May 16, 2014 - 7:13am
Commercial KitchenAid
Im contemplating the purchase of a KetchenAid NSF Certified Commercial Series
Is it worth the purchase or should I buy a Ankarsrum?
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Im contemplating the purchase of a KetchenAid NSF Certified Commercial Series
Is it worth the purchase or should I buy a Ankarsrum?
I use it to make my artisan breads and sweet things for the weekly farmers market. as I sell these breads commercially I bought it as a commercial and not residential user (the warranties are different). Last night I mixed dough for 27 loaves scaled at 525 g and 15 baguettes scaled at 330 g. Tomorrow I will mix my gluten-free bread using the mixer to whip up egg whites to help the bread's structure. I will also use it to mix enriched breads, brownies, cookies, etc.
as long as I treat the machine with respect and not overload it seems to do very well. Of course I dont mix my dough beyond speed one for any length of time, and I finish with hand mixing & S&Fs. Occasionally I will go to speed two depending on the dough.
what are you planning on using it for ?
I will be using to make genoise, soufflé, mousse, meringue, cakes, and bread. I usually make at least four loaves at a time. I want to make sure that this machine will be able to perform for bread as well. Ankarsrum are excellent but Im looking for a planetary mixer. How much dough do you mix at a time and how does the machine performs?
If you've already decided on the solution, why are you seeking input that you intend to ignore? Where common, non-bread making jobs are what you do, choose almost any quality mixer, and the KA planetary is certainly a superior mixer for these jobs.
If, though, you intend to mix/knead more than a pound or two of slack bread dough, planetary mixers are heavily strained. The Ankarsrum/DLX is routinely given high marks for bread doughs of all kinds and volumes. In fact, you've gotten several recommendations for the DLX over the KAs from various souls on this forum. A five pound batch of low hydration, high gluten bagel dough doesn't even slow the DLX. I don't make all the things you do, but I do make meringue, whipped cream, cakes (Mmm, angel food cake) and cookies in addition to my bread. In no case has the DLX failed to do a high quality job. In fairness, my el cheapo, double beater, hand held mixer does a better job of cutting-in butter for pie crusts or biscuits than either a KA or the DLX. But, hell, nobody's perfect.
cheers,
gary
If bread dough is your thing, nothing beats the Ankarsrum mixers. I have both and never use the KA for bread anymore. The Ankarsrum Assistent has a larger batch size and can handle stiffer doughs. It can also knead bread dough to greater strengths than the KA which, as noted, are limited to speed one--and critically so if you want your mixer to last at all.
The commercial KA is the same as a comparably sized KA consumer mixer with an NSF rating, heavier cord and longer warranty. I don't recall if the motor is any better, but I believe that the gearbox is the same. Dollar-for-dollar, or whatever your currency is, the Ankarsrum will match the KitchenAid and surpass it. If must have a planetary mixer for lighter mixes, i.e. egg whites, batters, creaming and the like, you can always find very good deals on a used consumer model on Craigslist or Ebay. Durability for those kind of things is typically not an issue.
I love my Kennwood Chef, it is a great Stand Mixer and does a fantastic job.
Before I purchased the KA Commercial I checked out the motor - it is an upgrade from the "professional" series that KA had lots of trouble with. I've not used an Ankarsrum so cannot comment on it.
What I think you might want to consider is how you want to develop the gluten in your bread. The KA works for me because I finish mixing each of my 5 weekly-batches (each batch is no more than 9 loaves scaled at 525 g each - just under 5 Kilos) by hand, and have a very long fermentation-retarding period (total of 20 hours). I rarely go to speed 2 when mixing bread dough. If you want a fine crumb for your loaves you will need to use speed 2 or a very long speed 1. The machine will handle the higher speed, but I would reduce the amount/frequency of mixing if you must go to speed 2 all the time.
In any event, dadakrengel, if looks as if you will need a good mixer to handle the lighter doughs, batters, etc. The KA commercial works well for this purpose. I would focus your inquiry on whether mixing your 4 loaves in the KA would be too much work for this machine.
I also suggest calling KA and asking them about the capacity of the motor. I spoke with the KA techie people about the RPMs of each speed in order to calculate how long I should be mixing.
Best of luck!