There are various types of mixers available in the market, including stand mixers, hand mixers, dough mixers, eggbeaters, etc. Among these, one type of mixer is stand mixer. These type of mixers are quite popular with many people.
When it comes to the working of mixers, all of them work in almost the same way. It’s just that they have a different design and may use some new technology. In general, mixers use a gear-driven mechanism in order to rotate a group of beaters in a bowl in which there is food.
Mixers work on electricity and rotate automatically through electric power. Mixers perform repetitive tasks of whisking, beating, and stirring. Moreover, a mixer can also knead, when you replace its beaters with a dough hook.
Since, we are talking about stand mixers here, they come in various sizes, ranging from small counter top stand mixer models to large capacity mixers. The small ones are also known as floor or bench mixers. These are generally used at homes.
Then, there are the heavy duty larger models of stand mixers, which are used for commercial purposes. These type of stand mixers can have their bowl capacities more than 25 gallons or 95 liters and can weigh around thousand kilograms.
There are also medium sized stand mixers, which can be used for home as well as for light commercial purposes. These types of stand mixers are usually equipped with bowls that weigh nearly 1 gallon or 4 liters.
Working of stand mixers
Stand mixers work in a bit different way. Where hand mixers use a handheld mechanism, stand mixers make use of mixing action in two ways. Either the standing mixer rotates the missing container via spiral mixers or it rotates the mixing device vertically via planetary mixers. These types of mixers mount their motor, in turn driving the rotary movement in a stand or frame that bears the device’s weight.
Stand mixers are quite large and consist of more powerful motors as compared to hand-held mixers. They usually consist of a special bowl, which is locked to the device, when the mixer operates, so that the bowl does not move.
Generally, home stand mixers come with a wire whisk that is used to whip egg whites and creams, a dough hook that is used for kneading, and a flat beater that is used for mixing batters. Stand mixers come in two types, namely spiral mixers and planetary mixers.
Spiral mixers
Spiral mixers are the ones that are used for mixing dough. In these types of mixers, there is a spiral-shaped agitator that remains stationary as the bowl of the mixer rotates. Through this method, the spiral mixers mix the same amount of dough in a much faster speed with less amount of under-mixed dough as compared to a planetary mixer with a similar amount of power.
Additionally, spiral mixers mix dough using less friction of the agitator as opposed to planetary mixers. Through this method, the dough is mixed without any increase in its temperature. This, in turn, allows the dough to rise in a proper manner.
Planetary mixers
Planetary mixers comprise of one agitator and one bowl. In these type of mixers, the bowl remains static, while the agitator rapidly rotates inside the bowl in order to mix the contents in the bowl. Through this method, the planetary stand mixer can mix different types of ingredients, which in turn makes it very versatile as compared to spiral stand mixers.
Moreover, planetary mixers can also be used to blend and whip as opposed to spiral mixers that cannot perform these tasks. Although, these types of mixers are used all over the world, they are most commonly used in Europe, India, and Australia.
What to make with a stand mixer?
With a stand mixer, you can make many things at your home, such as bread, meringues, and cookies. Moreover, you can make these things very quickly and with ease. A stand mixer is a great investment for your kitchen and if you take proper care of it, it can last for many years.
However, still many people are confused as to whether they should buy a stand mixer or not. Let me tell you that a stand mixer comes in handy for making many tasty dishes. These kitchen appliances look great on the countertop.
Stand mixers can perform a variety of kitchen tasks, particularly if you make marshmallows, bread and other such heavy duty recipes on a regular basis. You can make such items with ease and that too pretty quickly. Some of the things that you can make with your stand mixer include pasta, bread, and other such products.
Taking care of your stand mixer
When it comes to taking care of your stand mixer, make sure that you follow some of the tips. These tips are listed below.
Use a towel
You must make use of a towel in order to make sure that there are minimum messes. This is because stand mixers are powerful tools and thus they can create a mess. For instance, if an attachment that moves quickly hits a huge flour pile or powdered sugar and thus drives it out of the mixer’s bowl.
Therefore, you need to drape a towel that you use in your kitchen over the bowl of the stand mixer prior to turning on your mixer. This way you as well as your kitchen counters can stay clean and nice.
Keep the attachments in the bowl
In order to keep all the attachments of your stand mixer at one place, you can store them in the bowl of the mixer. This way they do not get damaged or misplaced. And, when you use the mixer, just put away the additional attachments and keep them back when you clean and dry up everything.
So, this is how a stand mixer works and how you can take care of it. Make sure that you buy a stand mixer only when you are sure that you will use it at least once a week.