Stand Mixers
A stand mixer is essentially the same as a hand mixer, but is mounted on a 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. Heavy duty commercial models can have bowl capacities well in excess of 100 quarts (95 L) and weigh thousands of pounds, but more typical home and light commercial models are equipped with bowls of around 4 quarts (4 L). A typical home stand mixer will include a wire whip 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 or floor (also called bench) models. Whether a mixer is a countertop or floor model usually depends on its size. Mixers that are 20 Quarts in size or smaller tend to be countertop mixers, while larger mixers tend to be floor models due to their size and weight. The two major types of stand mixers are planetary (vertical) and spiral, each of which is described below.
Spiral mixers are specialized for mixing dough, and are not ideal for functions like whipping or mixing other ingredients. They consist of a spiral-shaped agitator that remains stationary, while the bowl itself rotates. This leads to a more effective method of mixing dough, and often enables spiral mixers to mix the same size dough batch much quicker and with less undermixed dough than a similarly powered planetary counterpart. Because spiral mixers are able to mix dough with less agitator friction than planetary mixers, the dough is mixed without raising its temperature as much, which is desirable for ensuring the dough can rise properly.
Planetary mixers consist of a bowl which remains static, while an agitator is rapidly moved around the bowl to mix its contents. Planetary mixers are considered to be more versatile than their spiral counterparts, and can be used to mix a wide variety of ingredients. In addition, you can use a planetary mixer to whip and blend, which cannot be done with a spiral mixer.
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