Stand mixers are great for replacing several other appliances and cookware items in your kitchen. You can create many new recipes and become a chef by using your stand mixer in a variety of new ways. All you need to do is purchase a few new accessories for your mixer. Here are five ways to use your stand mixer that might surprise you.

Grind Food

When you want fine or coarsely ground meats, cheese, nuts and vegetables, the food grinder attachment is perfect. Create fillings for your ravioli, freshly-made ground beef for hamburgers, crumbs for coating other foods and even Parmesan cheese to put on your pasta. Make your own ham salad as well. You can also add a vegetable puree and strainer attachment to your grinder to make your own jam, jelly, baby food or pasta sauce.

Mill Grain

Create your own flours and fiber-filled goodies by grinding down corn, rice, oats, wheat or other grains. Create flours that are extra fine all the way to cracked-grain style. You can also grind your own flaxseeds to add to your smoothies, pancakes or put on top of just about any food to boost the health benefits.

Make Ice Cream

There is no need to create room for an ice cream maker in your kitchen when you can purchase the added accessories for your stand mixer and make a perfect treat that way. The trick is to make sure your bowl, which is available through Mendingshed.com and other retailers, is very cold before attaching it to the mixer.

Slice and Shred

Whether you want cheese slices and deli meat or sliced vegetables or fruits, the cone-shaped shredder comes with four blades. Two of these are for shredding and two are for slicing, which makes it possible for you to create healthy salads all with your stand mixer. Shred cheese for any meal including pizza also.

Create Pasta

There are actually several attachments besides the genuine KitchenAid mixer parts that allow you to create your own homemade pasta. The pasta roller helps you to make long strands of pasta such as spaghetti noodles and linguine. The pasta extruder helps you to create smaller pastas like macaroni and fusilli that hold sauces well. The ravioli attachment creates perfectly-sized and matching top and bottom layers for you to create your own stuffed ravioli. The pinching tool keeps fillings in and water out.

You can create a wide variety of meals and snacks with your stand mixer by adding accessories such as the the ice cream maker, slice and shred accessories, grinder, tool to mill grains or the variety of pasta attachments so you do not need so many kitchen appliances. Use these five ways to use your stand mixer to mix it up!