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A commercial food mixer is vital to any professional (or domestic for that matter!) kitchen. It’s an investment, after all. And like any investment, you want your money’s worth. So we thought we’d club together our best tips and tricks to help you get as much use out of your food mixer as possible.

Not only will we help you keep your mixer on the straight and narrow by maximising its working life, but we’ll also give you some helpful dos and don’ts when you’re using it. We’ll even give you some tasks it can perform of which you mightn’t have thought.

Terrific Tips extending your mixer’s life

It’s an obvious one but making sure that you clean your mixer, both attachments and bowl, with hot, soapy water will go a long way and also keep your kitchen clean and healthy. Do check that your detergent of choice is friendly to stainless steel or other metals present on or in your mixer.

Keeping the internal workings dry is key when washing your mixer so you’d be best avoiding pressure washers when tending to the machine. Nevertheless, inspecting and lubricating the gears and belts inside the mixer would be a splendid idea. You should replace anything you find which may have had its day.

Having a log of the maintenance of your kitchen machines, including your mixer, is essential to keep track of when gadgets may be in need of some TLC.

Delightful Dos and Dodgy Don’ts

Now you’ve got your mixer in perfect working material, we’ll let you in a few really useful tips on how to use it to the best of its ability.

You always want to make sure the bowl and any attachments are securely in place before mixing begins unless you wish to do an unscheduled re-decoration of your kitchen!

Keeping any hands completely out of the way, starting to mix at the lowest speed and working your way up the gears to the desired level is always the best way to operate your mixer for largely the same reasons as above. When the mixing is over, move the speed down the gears before stopping the attachment altogether.

Once the mixer has begun, it must be stopped before adding other ingredients. Other than that, just make sure nothing goes into the mixer that shouldn’t such as clothes, utensils or body parts. That’s a crucial one!

Let’s Get Creative

We all know that a commercial stand mixer is brilliant at easily kneading traditional yeast doughs but we’ve got a few other ideas for you to try:

How about shredding a chicken? It can of course be done by hand with a knife and fork but if you want to save some time, a flat beater or paddle attachment should make mince meat (not quite literally) of your chicken in double quick time. Then with your newly shredded chicken, have a look at this simple-to-make recipe.

If that doesn’t float your boat, you could have a try at making some home-made sausages. To most, this one be quite a daunting challenge, particularly making them by hand but the planetary mixer makes this much easier, especially when emulsifying sausage. Then, after freezing your meat, you can use your mixer to grind up the meat before adding liquid and spices into the mixing bowl for the final flourish. Here's a classic to have a go at yourself using your own sausages

For those of us who prefer our food to be of the vegan variety, your mixer can be used to create an alternative to eggs made from the liquid found in chickpeas cans, aquafaba. A mixer can whip the aquafaba into a meringue-like consistency. It can take a good few minutes to achieve this which makes the mixer even more useful. Check out this vegan-friendly recipe.

If you're yet to get your hands on a commercial food mixer of your own, look no further than our very own KuKoo models here.

Unique Materials for your Hairpin Leg Table

You’ve got your SkiSki hairpin legs? Great! Now what to put on top….

You could just buy a piece of new wood, but where is the fun in that? Get creative with your table top material and make interesting statement pieces of furniture for your home. Using second hand or reclaimed materials can also bring the cost down, an extra benefit of using your imagination. Design your very own bespoke furniture leaving all your guests asking where you shop.

Not sure where to start? We have some excellent inspiration for you. Here are the best, most creative table top ideas that we have seen.

Let’s Go shopping!

You can find all sorts of treasures in antique shops. Keep your eyes peeled for beautiful pieces of wood that may have once been something else. You can completely reclaim the wood to make it an unrecognisable but beautiful piece of furniture. Another idea is to keep it in its original form to create a funky furniture project and a statement piece for your home.

One of the most unique designs that we have seen is using an antique letterpress case as a table top. Top with glass and you have yourself the ultimate unique coffee table. Any book lover would not be able to resist!

Are suitcases just for holidays? Absolutely not

Thought suitcases were only for going on holiday? Think again. Hard cases make lovely side tables for your home. Not only have you created a handy table, you’ve given yourself some extra storage. Hide any unwanted mess in your new side table; pretty and useful. Why not keep an eye out for a second hand briefcase for your next furniture project?

Unique Furniture Every Time

A piece of a log is an excellent choice if you fancy a slight twist on standard piece of wood. Paired with our easy to attach SkiSki hairpin legs, you will have a side table created in no time at all!

The unique patterns in the log achieve completely unique and beautiful furniture pieces. The perfect addition to any home with a rustic style. You could even varnish your wood for a more contemporary finish.

