Planetary | The best of 2022
Before talking carefully about everything you should know, we will introduce you more carefully to the use of these appliances, to help you dispel any doubts about their usefulness. Planetary machines are food processors appreciated not only by anyone who loves "getting serious" in their kitchen but also by professional chefs all over the world. It is a real mixer capable of working liquid and solid compounds, including yeasts.
Read also: Pizza ovens | The best of 2022 On the market you can find several brands that produce planetary machines and it is important to always evaluate a reliable brand already known on the market. Furthermore, you should prefer companies that guarantee an excellent after-sales service, if you need assistance of any kind, such as buying spare parts. This is a fundamental assessment, given that the expense for this appliance is a small investment with the intention of lasting as long as possible.
The best known and most established brands in this sector are: Kenwood, with its line of simple mixers or more complex kitchen robots, KitchenAid which stands out above all for the attention it pays to aesthetics and stability of the planetary, but also Moulinex, Ariete, Bosch and many others. As for the materials used, there is not a great variety of raw materials to choose from for the production of a planetary mixer. Therefore a product made with metal alloys will certainly be valid and robust, perfect for working effectively even with the most difficult doughs.
The cost of planetary mixers varies from around € 60.00 for the simplest and most standard models, up to some equipped and particularly efficient that exceed even € 1,000 or € 2,000. The price is an indicative value of the characteristics of the product in question and, above all, it depends on the functions it can perform, on the accessories I understand and also on the materials it is made of. So, if you are thinking of buying your first planetary mixer or want to focus on an essential model without too many requests and methods available, you can look for a product belonging to a medium / low price range. On the contrary, the more technologies and features you want, the more you will have to raise your budget.
The best planetary machines
Ariete Pastamatic Gourmet Moulinex Masterchef Kenwood Chef XL Titanium Kitchenaid Artisan Kenwood Chef Patissier XLAriete Pastamatic Gourmet
The Pastamic Gourmet planetary mixer with the Ariete brand has an excellent quality / price ratio and is more than versatile: it kneads, whips, blends and is equipped with both an electric whisk and of a blender. Electric whisk, hook for kneading and mixing are the supplied accessories that will allow you to create any dough in no time, also thanks to the 6 different speed settings you can choose from. It is an excellent planetary mixer for the preparation of large recipes since the stainless steel basket can hold up to 7 liters of ingredients. Furthermore, you can easily prepare smoothies, smoothies and velvets by mounting the blender on the mixer arm.SEE ON AMAZON SEE ON EBAY
Moulinex Masterchef
Masterchef Moulinex is equipped with a powerful 1500 W motor and 3 quality die-cast metal tools, designed to help you give your best with both new and sophisticated recipes as well as traditional recipes. Also in this case, the 6.7 liter container will allow you to prepare up to 2.6 kg of cake mixes and 2.2 kg of dough for bread, pizza or pasta in one go. Thanks to the dual planetary mixing movement, the head of the Moulinex appliance and the mixing tool rotate in opposite directions, ensuring fast and extremely homogeneous results. You can knead, mix and whip with the kit included, consisting of metal dough hook, beater and whisk, excellent for everyday use.SEE ON AMAZON
Kenwood Chef XL Titanium
In this case, we are talking about a professional planetary mixer that will allow you to create excellent dishes and rather complicated recipes. This model, featuring a power of 1700W and a large 6.7L stainless steel bowl, is equipped with a die-cast metal structure and a brushed steel finish. Thanks to the lighting inside the bowl, you will be able to see the ingredients precisely, noting their color, texture and density, obtaining excellent results for all your recipes. Supplied you will have 3 mixing hooks, 2 whisks, a pastry spatula and a glass blender.SEE ON AMAZON SEE ON EBAY
Kitchenaid Artisan
Also in this case we are talking about a planetary mixer with a robust and attractive design, equipped with resistant and efficient accessories. This Kitchenaid product is even more versatile than the previous items, as it can mix, whip, grate and knead with the accessories supplied, ensuring excellent sweet or savory preparations, from pizza to meringue to whipped cream. Thanks to the original planetary movement, the ingredients are processed homogeneously and quickly, it is also equipped with a 3L spare container, whisk with flexible rim and splash protection in addition to the main 4.8 L stainless steel container.SEE ON AMAZON
Kenwood Chef Patissier X
At the end of our list, one of the jewels of the planetary machines with a power of 1400W, one of the most complete and professional that you can find on the market. The Kenwood Chef Patissier XL allows you to create dishes of great quality thanks to the EasyWeigh function with integrated scale to weigh directly inside the bowl and reduce preparation times. To heat the bowl and melt ingredients such as chocolate, you can take advantage of the EasyWarm feature and, during any recipe, you will have the possibility to choose between 6 pre-set programs to be displayed on the appropriate color touch screen. Supplied with 3 mixing hooks K whisk for dry ingredients, dough hook, wire whisk for spongy compounds, rubber whisk and 1.6 L Thermoresist blenderSEE ON AMAZON
How to choose the planetary mixer
After having explained to you what is the use of the planetary mixer and having chosen some of the most interesting products of the period, we will explain in detail what are the numerous advantages of this kitchen item, also helping you to identify the characteristics to keep in mind during your purchase. The keywords of this appliance are undoubtedly numerous because, as we have explained to you, it is a small investment that will change and greatly facilitate your way of cooking. There are many aspects to consider, above all because there are many models and the competition on the market is very high for this very reason.Each planetary mixer has different levels of versatility, it can mix more or less types of ingredients, it can be more or less fast, small or large and much more. In this section of our article, we will carefully explain what are the aspects that you cannot ignore when choosing the product and what can be a convenient but not necessary option.
