1-800-896-3706
Retail & Industrial Bakery Equipment | Dough Tech
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Youtube
  • Mail
  • Home
  • Products
    • Bread Moulders
    • Mixers
    • Divider Rounders
    • Dough Dividers
    • Intermediate Proofer
    • Conveyors
    • Production Lines
    • Water Meters
    • Oven Racks
    • Silos
  • Clients We Serve
    • Retail
    • Commercial
    • Industrial
  • About Us
  • Manufacturers
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Videos
    • Promotional Video Library
    • Instructional Video Library
  • Find A Dealer
  • Financing
  • Search
  • Menu

Understanding Mixer Terms: Planetary, Spiral, Fixed Bowl, Removable bowl

July 8, 2020/in News /by Ben

Planetary Mixer: 

 

Planetary mixers are given this name because of how the mixers revolve around the center of the bowl like a planet around the sun. The bowl stays in place as the mixers cycle rapidly around. These are usually single-motor non-rotating bowl mixers, and are designed to be general purpose, with various attachments can be used to shred, chop, or grate other ingredients like cheese, meat, and vegetables. 

However, as solely a bread mixer they require additional attachments and are far more difficult to produce consistent and well blended dough with. If your business intends to produce more than just bread, and have the necessary attachments and expertise a planetary mixer may be right for you. However if your goal is solely to produce pizza dough, artisan breads or baked goods, a spiral mixer is the tool for you!

Pros: 

  • Versatile

Cons

  • Less airy dough
  • Rougher & warmer mix
  • Slower dough development

 

Spiral Mixer:

Escher M Premium Top Up

Unlike a planetary mixer, a spiral mixer has a rotating bowl which spins while the spiral hook spins and kneads the dough in a more similar motion to hand kneading. This produces less friction and less heat on the dough, ensuring proper temperature for fermentation and speeding up dough development 20%-30%. They are able to easily produce a much more consistent and well blended mix than a planetary mixer which is especially important in high hydration artisan recipes.

We spoke with Dan Littledike of Summit Inn Pizza  about his experience switching from a planetary mixer to his new 60 Kilo Escher Spiral Mixer Model. 

After using a spiral mixer in one of his other locations and seeing improvement in dough quality he had decided it would be appropriate for his other locations. However, his previous spiral mixer had not been providing enough power to mix the volume he needed. 

Dan came to Dough Tech looking for a better solution, and he was met with the Escher M Premium Mixer. Being able to effortlessly mix more than twice that of their previous model with it’s dual belt drive system, and producing producing airier and silkier dough, Dan had found his mixer. 

Though he has had to make slight adjustments to his recipes due to the different mixing properties of the spiral, he has been impressed by the durability, speed, and quality of his new mixer. With this tool, a single person can produce 600 lbs of dough in 2 hours, and they can make enough pizza to feed their hungry fans! 

Pros:

  • Gentler on the dough
  • Less heat and friction
  • More uniform dough
  • Faster Development (20-30% reduction in mix time)

Cons:

  • Specifically for Dough 
  • No attachments available.

 

Fixed Bowl Mixer:

Escher M1 Mixer

The term “Fixed Bowl” can be misleading since the bowl does have the ability to rotate, but it can not be removed. These are generally spiral mixers and designed to be used in smaller bakeries and provide good baking speed for the price. They must be loaded and unloaded by hand every time, often requiring the baker to cut the flour into smaller sized pieces for lifting.

Pros:

  • Cheaper
  • Compact
  • Good for smaller operations

 

Cons:

  • Have to cut out the dough
  • Can’t remove bowl for washing
  • Slower workflow than removable bowl.

 

Removable Bowl Mixer:

Escher Robotic Systems

These mixers allow bowls to be removed and gain significant utility from this feature. The ability to use multiple bowls can increase mixing capacity 50-100%. By swapping a pre-loaded bowl in every time, the time spent loading and unloading the bowl is simultaneous with the mixing process.

This reduces space on the floor compared to using multiple mixers, and allows for further automation. Automated bowl lifters and tippers reduce heavy lifting from staff lowering risk of injury, labor costs, and allow them to focus on more skillful technical labor. 

Pros: 

  • Significantly Faster Workflow
  • Allows for Automation
  • Easier to clean

Cons:

  • More Expensive
  • More bowls take space.

 

If you ever need professional advice on your bakery or equipment, call one of our Dough Pros at 1-800-896-3706 and they will give you the attention and direction you need to succeed.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on Linkedin
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Share on Vk
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail

Archive

  • December 2021
  • December 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017

Categories

  • Mixers
  • News
  • Personal
  • Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Facebook

Instagram

Follow Me!

Contact Us

    Address & Phone

    1211 S. Swaner Rd.

    Salt Lake City, Ut. 84104

    1-800 896-3706

    Hours Of Operation

    Monday-Friday: 8:00am – 5:00pm

    Saturday: Closed

    Sunday: Closed

    © Copyright 2019 Dough Tech
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Linkedin
    • Youtube
    • Mail
    How To Get Consistency And Accuracy From Your Water Meter Choosing the Correct Conveyor
    Scroll to top