A Complete Guide to Commercial Cake Mixers

Whether opening a new bakery or wanting to renew your equipment, having a good and quality commercial mixer is a must. According to professional bakers, commercial cake mixers are extremely useful and versatile pieces of equipment. The key is to understand their types and power so you could make the right choice. One things is certain, nowadays you can find a cake mixer for sale that can meet your needs, the thing is to understand some of the most important things before making the choice.


Commercial Mixer Parts

Generally speaking, all commercial mixers have similar components and features. For instance, all of them have a front and rear part covers, a safety bowl and mixing device attachments. Another important parts of a commercial mixer are the bowl lift wheel or lever, the bowl and power speed controls.

Types of Commercial Mixers

Planetary Mixers

Planetary or also known as a vertical mixer has an agitator that turns on an offset shaft while the bowl remains stationary. The best part about this type of incredible commercial cake mixer for sale is that it's designed to mix anything you want from dough to icings and puddings. Literally everything. Precisely this is the reason why planetary commercial mixers are among the most popular and commonly used types of mixers in the food industry.

Dough Mixers

Dough mixers or also known under the name spiral mixers have obtained the name by its spiral-shaped agitators that remain in a stationary position. Unlike the planetary mixers, the bowl in the dough mixers is moving i.e. revolves around the agitators. This mixer is great for mixing large quantities of dough at once which makes them ideal for bakeries.

Vertical Cutter Mixers

Before describing the mixer, we must mention that this type is designed for fast and bulk production of products. The vertical cutter mixer features a large covered mixing bowl, an interior agitator that can perform a variety of actions and high horsepower.

Types of Drive System

Generally speaking, mixer types can have either a belt-driven system or a gear-driven system. Both of these can stand up to the rigorous commercial use, however, there are some important things you should know about them.

Mixer with Belt-Driven System

Belt-driven mixers can experience belt-slip or insufficient grip between the drive and the belt which reduces the velocity ratio of the mixer system. In case repairs are needed, they can be way cheaper than the ones of a gear-driven system.

Gear-Driven System

This type of system eliminates the risk of drive system slip and unlike the previous model, the repairs for this one are more expensive.

Horsepower

Generally speaking, larger mixers have a higher horsepower motor when compared to the smaller mixer models. Additionally, larger mixers are better in dealing with larger quantities of though and one that is thicker, for instance the one for pizza. For such dough, more power is needed in order to be mixed good, thus, the larger the mixer, the higher the horsepower.

Bowl-Lift: Manual & Electrical

  • Manual - Usually, the manual bowl-lift mixers can raise and lower the bowl manually with the help of a lever or wheel. However, you should keep in mind that in some smaller mixers like a small planetary mixer, for instance, the bowl doesn't move. In fact, it's the entire upper housing of the mixer that should be lifted so you could have access to the bowl.
  • Electric Bowl-Lift - Unlike the manual type which requires the bowl to be moved with hand, this system raises and lowers the bowl automatically with the help of a button. This feature is usually common on larger mixers that have larger mixing bowls.

Type of Mixer Use

  • Light Duty – These types of mixers are most appropriate for those of you who will use the mixer occasionally. In other words, it's good for occasional work or for prep of batches and baked goods in smaller quantities.
  • Standard Duty - These mixers are great for restaurants and cafes which goal is to make batter and dough in the establishment. These mixers are ideal for mixing whipped cream, egg whites, cake batter, smaller quantities of pizza or any other dough.
  • Heavy Duty – Last but not least, this type of mixer seems to be the most durable because it's suited for a range of applications. Mainly, it's used for mixing larger quantities of thicker dough.
How much you'll use the mixer and how much you'll be mixing plays a large role in what mixer size you'll choose. For instance, for smaller restaurants the use of planetary mixers is more than enough. On the other hand, pizzerias or larger bakery will need a larger mixer or a spiral mixer as high volumes of the product will be mixed. Taking into account all of these things can help you out make the right choice.  

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