Commercial Cake Mixers

Industrial Cake Mixers: What You Need to Know

These mixers take the hard work out of mixing up batters, doughs, potatoes, and more. Whether you specialize in wedding cakes or need to prepare large batches of scrambled eggs every morning, there is a commercial planetary mixer configuration for you. These units all include a gear- or transmission-driven engine that powers an agitator, which is an arm that mixes ingredients in a bowl.

Common Questions About Planetary Mixers

How do planetary mixers work?

Planetary mixers are named for the way the agitator orbits around the center of a fixed bowl (as opposed to a spiral mixer, which also rotates the bowl). This style of mixing is ideal for beating items such as creams or batters and is suitable for light use with bread and pizza dough, depending on the unit. If you plan to specialize in doughs, however, consider a spiral mixer.

What types of agitators are available?

Commercial planetary mixers usually include the option for interchangeable agitators that handle different tasks. Some common agitator attachments include wire whips for heavy whipping of creams, eggs, and light batter; beaters for slow mixing heavier batters and mashed potatoes; and dough arms for folding pizza and bread dough.

What sizes are available?

Industrial planetary mixers are available as large floor models and smaller countertop models, sometimes referred to as bench models. Countertop models stand no more than a few feet high, with the smallest weighing less than 50 pounds and the largest weighing nearly 300 pounds. Users can choose to mount them on a counter or a dedicated table that may also be portable. Floor mixers are usually 4 or 5 feet high and weigh from a few hundred to more than 1,000 pounds.

How do I determine the capacity of my commercial cake mixer?

The bowl's capacity is not necessarily the same as the capacity of your unit's motor. Since capacity differs based on mixture thickness, consult your user manual to determine the maximum capacity for different common recipes.

Are industrial cake mixers just for dough and batter?

An attachment hub can greatly expand your mixer's uses and add functionality to certain planetary mixers. Depending on the unit, you may be able to chop, slice, and grate vegetables, cheeses, and meat. For flexibility to add items to any type of mix, units may also come equipped with a permanent ingredient chute welded to the bowl guard or have the option to add one.

What are some other special features?

Automatic bowl lifts make it easy to access the bowl before and after mixing and are ideal when mixing heavy ingredients. The alternative is a manual lever for lifting. Bowl scrapers scrape ingredients from the sides of the bowls. They may come as an attachment to the agitator.

What mixing speeds are available?

Mixers may have the option for as many as 20 speeds or include just low, medium, and high speed options. These speeds may be controlled digitally or manually. In manually controlled units, the machine will usually need to be shut down to change speeds. In digitally controlled machines, this process can be streamlined to increase or decrease speeds on the fly.

How do I prevent splatter when starting up the unit?

Many planetary mixers include a soft- or slow-start feature. If you start the mixer while it is set to a high speed, it will slowly build up to that speed, preventing the splatter that could result with a sudden start.

How are belt and gear transmissions different?

Belt-driven transmissions offer high torque power in lighter machines. Belts are more likely to fail than gears, but repairs are cheaper and easier to execute. Gear-driven transmissions are bulkier but provide more reliability. There is less chance for them to fail, but repair can be costly when they do.