Serious topic y'all! Mixing bowls with lids or no?

[sheryl]

I have older stainless steel mixing bowls I bought when we lived in Michigan.  They are 32-33 years old, shorter and more rounded because there isn't a "wall" from height.    A bit wobbly. These have served me well.   No lids.

My niece got married Aug 1 and one of her bridal shower gifts was a set of Crate and Barrell mixing bowls from her the future mil.  The bowls, updated, are taller and because of that - the height serves as a wall.  Taller and more of a flattened bottom so it's more secure.    No lids.

Hmmm.   I like them and thought I'd like to buy some.

So, should I buy just the bowls or bowls with lids?  I'm torn over this silly choice.

Yes, mixing bowls are for mixing and immediately finishing the task at hand.  But, oh, I may make crape batter.  It's makes too much and I might store the batter in the bowl and keep in frig a few days until I make more.  Same for cole slaw, cookie dough, etc.

Thoughts?   Thanks!

[City Mouse]

I have some with lids, but I hardly ever use the lids. Most of the time I will cover a bowl with plastic wrap instead of digging out the lid.

if I was looking for new bowls, lids would be my last consideration.

[MEmama]

I vote for lids. I use them all the time. I don’t buy bowls without any more, I’ve learned my lesson! 

[sheryl]

7 minutes ago, City Mouse said:

I have some with lids, but I hardly ever use the lids. Most of the time I will cover a bowl with plastic wrap instead of digging out the lid.

if I was looking for new bowls, lids would be my last consideration.

See, that's my concern too that while I like the idea of lids, they will get lost or fall flat and I won't see them.

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I vote for lids. I use them all the time. I don’t buy bowls without any more, I’ve learned my lesson! 

See above,  I like the idea of lids but I'm torn.

[Carol in Cal.]

I never knew mixing bowls could have lids until I got an extra bowl with a lid with my first KitchenAide mixer, and wow, it’s so useful for things like cookie dough that you have to chill, or bread dough that you want to use half of and bake the rest in a couple of days.  Or for sourdough bread dough that you want to have rise in a cool place so it really must be covered.  

So although I have open bowls that I really like, at some point I bought a set of Pampered Chef bowls with lids, and they are great.  I keep them nested in a cabinet with my lids upright between them and the cabinet wall, so they are always easy to find.  One especially nice thing about the PC ones is that they have a pour spout indentation, and the lids are shaped to seal it—best of both worlds!  And, the lids are flat but sturdy so if I have to, I can put things on top of the bowls in the fridge.  This is super convenient if I want to mix up a salad except the dressing and keep it chilling when I’m doing other things, for instance.  Or for pasta salad or cole slaw that we might use over a several day period.

Having said that, I still use my old ceramic mixing bowls a lot.  They are prettier, and so I prefer to serve using them at the table over the metal PC ones.  And I just plain enjoy their looks.  Also, they are heavier so they are more stable when I’m mixing something thick.

[Ellie]

I have never needed a lid for a mixing bowl, but if it's important to you, then you should have them.

[Hannah]

I prefer stainless steel bowls with a silicone base, handle and spout like this.  Even when I do want to keep something I decant into a flat, square glass container with lid as the mixing bowls take up too much space in the fridge.

[Clemsondana]

I have the pampered chef set with lids.  I just store the lids under the bowls, so no extra space needed.  Often I'm not storing anything so don't need the lid, but when I need them they're nice to have.  If I fill a bowl with something (cookie dough, potato salad, etc) that needs to chill then it's nice to just pop on the right lid and then I can still stack things on top in the fridge.  

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, sheryl said:

I have older stainless steel mixing bowls I bought when we lived in Michigan.  They are 32-33 years old, shorter and more rounded because there isn't a "wall" from height.    A bit wobbly. These have served me well.   No lids.

My niece got married Aug 1 and one of her bridal shower gifts was a set of Crate and Barrell mixing bowls from her the future mil.  The bowls, updated, are taller and because of that - the height serves as a wall.  Taller and more of a flattened bottom so it's more secure.    No lids.

Hmmm.   I like them and thought I'd like to buy some.

So, should I buy just the bowls or bowls with lids?  I'm torn over this silly choice.

Yes, mixing bowls are for mixing and immediately finishing the task at hand.  But, oh, I may make crape batter.  It's makes too much and I might store the batter in the bowl and keep in frig a few days until I make more.  Same for cole slaw, cookie dough, etc.

Thoughts?   Thanks!

I have both wide shallow bowls, and taller bowls.  I use them for different things.  Both types have flatter bottoms and both are stable - I don't keep wobbly bowls. 

If you store things in mixing bowls - I would prefer with lids as then I don't have to bother with saranwrap.  Though I also can't see what's inside.

I rarely store things in mixing bowls - and wish dh would stop doing it. (he does it with the KA bowl, as well as the blender container.  Then I can't use them, unless I find something to put his stuff in first.)   

