Before making your purchase, there are three main questions you will want to ask yourself:

1.) What will you be mixing?

Different types of dough and batter will have different consistencies, and as a result not every mixer is right for every job - kneading a batch of thick, stiff dough is going to require more power than mixing meringue or icing, for example. A commercial bread mixer and pizza dough mixer will be different than a mixer meant for whipping delicate egg whites.

Finding the absorption ratio (lbs. of water divided by lbs. of flour) for some of your most commonly used dough is a good way to figure out what types of mixers might best suit your needs; the lower the absorption rate, the more difficult the dough will be to mix and in turn, the more powerful your unit should probably be.

2.) What type of usage do you expect from your mixer?

All mixers are designed to handle the rigors of commercial use, but some are better equipped for certain types of mixing than others; be sure to check the manufacturer's literature on the product pages for more information.

3.) How much will you be mixing?

How much you will be mixing plays a large role in what size of mixer you will want to look at. A small restaurant can take care of most needs with a 5 - 20 qt. planetary mixer. In contrast, a pizzeria or bakery will want to look at 40 qt. or larger, or even a spiral mixer in very large-scale applications. This is because the mixer is being used almost constantly and turning out high volumes of product.

Also, be mindful of the fact that the bowl can't be filled to the brim and different ingredient factors will affect how big each batch can be:

Higher flour protein content = smaller batch size

Lower water temperature = smaller batch size

Less water in the dough = smaller batch size

Higher mixing speed = smaller batch size

More oil / shortening in the dough = smaller batch size

Our mixer capacities chart (below) is a great way to determine what size of mixer is best for you.

PLEASE NOTE: This chart is not a definite guide for every mixer; the values represent a typical capacity for the products that we carry and are meant to help you determine the best commercial mixer for your needs. Please refer to the manufacturer literature (located under "Specsheet" on our product pages) for more detailed information about what each specific model can handle.