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