Versatility and cooking functions Structure Power Speed Optional Accessories to be added
Versatility and cooking functions
Among the first factors to consider is the versatility, which refers to the range of doughs that this appliance can make. Obviously this is a fundamental element, which strictly depends on the type of use you want to make of it. Another feature that strongly affects the versatility of the planetary machines in a decisive way are the cooking functions. Some planetary in fact are equipped with an integrated resistance that will allow you to heat the bowl, up to a preset temperature. This function is useful for those who particularly delight in the preparation of sweets and pastry products.Obviously the maximum temperature that can be reached by these products is variable but, generally, it does not exceed 150 ° C sufficient for the preparation of savory recipes such as risotto, polenta or ravioli, but it cannot be used for any type of frying or for special cooking that require a higher temperature. It should be noted that the most sophisticated planetary machines allow you to select the temperature degree by degree, which makes the difference in the case of some confectionery preparations.
Structure
The structure of a planetary mixer is composed of different elements to be observed carefully, starting from the capacity. Capacity is an aspect to be evaluated during the purchase phase, as it will allow you to understand the amount of dough that you can work and therefore also the maximum number of people for which to cook a single recipe. It is necessary to take into account the capacity expressed in liters that the bowl will also contain, beyond how much dough you want to make, the element of capacity must be kept in mind as it will also increase the space occupied in your kitchen. The quantities vary from a minimum of about 500/600 g to a maximum of about 2 kg, for more abundant recipes. Obviously, focusing on a larger planetary mixer can make the difference if you are used to cooking in large quantities, perhaps for a rather large family or a group of friends.Stability is another aspect that is worth the worth observing carefully, as greater or lesser stability considerably affects both performance and safety during use. The planetary mixer is subjected to a series of stresses while it is active and for this reason it must have excellent stability, so as not to be displaced by movements and vibrations during the various processing of the ingredients, avoiding falling to the ground or getting unbalanced. For this, checking that the appliance is not too light can make a big difference. Still talking about the importance of a solid and quality structure, we advise you to keep an eye on the materials from which the planetary mixer is made. These help to make it more stable and more durable over time, as well as easier to clean, and our advice is to always prefer metal alloys to plastic ones.
Power
Power of a planetary mixer greatly limits or expands the type of dough that can be processed and, obviously, greatly affects the time it takes to manage more complex ingredients. For example, for hard doughs designed to make homemade bread and pasta, you will need a planetary mixer that can work with constancy and energy for a medium-long time. In this regard, taking a look at the watts is certainly one of the greatest precautions, to be sure that the planetary mixer is able to properly mix any type of dough you want to make.A wattage of about 250 watts corresponds to the minimum value to start from in order not to risk being disappointed by the performance of the appliance. Obviously this feature depends both on the maximum capacity, and on the price range and on the functions with which the planetary mixer is equipped. A professional model or one designed to work particularly hard or difficult to mix ingredients, will inevitably tend towards greater power.
Speed
The various speed settings will allow you to make your recipes in the shortest possible time. possible time, obviously also based on the type of ingredients you decide to use and the power of the machine. A planetary mixer with a single speed or few options available will not only work fewer types of dough, but will also end up doing it much more slowly. On the market, the most detailed models have more than 20 speeds.The simplest products, therefore, do not have many options in this area and generally not even a particularly high power. Closely linked to the issue of speed is also the maximum working time factor. Some doughs, in fact, necessarily require quite long times that a product with a higher wattage can reduce considerably compared to a cheaper item.
Accessories
As you can easily imagine after observing from close to power and speed, each ingredient requires a specific tool to be worked, such as hooks, whisks, spatulas and much more. Among the most commonly supplied products, we would dare to say almost indispensable, you can find:Gancio: designed to work hard leavened doughs. Thanks to the rotating movement of the planetary mixer, this whisk can knead strongly and continuously, which is why it is perfect for kneading bread or pizza dough; Whisk K: essential for perfectly mixing ingredients, it is suitable for processing soft doughs, such as cakes and, more generally, for the emulsion of full-bodied ingredients such as eggs and flour; Wire whisk: made of steel wires and ideal for whipping your compounds. Obviously it is suitable for light, liquid doughs or with a foamy consistency such as eggs beaten with sugar or whipped cream; Rubberized whisk: a necessary tool to mix particularly delicate compounds. For example, it can be used to incorporate egg whites or whipped cream into a pastry dough;
Optional
In case of need, purchasing additional accessories can be a further investment, valid and able to improve the performance of your planetary mixer or simplify certain steps. Obviously, you will always have to make sure that the model you choose is designed to use other tools besides those supplied, but most of these medium / high-end appliances are designed to be customized at any time. Among the most common options, you can find:Chopper: designed to chop vegetables and grate cheeses. It is often equipped with blades to obtain different types of cuts; Meat mincer: it is suitable for preparing hamburgers and all types of minced meat, but it can also be used on soft foods such as boiled vegetables; Sheeter: an excellent alternative to the pasta machine that will allow you to adjust the thickness of the pastry, making homemade lasagna or different pasta shapes; Ice cream maker: for the ultimate in gluttony, you can replace the main bowl with this one and a special spatula for processing everything you need to make your homemade ice cream.
