Comments: We love, love, love the BeaterBlade. Not having to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, not having to fight the random location of the stopped beaters to get a spatula down to the bottom of the bowl, not mixing for a while and still finding a little pool of flour in the bottom of the bowl – all these frustrations are swept aside by the BeaterBlade.

The blade is engineered for use with high-end stand mixers, such as those from KitchenAid, Cuisinart, and Viking. It includes flexible rubber wings down both sides, which act as spatulas to continuously scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. By scraping the batter while beating, folding, and mixing, the BeaterBlade can speed up the mixing process by as much as 50 percent.

Now, having said that, who does not love the BeaterBlade? – the manufacturer of your mixer.

Mary Rodgers, director of marketing communications for Cuisinart, says, "Cuisinart recommends using only those included accessories and optional attachments that are crafted specifically for the Cuisinart unit. This will ensure best results."

A spokeswoman for KitchenAid says, "At this time, no third-party bowl-scraper accessories are affiliated, endorsed, or approved for use by KitchenAid. Use of these unauthorized accessories is not recommended. If used frequently, third-party bowl-scraper designs may shorten the life of the stand mixer motor. Additionally, damage resulting from use of these non-approved accessories is excluded from warranty coverage."

For their part, the BeaterBlade folks say it has been scientifically verified that using the BeaterBlade puts no more load on your mixer's motor than when you use the dough hook to make bread. They say using the BeaterBlade saves wear and tear on the mixer because you don't have to stop it every so often to scrape the bowl.

Because the BeaterBlade is at least two times as thick as the blade that came with the mixer, it is possible to overmix your batter. We found it brilliant at creaming butter and sugar, making cookie dough, and other regular mixing tasks, but we did have to watch that it didn't go too far. The company says the BeaterBlade works best with cakes, cookies, frostings, quick breads, compound butters, meatloaf, pie fillings, mashed potatoes, gum paste, etc. If you are mixing a particularly thick batter or bread dough, you should use the regular mixer blade or the dough hook. You will get a feel for using the BeaterBlade over time, and the company says you will probably run the mixer two speeds below your regular settings as you get used to it.

You may need to change the height adjustment on your mixer to get the beater to just the right spot, but there are instructions on the package to help you do this.

The commercial BeaterBlade versions have been designed with stronger and more resilient materials that can withstand heavy use and higher dishwasher temperatures (the home versions are dishwasher-safe in the top rack).

You'll have to decide for yourself whether the added convenience and utility of the BeaterBlade is worth ignoring the mixer manufacturers' statements, the possibility of limiting the warranty, and even the prospect of a shortened mixer life. For our part, when it comes to the kitchen, we've always been happy to live a little bit on the edge. But then, you already knew that about us….