BUYERS GUIDE > MIXERS

Mixers

usally sit on the floor or countertop and are tough, durable, and built to last, providing years of dependable operation. They generally include a stainless steel dough hook, whip and flat beater. These beaters can be interchanged used to mix pizza, bread, pastry, cookie, cake, donut dough, icing, filling, cream, dressing, etc. Mixers free up your hands to add ingredients as it mixes.

Smaller mixers are 5-20 quart and use 120 volts single phase electricity. Floor models are 30-80 quart and commonly use 220 or 240 volts with either one-phase or three-phase electricity.

Mixers are usually made from stainless steel with a bottom-mounted motor that drives a mixing shaft. Smaller mixers have a removable bowl, larger have a tilting bowl, with a pouring lip to easily dispense product. Hand guards are often made of high-impact, see-through plastic. For safety, an interlock prevents most units from operating when their covers are open or bowls are tilted. Some planetary mixers are made from heavy-duty cast iron; more-expensive models have stainless-steel exteriors.