Whether you’re tossing a kohlrabi, orange, candied pecan, and kale salad or whisking up a batch of perfect chocolate chip cookies, you’re going to need a bowl. And while you might be tempted to grab the first one off the shelf that’s big enough to fit all your ingredients, there’s a second factor that you should be considering: your bowl’s shape.
Cooking Tips
How to Pick the Best Bowl Shape for the Job
Using the right bowl can make mixing easier and faster.
By Published Oct. 11, 2022
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We have a few different mixing bowl shapes in the test kitchen, and I rounded up a few common ones and put them to work to see how a bowl’s shape can impact your cooking. I found that for some tasks, the shape of your bowl can make your work faster and easier—or even make or break your success. Here’s my guide to the most common mixing bowl shapes and the different tasks they’re best at accommodating.
Tall and Wide
Good for: Mixing batter by hand; emulsifying vinaigrettes; tossing salads; whisking cream, egg whites, and dry ingredients
Why: A roomy width allows you to get your hands and other tools into the bowl comfortably and won’t limit your motion or the angle of the tool. Plenty of height contains the food.
Tall and Narrow
Good for: Proofing dough, beating with a hand mixer, food storage
Why: Steep sides make it easier to tell when a dough has doubled; they also contain splatters while the narrow bottom corrals food, which helps beaters work more effectively. Its narrow footprint is ideal for storage.
Wide and Shallow
Good for: Folding, tossing salads, seasoning foods such as french fries
Why: The wide expanse reduces the number of strokes needed to blend ingredients, resulting in a lighter, airier batter. Its roominess makes it easy to toss foods.
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Start Free TrialAbsolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too. I've done this using a rimmed sheet pan instead of a skillet and put veggies and potatoes around the chicken for a one-pan meal. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy!
Absolutely the best chicken ever, even the breast meat was moist! It's the only way I'll cook a whole chicken again. Simple, easy, quick, no mess - perfect every time. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. great and easy technique for “roasted” chicken. I will say there were no pan juices, just fat in the skillet. Will add to the recipe rotation. Good for family and company dinners too.
Amazed this recipe works out as well as it does. Would not have thought that the amount of time under the broiler would have produced a very juicy and favorable chicken with a very crispy crust. Used my 12" Lodge Cast Iron skillet (which can withstand 1000 degree temps to respond to those who wondered if it would work) and it turned out great. A "make again" as my family rates things. This is a great recipe, and I will definitely make it again. My butcher gladly butterflied the chicken for me, therefore I found it to be a fast and easy prep. I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous!
John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? So much better than your typical oven baked chicken and on par if not better than gas or even charcoal grilled. It gets that smokey charcoal tasted and overnight koshering definitely helps, something I do when time permits. First-time I've pierced a whole chicken minus the times I make jerk chicken on the grill. Yup, the cast iron was not an issue.