a bowl is a bowl —except for plastic.” (More on that in a moment.)
There are huge bowls on offer, should you need to make coleslaw for 100-plus people, for example — although it’s hard to justify buying (or fitting) a 30-quart or 45-quart bowl for home cooking. (This one is so big that it comes with its own wheeled stand.) The biggest bowl that is still practical for home use is probably a 20-quart size — say, if you’re making a huge salad for a party. This one from Excellante is durably constructed but still affordable.
Plastic’s not preferred — with one notable exception
If there’s one near-universal opinion among bakers, it’s this: Steer clear of plastic.
“Plastic can fuck off,” says Carroll.
Gelles recalls: “I once had to use plastic mixing bowls when I was staying at an Airbnb and it was NOT working with my meringue. Disaster.”
Navil puts it more gently: “Affordable [ceramic or stainless steel] is the way to go! Many stores like TJ Maxx have great options for different sizes for decent prices. While you don’t have to splurge for a good bowl, my advice is to definitely not go for plastic!”
But there’s a twist: Bowls with rubberized or non-slip bottoms — many of which are made from melamine, a type of durable, food-safe plastic — earned cautious praise. “We have a set and it has saved me from some spills!” says Rockman.
Lier adds: “I did get a bowl that I love now. It’s got a rubber base… your bowl, you can be whisking with one hand and pouring something with the other, and your bowl is not skating across the table.”
So while plastic is not the preferred material for mixing bowls generally speaking, hybrid melamine bowls with silicone or rubberized bases do get some love — just don’t try to melt chocolate in them (even melamine should not be heated in the microwave) or go too crazy with an electric hand mixer.
This commercial Choice set represents the best of both worlds: stainless steel with a rubberized base, well-suited for professional kitchens or home settings.
I’m also a fan of this snazzy set from OXO — a great choice if you like the look of white bowls but want the durability of stainless steel.
Should you splurge?
Does a higher price point mean a better mixing-bowl set? Not always — you can find a great set for as little as $15.
“No, no need to splurge. You just need something reliable and easy to use. Simple is best,” says Jang.
Lier, who also happens to be a potter, agrees. “It is kind of one of those things that, yeah, it’s like, one of the last places I’d probably splurge.”
“If you’re buying one bowl [that’s a little extra-special], that’s [an investment of, like,] 20 extra dollars that’s going to last you for years,” says Guerin.
And Carroll agrees but for her own reasons: “Splurge? No. Which is strange for me to say, because I love splurging. I feel like if you’ve got money to burn in your kitchen, spend it on fresh ingredients, fine wine, and good party favors.”
Amen.
