Mixers: Essential Tools for Commercial Bakers
A commercial mixer is a necessary piece of equipment in any bakery, restaurant, pizzeria, or other establishment that makes dough and batter in-house. These items are used to make food preparation tasks, like mixing batters, whipping eggs, kneading dough, and making icing, much easier.
The global stand mixer industry was estimated at USD1.8bn in 2020, and is expected to reach USD2.9bn by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2021 to 2030, according to Allied Market Research data. Rise in interest in domestic baking and cooking, advent of new commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels, and cafes, and the inclusion of new features and functionalities in stand mixers have driven the global stand mixer market.
However, availability of alternatives to large-scale stand mixers, coupled with difficulties in cleaning and sanitation hamper the market growth. On the contrary, a surge in demand coming from developing countries and advancements in sustainability and improvements in energy consumption are expected to open new opportunities for the market players in the future.
For the most part, commercial mixers share common components and features. Most mixers will include front and rear covers, a safety / bowl guard, mixing device attachments, a bowl lift wheel or lever, a bowl, and power and speed controls. Some units may feature electric bowl lifts or additional attachments, but in general, commercial mixers will operate in a similar fashion.
Types of Mixers
A planetary mixer is a unit with an agitator that turns on an offset shaft, while the mixing bowl remains stationary. Interchangeable agitator attachments let bakers mix anything from dough to icing to meringues and puddings.
Spiral mixers consist of a spiral-shaped agitator that remains stationary, while the bowl revolves around it. This specialized design makes them great for mixing large quantities of dough at a time.
All mixers are designed to handle the rigors of commercial use, but some are better equipped for certain types of mixing than others. Different types of dough and batter will have different consistencies, and as a result not every mixer is right for every job – kneading a batch of thick, stiff dough is going to require more power than mixing meringue or icing, for example. A commercial bread mixer and pizza dough mixer will be different than a mixer meant for whipping delicate egg whites.
The Right Tool for the Job
Generally, artisan doughs with higher dough yield need longer and slower mixing for optimal swelling of water. For wet doughs, experts recommend to use twin twist mixers. Because of the two tools, more energy is transferred and therefore, the mixing time can be decreased compared to spiral mixers. This can result in decreased mixing time of 30%.
When asked what features set apart the mixers in their portfolio, Koenig representatives said the interaction of tool speed and direction of rotation of the mixing bowl can be precisely coordinated with all of their mixers and stored in the program in different languages. Thus the Koenig mixers can be used universally.
Mixing time, kneading time and, if necessary, kneading time with fruit can also be set in the programs. In the same way, bakeries can also set when the mixing bowl should turn in the opposite direction. A temperature sensor provides information about the temperature of the dough. Moreover, Koenig’s “DW” twin twist mixer has two tools with different profiles that are at an ideal working angle to one another. In this way they increase the transmission of mechanical energy and shorten the mixing time.
You can read the rest of this article in the May-June issue of European Baker & Biscuit magazine, which you can access by clicking here.