[Selkie]

I like lids because I always have two big mixing bowls full of salad in my fridge. My bowls didn't come with lids, so I use these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G9FVS6A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[sweet2ndchance]

I haven't read the other replies but I don't like using my mixing bowls for storage. It ties up a bowl that I always seem to need for something else not long after storing extras in it.

However, I do like having lids on my mixing bowls in case something like cookie dough or what have you has to be refrigerated for and hour or two or things like that. Sure I could, and do sometimes, use foil or plastic wrap but it feels wasteful to me.

I have a very purposefully minimal kitchen though. I have one set of three nesting metal mixing bowls with lids. So YMMV.

[Carol in Cal.]

12 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

I have both wide shallow bowls, and taller bowls.  I use them for different things.  Both types have flatter bottoms and both are stable - I don't keep wobbly bowls. 

If you store things in mixing bowls - I would prefer with lids as then I don't have to bother with saranwrap.  Though I also can't see what's inside.

I rarely store things in mixing bowls - and wish dh would stop doing it. (he does it with the KA bowl, as well as the blender container.  Then I can't use them, unless I find something to put his stuff in first.)   

See, that would bug me, too, but in the KA case my mixer came with two bowls so even if one is in the fridge there is another one to use.  And my feeling is that that is really the best of all worlds.  They should all come like that.

[sheryl]

OK, a combined reply.  

I use plastic wrap now to cover my bowls so I know I would prefer lids.   Typically, the older, shorter bowls came rounded on bottom and newer design  boasts a taller side/wall with flatter bottom.  While the silicone base makes  sense I won't go that route as I prefer a clean bottom.  The design of taller bowl with flatter bottom is suppose to help with that. However, as backup I can use that spongy grid-type mat to place underneath.  LOL - whatever that mat is called.  

I'll be looking at stainless steel.  While it's not manufactured for serving, it certainly can be used for that.  I think a big, green lettuce salad looks awesome in it.  Still, most of the time they will be used for mixing whatever.  I do store in frig for a day or so as @Carol in Cal. posted.  

Checking out pampered chef now.

ANOTHER QUESTION-

What capacity sizes do you have?  More than one?  Set?  Sizes?

[Carol in Cal.]

Sigh.  I do have more than one set.

This is because no matter what set I have, the best size inevitably gets broken or left somewhere.

The old red/yellow/blue/green ones were great, and my husband found a knock off set of those in a thrift store.  I use them a lot at the cabin, and when he brought them home I relegated my sturdy but deep Costco stainless steel set to the basement for occasional use or to bring along on camping trips.  

(Realistically I will probably give all but one of those away at some point, since the only one I have used since then is a medium size that is nice for proofing sourdough bread.  We don’t really car camp since we have the cabin, and when we go on picnics Tupperware with tight lids is much more convenient—it’s also lightweight which is nice.) 

Meanwhile, the old shape is, I think, ideal, because it is both deep enough to be containing but shallow enough not to impair mixing.  I am pretty short, and the very deep bowls are hard to mix in when they are on the counter—the combo makes the rim a bit too high for me.  So I sometimes take them to the table, but that is in the dining room, so it’s messy and not close to other ingredients—hence inconvenient.  

At home I have the aforementioned Pampered Chef set, which is what displaced the Costco stainless ones to the cabin.  It’s great, albeit a little deeper than I would prefer, but good.  I also have remnants of two other sets, both of which are missing one or two bowls out of three or four, both being shallowish and ceramic so suitable for serving.  But my main squeeze at home is my Southern Living At Home set—beautiful muted colors, nice and heavy, great for serving, makes me feel good to use them because they are so attractive.  However, they are the deep bowls that are a little hard to use.  If they were just a little wider as well, and had lids, they would be absolutely perfect and I would forsake (donate) all others, LOL.

[Lecka]

No.  I cover a mixing bowl with plastic wrap maybe 5 times in a year.  I just do not often need lids, and I don’t think my cabinets are tall enough to store the lids upright where I keep my mixing bowls.  

[EKS]

I got some bowls that just happened to have lids, and even though I thought they would be useless at first, I found that I actually like having them.

[PeterPan]

clingwrap, no lids. Yes to a lid for the extra KA bowl, sure. But not for regular ss bowls. Not used often enough to be worth the storage. 

Edited September 27, 2020 by PeterPan

[Emba]

I have 3 mixing bowls without lids and 1 that has a lid. It is a Pyrex bowl with a pour spout and handle, so not pretty for serving. My other bowls are pretty enough for serving, and I really wish they had lids too.

[fairfarmhand]

I have (whispers) Two sets of mixing bowls. One set with lids, one without. I use them equally often. I also own two batter bowls without lids that I use constantly. I am a hoarder of mixing bowls. But in my defense, in the two sets, the bowls are shaped and sized differently. And they dont have spouts, so thats why I have the batter bowls. I have a whole double cabinet that's bottom shelf is the mixing bowl shelf. 

We don't just use them for mixing. Popcorn and salad are often what they're occupied with.

[Selkie]

I have four Oxo mixing bowls - two stainless and two plastic - and one cheap plastic one from Walmart. I cook a lot but never bake and rarely ever make pancake batter or anything like that. Mine are primarily used for salad, veggies, and slaw. The cheap one is my designated scrap bowl that I use whenever cooking.

