This KitchenAid Attachment Is My Secret to Flakier Pie Crusts

By Grace Elkus

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For all the cooking tasks made infinitely easier with a stand mixer (whipping egg whites, kneading bread dough), there are just as many scenarios when it's better not to use one. Pie dough, I’d been told, will end up tough and overworked, while mashed potatoes will become a dense and gluey mess.

So when a new-to-me gadget—the KitchenAid Pastry Beater—threatened to flip this script on its head, I knew I had to try it. The specialized beater, which can be fitted to a tilt-head mixer or a bowl-lift one, is designed to do everything I was always taught was taboo: cut butter into flour for extra-flaky pastries, beat buttery Yukons into fluffy mashed potatoes, shred chicken and pork for sandwiches. It even promises to make a mean batch of mojitos.

After several rounds of testing, I’m happy to report that it executed these tasks flawlessly.

I started with pie dough, since that's this beater's primary claim to fame, opting to combine this Actually Perfect Pie Crust recipe with KitchenAid's Quick Start Pie Dough (the only recipe printed in the physical manual). I used it to mix together the dry ingredients, and then it was go time: Instead of smashing the butter into the flour with my fingers, I tossed the cold pieces into the mixer bowl.

Following the manual's instructions, I ran the mixer on Stir before increasing it to the second speed setting. This was crucial—increasing the speed any sooner would have resulted in a floury mess. (I recommend using a pouring shield regardless, which keeps lightweight ingredients from flying out of the bowl). After 30 seconds, the pieces of butter were still large and irregular, but after another minute on speed 2, the butter was chickpea-size as instructed. The attachment's design, combined with the mixing action of the KitchenAid, proved incredibly effective at distributing the cold butter without melting it.

The baked crust spoke for itself. The bottom and sides were beautifully golden brown, and slicing into the crust revealed visibly flaky layers—the best I had ever achieved. The whole process was also so easy: I didn't have to fuss with a handheld pastry blender, worry about my hands warming up the cold butter, or clean off all the awkwardly shaped parts of my food processor. Buttermilk biscuits, which I’ve always struggled to perfect, turned out equally as impressive. In both instances, the dough did get stuck in the beater once the liquid was added, so be prepared to clean it out or simply stir in the liquid by hand.

Next up? Mashed potatoes. Eager to skip the arm workout that comes with wielding a ricer, I popped my boiled Yukons into the stand mixer, mixed them with the pastry beater until broken down, then added the warmed milk and butter mixture ¼ cup at a time. Again, starting with the lowest speed was crucial: Both the potatoes and the milk were eager to jump out of the bowl. But after just a few short minutes, I was treated to light, ultra-fluffy mashed potatoes: the antithesis of what I’d always been warned about with mashing in the mixer. There were a few bits of potato that didn't get broken down entirely; next time, I’ll boil them longer before beating.

In addition to saving me time and effort, the pastry beater attachment is super easy to clean. Unlike aluminum KitchenAid attachments, which have to be hand-washed and towel-dried immediately, the powder coated pastry beater is top-shelf dishwasher-safe. (If you’re worried about chipping, it's also sold in stainless steel, though I haven't had any issues). I’ve been storing mine directly in the stand mixer bowl, but if you plan on making mostly pastries, you could also pop it in the freezer to help keep the butter cold when you bake with it.

I’m eager to try out more of the pastry beater's functions, including mashing beans for veggie burgers, mixing up crumb toppings for coffee cake, and breaking down eggs for egg salad. I’ve also been inspired by Jennifer Garner to make homemade empanadas. But if I know one thing for certain, it's that I’ll never make pie crust without my stand mixer again—something I truly never thought I’d say.