Kitchen helper——Stand Mixer
What is Stand Mixer?
Stand mixers mount the motor driving the rotary action in a frame or stand which bears the weight of the device. Stand mixers are larger and have more powerful motors than their hand-held counterparts. They generally have a special bowl that is locked in place while the mixer is operating. A typical home stand mixer will include a wire whisk for whipping creams and egg whites; a flat beater for mixing batters; and a dough hook for kneading.
Stand mixers are generally available in either countertop (also called bench) or floor models. Heavy duty commercial models can have bowl capacities well in excess of 25 gallons (95 l) and weigh thousands of pounds (kilograms) but more typical home and light commercial models are equipped with bowls of around 1 gallon (4 l). Whether a mixer is a countertop or floor model depends on its size. Mixers that are 5 gallons (20 l) in size or smaller tend to be countertop mixers, while larger mixers tend to be floor models due to their size and weight.
Spiral mixers are specialist tools for mixing the dough. A spiral-shaped agitator remains stationary while the bowl rotates. This method enables spiral mixers to mix the same size dough batch much quicker and with less under-mixed dough than a similarly powered planetary mixer. Spiral mixers can mix dough with less agitator friction than planetary mixers. This allows the dough to be mixed without increasing its temperature, ensuring the dough can rise properly.
Planetary mixers consist of a bowl and an agitator. The bowl remains static, whilst the agitator is rapidly moved around the bowl to mix its contents. With the ability to mix a wide variety of ingredients, planetary mixers are more versatile than their spiral counterparts. Planetary mixers can be used to whip and blend, whereas spiral mixers cannot. They are normally used in Australia, India, and Europe too. The mixers are used all over the world.