[MercyA]

If you ever use plastic wrap to cover your mixing bowls, absolutely get the lids. Much better for the environment, less wasteful, and likely money saving in the long run, too.

[Carol in Cal.]

45 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

I have (whispers) Two sets of mixing bowls. One set with lids, one without. I use them equally often. I also own two batter bowls without lids that I use constantly. I am a hoarder of mixing bowls. But in my defense, in the two sets, the bowls are shaped and sized differently. And they dont have spouts, so thats why I have the batter bowls. I have a whole double cabinet that's bottom shelf is the mixing bowl shelf. 

We don't just use them for mixing. Popcorn and salad are often what they're occupied with.

I once bought a batter bowl from Pampered Chef, to use for making a Barbie cake I think.  I wonder whether it is still tucked away in the basement with the other kiddie cake pans.  Including the infamous Thomas the Tank Engine one that required something like 17 different colors.  I haven’t seen it in years but I think I still have it, and I’ll bet I would use it a lot if I had it in the kitchen.  Hmmm.  Glad you mentioned this.  I had forgotten all about it.

[sheryl]

OK, drum roll....I bought a set!

Thanks for the new replies above.  Again, a combined response.  After weighing pros and cons, I bought these stainless steel mixing bowls.  They have lids!  Like Carol CA, Seasider and others, I like to prep the day before or have left over crepe batter or whatever and would rather not use another bowl.  

They are a good brand, 3 good sizes, lids!  I used my 20% coupon and they have me free shipping because I had to wait so long in the store.  Their computer was on the blitz.  Total $34.41 which includes tax.  Not bad. 

The only other ones I would get according to my preference would be Williams-Sonoma 3 pc set with lids for around $80.

Fairfarmhand - yes!  That made me laugh.  I get it.  You are an organized home chef! 🙂  You want your kitchen to work for you.  

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/cuisinart-reg-3-piece-stainless-steel-mixing-bowl-set-with-lids/5257218?keyword=stainless-steel-mixing-bowls

[gardenmom5]

8 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

See, that would bug me, too, but in the KA case my mixer came with two bowls so even if one is in the fridge there is another one to use.  And my feeling is that that is really the best of all worlds.  They should all come like that.

I can order another bowl  (even with a lid)  - I've just not cared enough to actually do it.

7 hours ago, sheryl said:

 

What capacity sizes do you have?  More than one?  Set?  Sizes?

Multiple sizes, from small to larger.  my biggest wide bowl is a larger bread size.  It's great for mixing potato salad, dressing, fruit cake, etc.

[fairfarmhand]

18 minutes ago, sheryl said:

OK, drum roll....I bought a set!

Thanks for the new replies above.  Again, a combined response.  After weighing pros and cons, I bought these stainless steel mixing bowls.  They have lids!  Like Carol CA, Seasider and others, I like to prep the day before or have left over crepe batter or whatever and would rather not use another bowl.  

They are a good brand, 3 good sizes, lids!  I used my 20% coupon and they have me free shipping because I had to wait so long in the store.  Their computer was on the blitz.  Total $34.41 which includes tax.  Not bad. 

The only other ones I would get according to my preference would be Williams-Sonoma 3 pc set with lids for around $80.

Fairfarmhand - yes!  That made me laugh.  I get it.  You are an organized home chef! 🙂  You want your kitchen to work for you.  

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/cuisinart-reg-3-piece-stainless-steel-mixing-bowl-set-with-lids/5257218?keyword=stainless-steel-mixing-bowls

Yay! Now I covet a set of stainless steel ones. With lids. My other sets are glass and ceramic. Why shouldn't I have a stainless set too?

[sheryl]

1 minute ago, fairfarmhand said:

Yay! Now I covet a set of stainless steel ones. With lids. My other sets are glass and ceramic. Why shouldn't I have a stainless set too?

Well, of course I'm going to agree with you! 🙂  I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Now on to glass to oven to freezer to dishwasher, etc glass food bpa free storage containers.  LOL!

And, my next purchase from BBB will be the Green Pan!  YAY!

If you buy, please let us know!

[gardenmom5]

I like stainless vs glass/ceramic.  they're thinner, they're lighter - they don't break when dropped on the stone floor.

[Carol in Cal.]

2 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I can order another bowl  (even with a lid)  - I've just not cared enough to actually do it.

Multiple sizes, from small to larger.  my biggest wide bowl is a larger bread size.  It's great for mixing potato salad, dressing, fruit cake, etc.

You have to have a place for it, too.  Unlike mixing bowl sets, these don’t nest appreciably at all.

[sheryl]

I know lids run the risk of getting lost but as others have said, I'm hoping if they store underneath the bowls or stand up against the interior cabinet wall they will stay put!  That does bring up a good point though.  If I remember I'll ask if there are replacement lids.  

My KA/stand did NOT come with a lid.  Is that what y'all are saying?  How did mine not come that way?