"Werner Gansz" <wwgansz@madriver.com> wrote:
>Brett Baker's comments on KA stand mixers are consistent with my
>experience also. A mixer should be able to handle whatever amount of
>dough fits into it. I think the new KA's are intended primarily for
>mixing cake batters. There aren't enough bread bakers out there to
>warrant the extra cost of bigger motors and metal gears.
I hate to rain on Werner's parade. but I have yet to see a mixer,
commercial or amateur, that fits that description.
While running a bakery, we had a 30 quart Hobart that was older than
most people in this list.
It had a chart that showed its load limits. You could make as many
mashed potatoes, as much cake batter or beat as many egg whites as
would fit in the bowl. Making bread reduced the capacity. When you
made bagels or pizza dough, 10 pounds or so was the upper limit.
A friend bought a Hobart knockoff. It came with a similar
chart. Most professional mixers do.
What distinguishes a professional machine is they tell you what it's
load limits are, in ways that make sense. "14 cups of flour power" -
the KA rating - is absolute nonsense. In another bread baking forum
bakers weighed a cup of flour. The weight range was from less than
100 to more than 200 grams. Milling companies think a cup should
weigh 120 grams. And the flour power rating has to be reduced if you
use whole grain flour.
However, that ignores the fact that 14 cups of flour being used to
make a 100% hydration starter is a very different thing than 14 cups
of flour being used to make bagels.
The Hobart had an excellent chart. You could look up what you were
making and scale your load accordingly.
The Hobard lasted about 35 years with no real maintenance. The
person who bought it from me had a drive shaft replaced when it
snapped. Too much pizza dough, I suspect.
If you want to make pizza dough or bagels, Hobart sells special
machines to handle the extreme load. An ordinary Hobart that will
last 30+ years in most bakeries will die inside of 2 years in a pizza
joint or bagel shop.
All in all, I don't think ANY mixers are really designed to handle
anything you put in the bowl.
Mike