Hello…
Anyone using a spiral mixer ?..pros…cons…?
Whats a spiral mixer?
Hobart mixers are the best.
I had an older Impasti 4 yrs - made better dough than my 60Q Hobart, but was always a chore 2 clean…newer ones now have a removeable bowl I’m told, but that brand is no longer sold stateside - generally cheaper 2 repair as well, as most are gear/chain driven
[quote=“steveo922”]
Whats a spiral mixer?
Spiral mixers produce an excellent product but are expensive and not often used in pizza shops. Go to the site below to see one
http://www.yourdelight.com/thunderbird_ … mixers.htm
George Mills
Spiral mixers are a true work horse when it comes to mixing dough. They can mix doughs based on roughly 300-pounds of flour weight (in the larger sizes) or as small as 50-pounds of flour for the smaller size spiral mixers. Additionally, these mixers will typically mix a dough up to 25% of the stated bowl capacity, this means that a mixer rated to mix 50-pounds of flour can actually mix a dough as small as one based on only 12.5-pounds of flour. They tend to be more durable than many planetary mixers when mixing tough pizza and bagel doughs. For the most part, mixing times in the spiral mixers, with at least a 50% sized dough, is comparable to that of a planetary mixer.
The down side of the spirals is the lack of an attachment hub on the mixer, so you can’t use a cutting attachment like you can do with many of the hobart mixers. I’ve been told that there is one spiral mixer made with an attachment hub, but I’ve never been able to find out who makes it. Many of the spirals now have a drain plug in the bowl which makes cleaning a lot easier too, plus, some of the small mixers have removeable bowls too (all of the larger mixers have removeable bowls). We see the spiral mixers used mostly in the commissaries supplying dough for a number of stores rather than in individual stores.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
A mixer I am considering is the Cuppone Spiral Mixer its specs are:
The motor is a 208/230 VAC 3 phase 1.5 HP coupled with a high torque gear reducer. The bowl and spiral mixing arm are chain driven with a chain tensionier
Now The HP seems low from others I have heard about, however in my present industry HP is quoted 2 ways Brake HP which is the flash Hp it peaks at upon start-up and than continuous Hp which is what it really works or runs at…if the same thing applies with mixers than…this motor if quoted with brake Hp is about 3.5
I guess Cuppone is somewhat new to the US as they are made in Italy…
I don’t have any repair history on the Cuppone mixers, but If I remember correctly, regardless of who markets the mixer, including Hobart, all of the spirals are made in a different country (not made in the U.S.). The main thing is to check on service and parts availability. Does it have a drain plug in the bowl? If not, you will need to bail it out, like a leaking boat, every time you clean the bowl, then you will need to sponge out the last remaining water, and finally, wipe dry.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Tom,
Yes…I have heard that some have the plug while others don’t…My understanding is that they oxygenate the dough more than a Hobart type mixer…The draw back to these is that while are supposed be better for dough making…that are just dough mixers…no other attachments…but you can not beat them for dough…
Easy,
Glad to hear that my comment has spurred you to investigate. Like Patriot said, the Impasti is the mixer that I used. I had the newer mixer that had the removable bowl. I loved it! I’m surprised that other equipment manufactures don’t make 40qt sized mixers.
-Scott
Hi Scott;
A 40-quart capacity spiral mixer would be just a little smaller in size than a 100-pound (flour) capacity mixer. 88-pounds V/S 100-pounds of flour. Since most of the manufacturers already make a 100-pound capacity mixer already, I doubt that we will see any of them make a new mixer sized to handle just 12-pounds less flour. Champion Machinery Company (CMC) in Joliet, Illinois makes a small spiral mixer sized to handle just 50-pounds of flour (U.S. made, with U.S. parts and service, for what it’s worth). I believe that that is the only U.S. made spiral mixer.
Tom