The KitchenAid ‘dime’ test will completely optimize your mixer — here’s how it works

White KitchenAid stand mixer with beating attachment

(Image credit: KitchenAid)

If, like me, you own a KitchenAid stand mixer you’ll have made a good choice, as they are one of the best stand mixer brands on the market. But despite being a home baker’s best friend and being able to whip, mix, and knead a plethora of ingredients, KitchenAid stand mixers have one drawback.

I know from experience that when using my KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer, the mixture can get stuck at the bottom of the bowl. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to stop the appliance mid-mix to scrape the ingredients from the base of the bowl to incorporate them. Or, worse still, discovering your cake batter, frosting or cookie dough isn’t thoroughly mixed when spooning it out.

The flip side is that your flat beater scrapes the bottom of the bowl, whereas it should move freely without hitting the base or sides.

But don’t fret, as there is a quick and easy solution to correcting the issue that you can do yourself without paying for a repair. It’s a quick hack that KitchenAid even publishes on its website. And you won’t need a whole toolkit for the job — a dime and a flathead screwdriver will get the job done.

What’s the problem?

KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer with head raised — (Image credit: Future)

Your KitchenAid is out of kilter and needs to be back on track. KitchenAid explains that the mixer bowl-to-beater ratio needs adjusting to allow the right clearance between the two. If your beater is too high, ingredients will remain unmixed on the bottom of the bowl. However, once corrected and recalibrated, your batters and dough will mix perfectly.

Start with the dime test

KitchenAid dime test — (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Camilla Sharman)

The test can be completed on a tilt-head or bowl-lift KitchenAid stand mixer.

1. Place a dime in the base of the bowl. As I'm based in the U.K, I used a one penny coin, which is only fractionally deeper than a dime.
2. Attach the flat beater to the mixer.
3. Turn the appliance on and watch the dime.

If the dime stays put the beater is too high. The beater is too low if it doesn’t move around the bowl smoothly. Ideally, the coin should move steadily around the base of the bowl, shifting about a quarter of an inch with each pass of the beater.

How to adjust a tilt-head stand mixer

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1. Tilt the head of the stand mixer back. A screw will be revealed where the head of the mixer sits on the base.
2. Taking your flathead screwdriver, turn the screw slightly counterclockwise to raise the beater, or clockwise to lower it.
3. To check that your adjustment has worked, repeat the dime test, and if needed, adjust the screw until your beater sits at the perfect height.

How to adjust a bowl-lift stand mixer

Cake baked in the KitchenAid 7-Quart Stand Mixer — (Image credit: Future)

1. Lower the bowl to the down position. The screw will be revealed about the back of the bowl.
2. Taking your flathead screwdriver, turn the screw slightly counterclockwise to raise the beater, or clockwise to lower it.
3. Run the mixer at each speed and check the clearance between the attachment and the bowl.
4. Repeat the dime test and adjust the screw if needed by repeating the steps above.

Once you correct the calibration of your stand mixer, you can sit back and allow your KitchenAid to do all the hard work for you. You'll end up with perfectly whipped or blended ingredients without having to check in on the progress halfway through.

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Camilla Sharman has worked in publishing and marketing for over 30 years and has covered a wide range of sectors within the business and consumer industries both as a feature, content, and freelance writer.

As a business journalist, Camilla has researched articles for many different sectors from the jewellery industry to finance and tech, charities, and the arts. Whatever she’s covered, she enjoys delving deep and learning the ins and out of different topics, then conveying her research within engaging content that informs the reader. In her spare time, when she’s not in her kitchen experimenting with a new recipe, you’ll find her keeping fit at the gym. In the pool, stretching at a yoga class, or on a spin bike, exercise is her escape time. She also loves the great outdoors and if she’s not pottering about in her garden, she’ll be jumping on her bike for a gentle cycle ride.