Stand mixer attachments are one of the worst-shaped things in a kitchen. A flat beater is a rigid frame, a dough hook is a curve, and a wire whip is a hollow cage, and none of them nest against each other.
Mine hang on individual hooks screwed into the underside of the cabinet above the mixer, one hook per attachment. They have been up between one and two years with no sagging. Our roundup of stand mixer attachments covers the tools themselves.
Quick Answer
Hooks work because the shapes waste drawer space and hang well. Screw them in rather than using adhesive, and give each attachment its own.
Options Compared
| Method | Best for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Screw-in hooks under a cabinet | Permanent, near the mixer | Drilling, visible |
| Adhesive hooks | Renters, no drilling | Adhesion fails over time |
| Drawer with dividers | Keeping them out of sight | Uses disproportionate space |
| A bin or caddy | Grouping them together | Tangles, still bulky |
| Hanging rail with S-hooks | Flexible spacing | Needs wall or rail space |
| Inside the mixer bowl | Zero extra space | Bowl becomes unusable |
Why the Shapes Are the Problem
Most kitchen tools stack, nest, or lie flat. Mixer attachments do none of those things.
In a drawer they occupy the footprint of the largest one plus the air around it, and the whip catches on whatever sits beside it.
That means three attachments consume far more drawer volume than their actual size suggests.
Drawer space is the binding constraint in plenty of kitchens, including where I cook, which is what pushed mine onto hooks rather than into a drawer. Our note on organizing your kitchen covers the wider problem.
Why Hooks Work
They all have something to hang by
The collar or shaft at the top of each attachment sits over a hook naturally.
Vertical space is usually unused
The underside of a wall cabinet is doing nothing otherwise.
They stay near the mixer
Swapping mid-recipe means reaching up rather than crossing the room.
Nothing tangles
Each one hangs alone rather than resting against the others.
Screw In Rather Than Stick
Adhesive hooks are the obvious choice for anyone who does not want to drill, and they are the wrong choice for this specific job.
Attachments are heavier than they look, particularly the dough hook, and adhesive weakens with kitchen heat and cooking grease.
A failed adhesive hook drops a solid metal attachment onto a hard countertop from height, which is a considerably worse outcome than a small screw hole in the underside of a cabinet nobody looks at.
Mine are screwed into the underside of the cabinet and there has been no sagging in one to two years, which is the direct result of that choice rather than of the hooks being special. Our roundup of under-cabinet hooks and hangers covers the hardware.
One Hook Per Attachment
Sharing a single hook between two attachments defeats most of the point, because they knock against each other and you end up having to move one every time you want to reach the other.
Individual hooks also let you space everything so nothing overlaps, which matters more than it sounds because the whip is wider than it looks hanging.
Mine are spaced out along the cabinet run with one attachment on each, which keeps everything reachable without moving anything else.
Adding one more hook later is trivial if you buy another attachment, which is a further argument against installing a rail sized exactly to what you happen to own right now.
Where to Put Them
Above the mixer, not across the kitchen
Proximity is most of the value.
High enough to clear the counter
Hanging attachments should not interfere with using the surface below.
Clear of the cabinet door swing
Check the door opens fully before drilling.
Away from the cooktop
Grease travels, and hanging items collect it.
Drilling Into a Cabinet Bottom
Cabinet bottoms are usually thin, frequently either plywood or particleboard, and the screw length you choose matters rather more than which hook you buy.
A screw longer than the material thickness comes through the shelf inside, which is visible and can catch on whatever is stored above.
Measuring the thickness first and choosing hardware to match avoids that entirely.
Particleboard holds screws considerably less well than plywood does, so a pilot hole drilled slightly undersized rather than matched to the screw is the usual advice for getting a firm grip. Our note on cabinet and shelf organizers covers particleboard.
What Actually Hangs and What Does Not
Not every attachment suits a hook, and knowing which is which saves buying hardware for something that will not stay on it.
The flat beater and dough hook both have a solid collar at the top with a shaft opening, and both sit over a hook without any encouragement.
The wire whip hangs by that same collar rather than by the wires, which is why the hook needs to be small enough to fit the opening rather than a large decorative one.
Flex edge beaters behave like flat beaters, and a pouring shield is the awkward exception since it is a wide collar with no hanging point at all.
Power hub accessories like grinders and pasta rollers are too heavy and the wrong shape entirely, and those belong in a cupboard regardless of what the rest of the setup looks like. Our roundup of choose the right stand mixer covers the shapes.
When a Drawer Makes More Sense
Kitchens with plenty of drawer space and limited under-cabinet room reverse the whole calculation.
A dedicated drawer with dividers keeps attachments out of sight, which matters to people who dislike visible storage.
Rental situations where drilling into cabinets is not permitted also point toward a drawer, since adhesive is genuinely unreliable for this particular load.
The trade is that they take more drawer volume than their size suggests, and that they are further from the mixer when you need them. Our roundup of drawer organizers covers that route.
Keeping Them Clean on Hooks
Anything left hanging in a kitchen collects airborne grease and dust over time, and mixer attachments are no exception to that.
Distance from the cooktop is really the main variable here, and the same set of hooks mounted near a range would need wiping down far more often than ones further along the run.
A quick rinse before use handles it entirely, which is a small step rather than a reason to reconsider the whole method.
Attachments that go through the dishwasher regularly stay noticeably cleaner than ones sitting untouched for months between uses, which is worth knowing if your baking is seasonal rather than weekly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using adhesive hooks
Kitchen heat and grease weaken them, and a dropped attachment is worse than a drilled hole.
Sharing a hook
They knock together and you have to move one to reach the other.
Screws too long for the cabinet bottom
They come through into the shelf above and catch on things.
Hanging them near the cooktop
Grease travels further than people expect.
Stand Mixer Attachment Storage FAQ
What is the best way to store mixer attachments?
Hooks, in most kitchens. The shapes waste drawer space and every attachment has a collar or shaft that hangs naturally.
How do you store yours?
Individual screw-in hooks under the cabinet above the mixer, one per attachment. Up between one and two years with no sagging.
Can I use adhesive hooks?
Not recommended here. Attachments are heavier than they look, and kitchen heat and grease weaken adhesive over time.
Why not just use a drawer?
You can, and it works where drawer space is plentiful. The shapes do not stack, so three attachments take up more room than their size suggests.
One hook or several?
One per attachment. Sharing means they knock together and you have to move one to get the other.
What screws do I need?
Short enough not to pass through the cabinet bottom. Measure the thickness first, since these are frequently thin plywood or particleboard.
Do they get greasy hanging up?
Some, depending on distance from the cooktop. A rinse before use handles it.
Where should the hooks go?
Above the mixer, clear of the cabinet door swing, high enough not to interfere with the counter, and away from the range.