Get Creative with a Crate

Inexpensive and yet the end result is always beautiful furniture. Use an old crate to make an attractive side table. With all the fittings included with SkiSki Legs, this is a quick way to create stunning furniture.

We like the authentic crates with printing on them for an antique farmhouse look. Style with dried flowers to achieve a beautiful boho style.

Yet to get your hands on our very own SkiSki Hairpin Legs? We'd recommend these, click here to begin your DIY journey

5 Tips and Tricks to Become a Gardening ‘Pro’ this Spring.

With brighter days on the horizon, we are all looking forward to getting back out in the garden and enjoying the sunshine. For many of us, our attention has turned to getting our gardens ‘spring ready’ by planting flowers and revitalising our outdoor space after a cold winter.

Our amazing garden range will give you all the tools you need to transform your garden this spring. This includes our beautiful composite decking boards which are perfect for any shape garden, giving you that dream look. Or why not try the 5 in 1 multi tool? Everything you need to maintain your garden all year round. You could even give your plants the VIP treatment with the retractable garden hosepipe. Watering your plants has never been easier with the extra-long hose!

Pair your new tools with a few of our tried and tested tips, making gardening that little bit easier this spring…

1. Lollypop Stick Labels

Reuse your old wooden lollypop sticks to get your plant post organised this spring. Write what is in each pot and put it in the soil so you can easily identify your beautiful plants as they grow.

2. Yoghurt Pot Seed Starters

Recycle your old yoghurt cartons by turning them into plant pots to get your seeds off to the best start in life. Simply pierce holes into the bottom of each pot to add some extra drainage, fill with soil, plant your seeds and you are good to go. Place on a tray in your green house or on your windowsill and watch as your green fingered work pays off! Get the whole family involved by painting or drawing beautiful patterns, giving your yoghurt pots a new lease of life.

3. Herb Garden Stones

No lollypop sticks? No problem. A funky alternative is to write or draw the names of your plants or herbs onto pebbles, making natural looking labels suitable for any garden!

4. Sponges for Staying Hydrated

Cut up your old sponges and place in the bottom of your pots to improve the drainage system of a simple plant pot. The sponges retain moisture and stop the water just rinsing straight out the bottom of the pot, creating better conditions for your seeds.

5. Plant Pot Storage

Use your old plant pots as storage for your small garden equipment. This could be sheers, trowels, forks, pens or even your new lollypop stick labels! Label your pots to keep tidy and organised all year round.

Become a storage superstar with these excellent garage organisation hacks.

No storage? No problem. Get yourself sorted with our wide range of racking, giving you the perfect shelving unit for whatever and wherever you are organising.

Take a look at the latest addition to our range, the heavy-duty racking unit. Our most exciting racking yet, this shelving is extra wide with a capacity of 1200Kg. Without a doubt, this will suit all your storage needs!

With the racking sorted, here’s some handy storage hacks to get you on your way to a perfectly organised garage!

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Don’t let your old toilet roll tubes go to waste with this organisational hack. Cut your empty toilet roll tubes in half and glue them together for the perfect storage solution for nuts and bolts, or other small items. Need a lockdown pastime? Make it a family event by either painting or drawing on your toilet roll tubes to make this easy storage hack stand out from the crowd.

2. Paint, paint and more paint

Many of our garages are full of nearly empty tins of paint that we are saving ‘just in case’. Transfer the paint from the tin to recycled jars to save space on your new racking. The tighter seal of the jar will also mean that your paint lasts longer for whatever your next job will be.

3. No more stacking

Store the little things with this simple hack. Gone are the days of precariously balancing containers to make the most out of your racking. We are reusing old jars again by super gluing the lid to the underside of your shelf. Simply twist the jar into the lid and here you have a fabulous floating storage solution.

4. Perfect Piping

PVC piping is the perfect affordable solution for storing your day-to-day tools. Glue the bottom of a piece of piping, about 20cm in length, to strip of wood. This sturdy storage solution is a great way of organising screwdrivers, plyers, and any other medium sized tools you may have. Why not have a section for pens and pencils so they are never out of reach when working on your DIY projects.

5. Bins and baskets

Kit your racking out with bins, baskets or whatever containers you fancy. Label them all up and you will stay organized for the rest of the year! A simple but effective hack!

The Perfect Outside Dinner Party Experience!

Summer may be behind us now, but this doesn’t mean that the festivities have to end here! Throwing an outdoor garden party is the highlight of Autumn for many of us- there is nothing better than gathering around the table and dining al fresco with your friends and family on a balmy Autumn evening in the shade, toasting to great things and spending some well-deserved time relaxing. As the hotter days are behind us, Autumn is the perfect month to organise a gathering and enjoy the cooler weather.

