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What is a planetary mixer?

The planetary mixer is an industrial equipment conceived to prepare pastry dough or other types of products, replacing manual labor through a mechanical system that allows producing, continuously, large quantities of dough. They come in smaller countertop versions and larger floor-standing models and are among the most popular mixers for commercial kitchens. As the name implies, planetary mixers feature an agitator that moves around the bowl like a planet.

They are composed by:

Bowl for ingredients placement

Mixing element (whisk, hook, flat beater, scraper, or other systems)

Motors that start the bowl and whisk movements

Interconnection of technological processes that allow the operator the control the mixing process and other labor processes (programming times and speeds; mixing elements)

The name “planetary mixer” comes from the system used in the equipment that mixes the dough in the planet's rotation direction. The planetary mixers Tipesmart are ideal to produce pastry products such as emulsions, creams, batters, and other sophisticated desserts witch require larger, faster, and more powerful rotation movements.

The range of the planetary mixers Tipesmart includes an extended equipment set, suitable for small and large productive bakery and pastry units as well as other food units (catering, hospitality, and similar industries). This equipment is available in standard, stainless steel, and marine version.

The main differences are based on: construction structure, raw material, and aesthetic features.

Do you want homemade products with the added value of a machine? Are you looking for equipment that can assist you? Do you want productive performances while keeping higher quality standards? Find out the planetary mixer and know how to improve the quality of your production.

Is a stand mixer better than a hand mixer?

Hand mixers are great for quickly mixing smaller, lighter batches and are more compact and portable, but stand mixers are best for long mixing times and large or heavy mixtures. Stand mixers also generally offer more versatility with a wider range of attachments and accessories and offer hands-free mixing.

Creating in the kitchen lets you explore new ways of making. When inspiration strikes, you reach for the right appliance to help turn your vision into reality. You may wonder whether you need a hand mixer or a stand mixer. In truth, the answer is often: why not both?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HAND MIXERS AND STAND MIXERS?

Hand mixers and stand mixers handle some of the same functions, but there are key differences between them. Knowing which mixer is best for each task makes things easier as you create and clean up.

In basic terms, a hand mixer is an electric mixer that you hold in your hand over a bowl. They’re great for small jobs, but your hand and arm can get tired if you need to mix for a long time or have a larger or stiffer batch of dough.

A stand mixer is a heavy-duty electric mixer attached to a stand that sits on a countertop. Stand mixers can also have various attachments that make them a versatile appliance, doing everything from making and cutting pasta to spiraling vegetables or grinding meat.

There are advantages to using each of these appliances in any kitchen. Amateur and professional chefs alike use both hand mixers and stand mixers, depending on which will create the best results for their task.

Is it better to knead dough by hand or machine?

So while hand kneading can be a gratifying process, we recommend using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for this task. A dough hook is the best tool you can use to knead dough. It does everything your hands would do, but more quickly.

What Does Kneading Do?

The proper kneading of dough incorporates air, distributes ingredients, and, most important, develops gluten, which gives yeasted bread chew. As we learned, mixing dough starts the process by creating a weak, disorganized matrix of gluten proteins. Then, kneading does the bulk of the work, the mechanical action straightening out these proteins and aligning them so they can cross-link into a strong gluten network. This gluten structure is key: It allows bread to expand without bursting.

How Long Does It Take to Knead Dough?

On a practical level, it takes up to 25 minutes—and some well-developed forearm muscles—to knead dough by hand, and just about 8 minutes to knead in the stand mixer with the dough hook. However, if you do not own a stand mixer, you can still mix dough by hand and make a good loaf of bread from most doughs. Either way, both methods are simple, as long as you do them right. The trick for kneading by hand is to use a rhythmic, gentle motion that stretches and massages the dough.

Choosing the right mixer for your bakery - Absorption rate

Absorption rate

Manufacturers offer mixer capacity charts that show the amount each mixer is capable of handling for specific ingredients and applications.

To determine the right size, it’s important to understand the absorption ratio, because the recommended maximum capacity of the mixer depends on the moisture content of the dough. The absorption ratio percentage is determined by taking the water weight divided by the flour weight.

Absorption rate— or the water weight divided by flour weight — determines the moisture content of the dough or batter and, with it, the recommended maximum capacity a mixer can handle. It’s important for bakers to understand this so that they don’t exceed the capacity of the mixer, which can be very hard on the motor.

The absorption rate, along with other factors and ingredient complexity determine the stiffness or resistance of the dough to mixing. Higher absorption rate doughs like ciabatta are generally easier to mix. Some lower absorption doughs like bagels typically require a single-speed mixer. Most dough mixers are two speeds. First speed, low, usually around 100 rpm on the spiral arm is used to blend the ingredients. High, usually around 200 rpm, is used to develop the gluten structure. There are single-speed mixers, usually around 150 rpm on the spiral, some people even call them bagel mixers because they are used in low absorption doughs usually in the low 50% range.

How To Choose The Best Bread Proofing Box?

There is such a wide variety of bread proofing boxes available that sometimes it becomes overwhelming to choose one for your specific needs.

From the most basic model right up to a snazzy electric machine, there really is a huge range to choose from!

If you are on the hunt for a new bread proofing box, here is what you should take into consideration.

Type Of Bread Proofing Box

As with most kitchen gadgets, you can get a range of bread proofing boxes, from a very basic model right through to one which does pretty much everything apart from bake the bread for you!

You could opt for an electric bread proofing box, which will give you the ultimate control over the bread proofing process.

Alternatively, a non-electric bread proofing box might be the one for you. These can be a bit trickier to use as you need to provide an external heat source, but it does mean that you have one less electrical gadget in your kitchen!

Traditionally, bread was proved in baskets prior to baking. Some bread proofing boxes mimic this style and can be great for keeping your loaf in the perfect shape.

Others require you to put your dough onto a tray or in a larger box, which means you will then need to carefully transfer it to a loaf tin or oven tray before baking.