Vollrath 47935 5-Quart Economy Mixing Bowl, Stainless Steel

A great bowl for mixing 4 cup artisan bread dough. I have three such bowls. A 3 quart, a 5 quart, and an 8 quart that I use in baking bread. I like them all and purchased them on three separate occasions. This 5 quart bowl is perfect for the 4 cup artisan bread loaf that I make. It arrived in perfect condition and is a snap to clean. I hand wash all of my bowls because it's handy to do so during the process I use in my baking and it's quick and natural to hand wash the bowl while waiting for dough to be ready for the next step. It takes only a minute to do so. I bought one for my daughter who bakes bread also. I've very well pleased with the quality although I've read some comments to the contrary. Their experience must have been different from mine because I've gone back to purchase other Vollrath stainless steel mixing bowl on three separate occasions. I think they are a great addition to my baking utensils and therefore I recommend them.

What I expected.

I purchased two 5-quart stainless-steel (SS) bowls for mixing and prepping foods and am pleased with how well they work. The flat base is 4.75" in diameter or 45% of the inner diameter of the bowl's rim. It's stable unless you get aggressive with hand-mixing food; a dish towel around the base for those instances. The glossy steel is thin and weighs just under 10 ounces, but the shape of the rim makes it rigid. Pushing against opposite sides of the rim produces an oh-so-slight deformity, but upon release, the bowl goes back to its original shape. Can you ding the bowl? I guess you could if you forcefully hit it against the edge of a countertop. There are heavier gauges of SS mixing bowls out there (of the 300-series type SS) but I'm not sure why that degree is necessary for a mixing bowl.These are Vollrath's economy series SS bowls. They are rigid, somewhat magnetic and glossy, not brushed SS. I like working with them and I like their lightness. They hand-wash easily and retain the gloss. They're $9 each, hand-delivered to your door; wow. If the need arises, I'll buy another of these bowls.

Light, sturdy and perfect for what it's designed for, which is not as a mixing bowl with electric beaters, unless it's just a small amount in the bottom to start your dressing, or whatever you go on to whisk, stir, fold in, cut in, toss, hand mix, etc. It's a wide shallower bowl, it's great for SO MANY THINGS. I prep soup or steaming veges the day before and dump them in these with water, layer stir fry ingredients (softest on the bottom), use them to marinate, raise dough, chocolate dunking, they make a great double boiler for that and all the aforementioned types of mixing and so much more.Oh and stainless steel scratches. Fact of life, it's a work horse, not a pretty serving bowl. It also dents if hit very, very hard, but don't assume it won't hold up or that a dent affects performance.So read the dimensions, look at the product and don't blame the bowl for something it wasn't designed to do. That about covers the inaccurate reviews I've seen and no, don't work for them, just own about 6 in diff sizes for years and would be lost without them.

Fantastic bowl for types of mixing activities in a kitchen. Light weight, but sturdy. Wide angled slant on sides make combining and mixing easy. Whisking is easy, can work at a tilt to whip easily. Use to let breads rise without inhibiting the rise. Wet, dry ingredients doesn't matter all are easily managed in this bowl. Can do substantial quantities but bowl is not unwieldy to handle. Easy wash and dry, or dishwasher safe.