Hi PJ. I noticed that you've got that newfangled KitchenAid paddle on your mixer -- the one that's supposed to scrape the bowl while it beats/mixes. I'd seen it in a few catalogs but hesitated since it's kind of pricey. So what's the opinion of the pros at KAF? Thanks! Hi Emilie - I like it very much. I don't think it works any better than the metal paddle, but the metal paddle would sometimes leave gray streaks in my batter/dough. And it just "feels" better to me to be working with plastic/silicone (or whatever it is) around my food than that kind of naked aluminum the old KA paddles are made of. How long will it last? Not sure, still testing. How much does it cost? I haven't looked... I know we're going to be selling them online very soon, so guess I'll find out in the near future! I'd say, good investment if you have the money, but don't expect it to do any better job than the metal, as far as beating goes. Hope this helps - PJH OK - I decided to do a REAL side by side test, and not just assume I like it "because." When I ran the metal vs. the silicone(?) beater side by side in cake batter, the silicone did indeed scrape the sides of the bowl as it mixed better than the metal beater. With the metal beater, I had to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl midway through with a spatula. I didn't have to do this with the silicone beater. So yeah, it does work better! - PJH

• Reply