A commercial mixer is one of the few pieces of kitchen equipment that can outlast the business that bought it. Hobart reports that the average age of a Classic commercial mixer still in service is 24 years, and well-maintained machines routinely run past 30. That number is worth sitting with, because it reframes the purchase. … Read more
A bakery mixer has a harder job than a pizzeria mixer, not because the dough is tougher but because there is more variety. Bread one hour, cake batter the next, buttercream after that. The machine that handles all three is a planetary, and the question is really what size and what build quality. Bread dough … Read more
Pizza dough is the hardest thing most commercial mixers are asked to do, and the reason is hydration. A stiff, low-hydration dough loads a motor and transmission far harder than bread or batter, which is why a mixer that looks adequate on the box burns out in a pizzeria. The number that decides everything here … Read more
These two machines get cross-shopped constantly, and the spec sheets make the comparison look lopsided in a way it is not. The KitchenAid lists a 1.3 HP motor against the Hobart’s 1/6 HP, holds 8 quarts against the Hobart’s 5, and offers 10 speeds against 3. On paper it wins every line. Then you pick … Read more
Buying a commercial mixer is four decisions, taken in order: what type of machine, what size, what build tier, and what the machine has to comply with. Get them in that order and the shortlist narrows fast. Take them out of order, which is what most buyers do when they start from a price filter, … Read more