---
slug: what_mixing_bowl_set_to_buy
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/kitchen_utensils_gadgets/mixing_bowls
title: "What Mixing Bowl Set Do You Actually Need?"
lead: "Three nesting sizes — roughly 15, 21, and 27 cm — cover prep, everyday mixing, and dough or salads for guests. Buy them as a nest with a matching strainer, and skip lids unless your bowls double as fridge storage."
recommendation:
  name: "A 3-size nesting set with a strainer that fits the middle bowl"
  reason: "Bowl chaos is a storage problem before it's a cooking one, so the set must nest into a single stack. Fifteen centimeters holds beaten eggs and marinating meat, twenty-one is where dressings and batters actually happen, and twenty-seven takes bread dough and party salads without slopping over. A strainer that sits inside the matching bowl turns the pair into a washing and draining station. Lidded sets sound efficient but the lids only earn their drawer space if leftovers routinely stay in the bowl."
published: 2026-07-07
updated: 2026-07-07
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Piece", "Size guide", "What it does", "Skip it when"]}
  rows={[
    ["Small bowl", "13-15 cm", "Eggs, sauces, marinating a portion", "Rice bowls already do this for you"],
    ["Medium bowl", "21-24 cm", "The daily driver: batters, dressings, salads", "Never — this one is the set"],
    ["Large bowl", "27 cm and up", "Bread dough, party salads, brining", "You bake rarely and entertain less"],
    ["Matching strainer", "Nests in the medium or large bowl", "Wash-and-drain station, noodle rinsing", "You already own a colander that nests"],
    ["Lids", "Fit each bowl", "Bowl becomes fridge storage", "Leftovers go into containers anyway"],
  ]}
/>