To help you reign supreme when it comes to organizing an unforgettable outdoor dining event, we have compiled a list of important things to remember when putting together the perfect garden party to be a cut above the rest!

Of course, the most important element to consider is your seating plan – as usual, we have got you covered! Our Jardí Rattan Dining Set can seat up to 9 people and is the perfect seating option for a large group. So, why not bring over the whole family for an evening of fun-filled festivities?

Comfy Seating

For the ultimate summer party, no details must go unplanned! This also applies to the comfort level provided for your guests. For optimum seating and to keep everyone happy, make sure that you have snug cushions for everyone to enjoy. Our premium Rattan Dining Set offers cosy cushions that take comfort to another level. Take if from us - you can easily settle into this dining set for hours on end while you spend the evening chatting away!

Don’t Forget the Guests!

Depending on what level of formality you are aiming for, it may be a good idea to send out some cute, handmade invitations to your guests- of course, if this is just a small family event, then it’s probably just best to pick up the phone and give them a ring! Regardless, a few subtle touches like handmade invitations could be just the trick to wow your prospective audience and start your dinner party right!

When your guests arrive, why not arrange some decorative place names for them – this might be more suitable for a group of friends that may not necessarily know each other very well. Whatever your audience, get creative with it – you can even get the kids involved with this quick and easy DIY craft and keep them out of the kitchen!

Luxurious Lighting

As the sun goes down and the stars begin to come out, make sure that you are prepared to maintain the mellow ambience with some soft lighting to keep the party going. Keep your guests entranced by the magical evening atmosphere with some minimalist outdoor string lighting that can be weaved in and out of trees. This will instantly light up your garden and turn it into to a nighttime wonderland! If you are moving this dinner party indoors to your dining area at any point, make sure that you have some equally ambient mood-lighting prepared – our range of Pendant Pulley Lights create a rich, rustic feel to any room and are guaranteed to attract compliments.

Set the Table!

For ample seating and dining space, we recommend our spacious Jardí Rattan Garden Set available in a range of colours to match your personal style! This outstanding seating set is guaranteed to impress and has enough space for up to 9 of your friends or family for that perfect evening together. With the free rain cover we have included, it’s easy to leave the dining set outside all year round until you can uncover it once again in better weather and start up the dinner parties!

Food for Thought

In terms of grub, serving up some classic sizzling burgers and chips with a nice garden salad will never get any complaints from your guests! Why not go the extra mile this Autumn and try our Hog Roast, specially brought to you by KuKoo.

This addition to your garden party will help you perfect the art of creating mouth-watering burgers and serve up enough delicious food to feed an army- and then some! Leftovers are also always a welcome treat for the next day as you can make delectable sandwiches with any uneaten BBQ meat! Depending on how much you are planning to serve, this helpful Hog Roast is available in two different sizes, either the 60kg or 90kg model. This is the perfect addition to any Autumn outdoor BBQ and these appetising burgers will guarantee that your guests always come back for more!

For a dessert that requires minimal effort, grab a helping hand from us with our Planetary Food Mixers and blend together the ingredients for cakes, cupcakes and other sweet treats – it’s always important to save some room for dessert, especially when they are appetizing homemade delights! With a 20-litre bowl capacity, keeping your guests satisfied with enough cake won’t be a problem this Autumn.

Ice Ice Baby!

While the Autumn season is still suitably warm and toasty, our KuKoo Commercial Food Blenders won’t go amiss amongst your partygoers! Instead of sweating the day away, grab some fresh ingredients and blitz to perfection to create dreamy, sumptuous smoothies and thick, mouthwatering shakes to enjoy outside. This is also perfect if any kids will be attending your garden party- keep them distracted with delicious fruity milkshakes to give the adults some well-deserved peace and quiet!

If you want to amp up the chill factor, why not treat yourself to our KuKoo Ice Machine – easily produce up to 2,304 ice cubes in 24 hours and store up to a whopping 11.5kg of ice for your next outdoor dinner party. Add to your freshly made smoothies and other beverages for an instant icy effect. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, why not whip up some classic cocktails, add ice as needed and spread some merriment amongst your guests? In our opinion, there is nothing that comes close to enjoying a long island iced tea or mojito in the autumn shade with good company!

As we approach the end of our list, we hope that you have been inspired to create the perfect atmosphere at your next Autumn dinner party! Here at Monster, we want to ensure that you have the right tools for the job to ensure that your dinner party preparations run smoothly, so that enjoying great food, drink and fabulous company become top priorities. So, make the most of this Autumn and plan a catch-up over dinner that is probably long overdue!