Mixers

[PizzaPolice]

Re: Mixers

Here's one on eBay:

MAGIC MILL DLX ASSISTENT MIXER Mod. DLX9311 - (eBay item 220160555252 end time Oct-19-07 16:14:16 PDT)

[james]

Re: Mixers

Justified? Is a wood oven really justified?
Drake

Of course it is.

If you haven't read it yet, you can glance at our pizza oven justification (rationalization?) page. Basically, I have convinced myself that my wood-fired oven will save me enough money to pay for one year of college.

http://www.fornobravo.com/pizza_oven...ven_logic.html

James

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Mixers

Drake

How often are you using the SP5. Understand Jim's buying one for a business, but is it justified (not that everything I buy can be justified - like the Porsche my wife questions why I bought - not family friendly) for home use.

Justified? Is a wood oven really justified? I am using it every time I fire the oven, or about every other weekend. I have made as much as 25lbs of dough in a weekend including bread and pizza. Since the bowl does not come off, I have to let the dough rest/Autolyse in the bowl, extending the time it takes to make different doughs. The other thing is the weight, that thing is heavy! I really like it and I know my bread has improved, but that could just be practice as well. With the KA I was always overheating my dough, but I did not really understand to start with cooler water...

I am here in Denver, and I know there are some who have spent more on baseball tickets than I spent on the mixer...Go Rockies...

I did not really know about the Bosch when I purchased the SP5, and I still have never seen one, but it sounds like a reasonable option...

Drake

[dalucca2003]

Re: Mixers

After reading up on the SP5 it is clear it was designed for business use as well as home usage. The Bosch is a very good machine for home mixing and so far has been flawless for us. I have mixed dosages for 8 dough balls and also for 12. It did not seem to matter to the mixer when I mixed the higher quantity whatsoever.

I am very happy with the Bosch, was cheaper than the Electrolux and definitely the SP5 was out of my price range as well as not necessary.

[CanuckJim]

Re: Mixers

Drake,

The friction factor is use for the SP5 is 26; seems to work. Planetary mixers "seem" to require a factor of about 30-35, but that's a guess. I'm thinking that the SP5 is a professional tool, wheras the others aren't. Could be wrong, though. You are correct about the cleaning equation, but I've never really faulted the mixer for that. Tilt-head spirals are much larger and much more expensive. Again, it comes down to torque, plus hook shape, plus capacity, plus ability. This is a dedicated dough machine.

Jim

[Richard]

Re: Mixers

Drake

How often are you using the SP5. Understand Jim's buying one for a business, but is it justified (not that everything I buy can be justified - like the Porsche my wife questions why I bought - not family friendly) for home use.

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Mixers

Well James, the Bosch is substantially less expensive than the SP5. The SP5 also presents some challenges in the cleaning department, because the bowl is not removable. The SP5 is also VERY heavy, so you have to store it somewhere close and NOT up overhead...

All that said, I have been making great bread with the SP5...

I don't know what the friction factor on the Bosch is vs the SP5. But these guys are saying the Bosch will handle a larger capacity than the SP5...

Also the SP5 looks really cool, with the Italian themed buttons...

I still use my KA (older model) for smaller batches...

Drake

[jengineer]

Re: Mixers

For Jim's mixer the best best is a shooting range with a 50 caliber high energy explosive round. Short of that there is the St Larence waterway which would be a good candidate. If you are concerned about envionmental issues then he needs to take it to the nearest smelter. It is not worth repairing and he is right in the boycott. I would not try to pawn this off on some unsuspecting apprentice baker on E-Bay

[james]

Re: Mixers

What is the strategy for folks who have a KA (600 in my case). Do you run it until it dies (or kills you with the smell of burning gears)? Sell it on eBay? Keep it for some special type of mixing that it does well?

Then, it's time to pick between the Bosch, Electrolux, and SP5. I am going to keep making whole wheat bread, along with pizza and baguettes.

Which of the three is best for a wide range of doughs?

James

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Mixers

I was thinking of trying to find a big hobart planetary mixer before I purchased the SP5. The kitchen aids mentioned above are planetary mixers as well, just smaller and make with plastic gears...

Those will be excellent for dough, the main thing you will have to worry about is friction. This type of mixer heats the dough up faster than a spiral or fork mixer does. This really just means that you need to start with colder ingredients (usually chilled water) in order to account for the increased friction. Hamelman has a good section in his book about how to do this.

Drake

[Bacterium]

Re: Mixers

Mixers.....ok I confess to knowing nothing about them, but this seems a good place to ask.

A mate and I picked up 2 commercial mixers for a bargain. I think they are also known as planetary mixers. Anyway I was wondering would these be any good for mixing up large batches of dough(bread or pizza) - among other things?

They are big heavy buggers, all steel gears and cast iron bodies. Nameplate say 1/2HP one 1. One has 3 speed settings. Come with all the bowls and looks like some sort of attachment that goes on the front for mincing.They work and about the only problem seems to be they need a new seal where the mixer bit spins around and a new coat of enamel (paint).

Has any one heard of the 2 brands:
-Swallow (Swallow Engineering, says made in the UK)
-Tyrone
the tyrone one looks like an older version of this:
tyrone tooth-belt drive planetary mixers - LJ Stuart and Co Pty Ltd

I don't think the wife will allow it in the kitchen however I have a spot planned in my office (next to the beer fridge....also used for pizza dough)

[CanuckJim]

Re: Mixers

Drew,

The SP is rated at 8 lbs, but I've pushed it to 10, though initially it can be a bit messy. There is speed and then there is torque. The SP has tons of torque, which I really appreciate when it comes time for stiff doughs, like bagels or biayls.

I was completely stonewalled by KA with my complaints. They would not refund the purchase price, fobbing me off the the retailer. They denied they had any complaints about the 600 Pro series. A quick search for owner reviews on the net tells a far different story. I refuse to buy anything made by Kitchen Aid in the future.

Jim

[dalucca2003]

Re: Mixers

I just mixed a triple batch of dough which produced 12 pizza dough balls and it had no issues. I know it could have mixed up a bit more. Check out the link attached


http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch_universal.aspx

[DrakeRemoray]

Re: Mixers

So that Bosch can really handle 12 lbs of sourdough at once? Anyone have first hand experience with that?

Drake

[dalucca2003]

Re: Mixers

One more thought on the Bosch Universal mixer. Not only is it designed to handle a large amount of dough mixing, it also has a blender motor built in. The blender is very powerful and does a awesome job of mixing anything you put in it.