Stand mixer: what planetary mixing means and why it matters

A stand mixer is one of those appliances where the gap between cheap and good only shows once you put heavy dough in. It comes down to how the hook moves and how the machine sustains it.

Planetary mixing

On a planetary mixer the hook spins on its own axis and simultaneously travels in a circle through the bowl, like a planet around the sun. That way it reaches everywhere, including the edge.

On a simple mixer the hook only spins on its own axis and a ring of dough sits untouched against the wall. You end up scraping every minute, which is exactly why people put such a machine away again.

Wattage is not the whole story

1200 watts sounds impressive, but bread dough is about torque at low speed rather than peak speed. A machine with metal gearing sustains that. One with plastic gears gets hot and will eventually slip.

Lift the machine if you can. Weight is a decent indicator here, because the heavy parts sit exactly where they should. A light mixer also walks across the worktop once the dough stiffens.

What to look for

• Bowl size. For an average household 4 to 5 litres is plenty. Bigger means small quantities are not picked up well, since the whisk barely touches the bottom.
• Number of speeds. More settings sounds better, but what you really need is a very low starting speed. Without it the flour flies across the kitchen.
• Attachments. Check for a dough hook, a whisk and a flat beater. That is the basis; anything beyond gets used rarely.
• Bowl release. Sounds trivial, but a bowl that jams with dough in it annoys you every time.

The 1200W stand mixer with 11 speeds falls in the category with enough torque for bread dough and a low starting speed.

One habit that helps a lot

Never start heavy dough on a high setting. Begin low until the flour is taken up, then increase. That spares the motor and spares you cleaning your cupboard doors.