Which Is Better Mixing Bowl? – Plastic Vs. Glass Vs. Stainless Steel

Mixing bowls are an essential need in every kitchen. These bowls are useful in so many ways. Whether it is stirring ingredients, storing leftovers, measuring ingredients before using them, serving salad or another dish, or marinating food items for the grill, these bowls are multipurpose and versatile. Mixing bowls comes in a broad range of materials, sizes, designs, and prices.

Material is one of the most important things when it comes to buying a mixing bowl. Generally, these bowls come in three different materials, i.e., Stainless Steel, Glass, and Plastic. Each of these materials has its own pros and cons. To make the right selection of the mixing bowl, it requires a good understanding of each of them.

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl

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Pros of Stainless-Steel based mixing bowls

• Stainless steel bowls are versatile, light in weight, and incredibly durable
• They are made to be very strong to store heavy items easily into them. This also makes it quite simple and safe to pour things from them and move around with it.
• Stainless-steel bowls add a classy and elegant look to your kitchen
• Their less weight is very advantageous for the user. An absolutely large sized stainless-steel mixing bowl would not feel heavy to you like a glass bowl. This makes it easier to clean too.
• These bowls are better for whisking milk cream or egg whites than plastic or glass bowls.
• These bowls generally come in sets. This makes it easy to nest them for a perfect perfectly.
• Their unbreakable property makes them the best for the use of children.
• These multipurpose bowls also serve as cooking vessels to be kept on a double boiler (for melting chocolates etc.)

Drawbacks

Stainless steel bowls do not have a lot of disadvantages. Some of them being:

• Stainless steel is not considered as the best conductor of heat among the other type of metals. This makes this bowl to get heated up faster than glass. The reverse is also true. On keeping this bowl on ice water, it gets cooled very quickly.
• A stainless-steel mixing bowl is not appropriate for microwave use. As microwave is commonly used for preparing a wide range of dishes, this feature can be a big turn-off for stainless-steel fans.
• These bowls can even end up with dings and dents after prolonged use. This will only happen when you are using them roughly, else they will state in the best condition forever.
• You will find stainless steel bowls to be much lighter as compared to glass bowls. This makes them less stable especially when you are mixing something vigorously. This can make them displace from their position on the counter so you need to hold onto them while performing such operations.

Glass Mixing Bowl

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Advantages of a Glass mixing bowl

• Glass is nonreactive in nature that implies that it won’t react with chemicals that can change the texture,taste, and color of the food.
• Glass is also microwaveable in nature. A few tempered glass mixing bowls are highly durable and are suited for the use in freezer and oven as well.
• Tempered glass mixing bowls are engineered with specific types of materials, so cooling or heating them makes them more temperature-resistant and durable
• You can get transparent glass mixing bowls in vibrant colors that accentuates the look of your kitchen
• As glass bowls are transparent in nature, you can clearly see the amount of the ingredient and whether the ingredients have properly mixed or not.
• Glass mixing bowls give an attractive and decorative touch to a place. You can keep them on your dining table to display fruits, or in the form of a serving vessel
• As glass bowls have got slicker sides, the ingredients do not stick to its sides at the time of whisking.

Disadvantages

• On dropping a glass bowl, it will break
• Glass is sensitive to temperature changes, so if it is kept on higher temperature there are chances of breaking
• Glass bowls are heavy! So, it can be difficult to hold on to it or transfer batter to any baking container.
• Also, they are a big no for kids
• Its slippery surface and their weight, can both make it a little tough to wash by hand.
• They are comparatively pricier than other materials

Plastic Mixing Bowl

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Advantages of a Plastic mixing bowl

A vast majority of households use plastic mixing bowls due to a variety of reasons. Let us see what are they:

• A plastic bowl is light in weight that makes it easy to manage
• It comes with easy-grip handles and non-slip bottoms prevent accidental slipping
• These mixing bowls are dishwasher safe
• You can get them with a lifetime warranty too
• Superior quality plastics like Tupperware are made from food-grade color that makes them safe and hygienic to use.
• Plastic bowls are the most inexpensive bowls among all the other materials used in manufacturing mixing bowls.
• You can get them in various colors that not just add a decorative touch to your kitchen but also attracts kids
• Plastic bowls come in versatile designs. You can get them in any shape as per your need.
• As plastic bowls are unbreakable, it is best for kids to use or any kind of rough use. You can drop them several times, but they won’t break. The same thing does not go for glass bowls.
• Cleaning them is easy without any dents
• Some plastic bowls come with soft, and easy-grip handles ensure that the bowl sticks to one place rather than moving away at the time of whisking, tossing or stirring things.
• The bowls are dishwasher safe, and stable.
• They have a versatile design that is ideal for tossing, serving, and mixing ingredients.

Drawbacks

• Plastic bowls have the tendency of picking up oil layer from use. This makes them dirty easily.
• Not safe for the use in microwave
• They do not provide good surfaces as while whisking egg whites,it can slip down to its sides
• Plastic tends to attract grease due to its porous surface
• A plastic mixing bowl is not temperature resistant, so you need to take care that it doesn’t come near to hot surfaces as it can melt or leach chemicals.
• Plastic absorbs oils and strong odors that can give discomfort to the user

Conclusion

So, these are the common types of materials used in making mixing bowls, with their own share of advantages and drawbacks. In our opinion, stainless steel mixing bowls are the best choice for every household. They are sturdy, durable, hygienic, and gives a rich look to your kitchen. Though they are a little pricier than the other two, their long-lasting nature will compensate for the present expense in the future.

Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API