By Melzware — 4 October 2026 · 8 min read
For most kitchens, stainless steel mixing bowls are the best choice. They are light, they don't break when dropped, they don't react with lemon juice or tomato, and they are the best surface for whipping egg whites and cream. Glass bowls win on one thing: they go in the microwave. Buy a nesting stainless steel set with at least one large bowl, and add a single glass bowl later if you need it.
Shop the Melzware Mixing Bowl Set
Mixing bowls compared: steel, glass, plastic and ceramic
The material decides what a bowl can do. Here is how the four common options stack up.
| Material | Good at | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel | Light, unbreakable, non-reactive, whipping, chilling, double boiler | Not microwave safe, you can't see through it |
| Glass | Microwave safe, see-through, doubles as a serving dish | Heavy, breaks, slippery for whisking |
| Plastic | Cheap, light, often has a pouring spout | Holds grease and smells, scratches, can warp |
| Ceramic | Looks good, stays put, keeps dough warm | Very heavy, chips, takes up cupboard space |
Stainless steel
Stainless steel mixing bowls are what you'll find in most professional kitchens. They weigh little, so tipping batter into a tin with one hand is easy. They survive being dropped on tiles. They don't react with acidic food, so a lemon marinade won't pick up a metallic taste. Aluminium bowls can, which is why they're worth avoiding for anything acidic.
Steel also handles temperature. Put a bowl in the freezer for ten minutes before whipping cream and the cream thickens faster. Set it over a pot of barely simmering water and you have a double boiler for melting chocolate.
Glass
Tempered glass is non-reactive too, and it goes in the microwave, which steel can't. You can see whether the flour at the bottom is mixed in. The downsides are weight and fragility. A large glass bowl full of dough is heavy, and one knock on the edge of a granite counter can end it.
Plastic and ceramic
Plastic is cheap, but it scratches, stains and holds on to grease and smells. Ceramic is lovely on the table and keeps yeast dough warm, but it's heavy and chips easily. Neither is a good first set.
What makes good mixing bowls for baking
Baking asks more of a bowl than tossing a salad does. Mixing bowls for baking need to do five things well.
- Whip without fighting you. Egg whites won't foam if there's any fat in the bowl. Plastic holds a film of grease even after washing. Clean steel doesn't, and its surface gives the foam something to grip.
- Stay put. A bowl that spins while you beat with a hand mixer is tiring and messy. A non-slip base helps. So does a damp dishcloth folded under the bowl.
- Have deep, sloped sides. High sides stop flour flying out when the mixer starts. Sloped sides let a spatula scrape every bit of batter out.
- Handle cold and heat. Pastry likes cold. Chocolate needs gentle heat. Steel does both.
- Cover up. A mixing bowl set with lids lets you rest dough, chill cookie dough overnight or store leftover icing without hunting for cling film.
Lids are the feature most people undervalue. Bread dough proves well in a covered bowl, and the lid keeps the surface from drying into a crust. It also means the bowl can go straight into the fridge.
Which sizes you actually need
Three sizes cover nearly every recipe:
- Small (about 1 to 2 litres): cracking eggs, melting butter, mixing a glaze, holding chopped ingredients while you cook.
- Medium (about 3 to 4 litres): cookie dough, muffin batter, pancake mix, a single sponge cake.
- Large (5 litres or more): bread dough, double batches, a big salad for a braai.
Here's our view: the large bowl is the one that matters. A small bowl can always be swapped for a mug or a cup. Nothing replaces a big bowl when your bread dough doubles in size, or when you're folding flour into a double batch without spilling it over the counter.
That is the case for nesting mixing bowls. A nesting set gives you every size, and the whole stack takes the cupboard space of the largest bowl alone. In a small kitchen, that's the difference between owning a big bowl and not having room for one.
The Melzware 15 piece stainless steel mixing bowls
Our 15 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls set costs R1,299. Here's what you get:
- Nesting stainless steel mixing bowls in a range of sizes, with matching lids
- A mirror-finish interior that's easy to wipe clean
- A brushed exterior that doesn't show fingerprints
- Bowls that go in the dishwasher (wash the lids by hand)
- Sizes that fit a standard fridge shelf, so a covered bowl goes straight in
The bowls and lids nest one inside the other, so the full set stores as a single stack. Use them for baking, marinating, tossing salads, kneading dough and storing leftovers.
Caring for stainless steel mixing bowls
Stainless steel will outlast you if you avoid a few habits.
- Don't soak bowls in bleach. Chlorine can cause tiny pits in the steel. Warm soapy water is all a bowl needs.
- Don't leave salty brines in a bowl for days. Overnight in the fridge is fine. A week of salty marinade can leave spots.
- Dry after washing. Hard water leaves white marks. A tea towel prevents them, and a splash of vinegar removes them.
- Skip steel wool. It scratches the mirror finish. A soft sponge with bicarbonate of soda lifts stuck-on dough.
- Keep lids out of the dishwasher. Heat warps plastic lids, and a warped lid won't seal.
Before you whip egg whites, wipe the bowl with a paper towel dampened with a little vinegar or lemon juice. It removes any trace of grease, so the whites whip up faster and hold their peaks.
When stainless steel isn't the right buy
- You melt and reheat in the microwave every day. Buy a glass bowl for that. Steel can't go in.
- You want bowls to serve from at the table. Glass or ceramic looks better on a dinner table.
- You only ever mix one thing at a time. One large bowl may be all you need, not a full set.
For everyone else, stainless steel mixing bowls are the set to buy first. See our kitchen utensils for the rest of your baking kit, and our clear food storage containers for flour, sugar and the rest of the pantry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are stainless steel mixing bowls good for baking?
Yes. They are light, they don't break, they don't react with acidic ingredients, and they give egg whites and cream something to cling to while you whip. They also handle cold and heat, so you can chill butter in one or set it over a pot of simmering water to melt chocolate. The one thing they can't do is go in the microwave.
Can you put stainless steel mixing bowls in the microwave?
No. Metal reflects microwaves, so the food heats unevenly and the bowl can spark and damage the oven. If you melt butter or chocolate in the microwave often, keep one glass bowl for that job and use steel for everything else.
What size mixing bowls do I need for baking?
Three sizes cover most recipes: a small bowl of about 1 to 2 litres for eggs and melted butter, a medium bowl of about 3 to 4 litres for cookie dough and muffin batter, and a large bowl of 5 litres or more for bread dough and double batches. The large one matters most, because dough needs room to rise.
Are stainless steel mixing bowls dishwasher safe?
Most are, including ours. Plastic lids are a different story. Heat can warp them, so wash lids by hand in warm soapy water.
Why won't my egg whites whip in a plastic bowl?
Fat stops egg whites from foaming, and plastic holds on to a thin film of grease even after washing. A clean stainless steel or glass bowl doesn't, which is why bakers reach for steel when they make meringue.
Related at Melzware
- 15 Piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- Shop kitchen utensils
- Shop pots and cookware
- More from the Melzware blog