Home use spiral mixer
Hey all,
KA then Ank have both failed me at high hydration bread doughs (~80%), so I'm now leaning towards buying a spiral mixer, I've no prior experience with those types of mixers though and I wanted to get your advice on which of the following 2 I should buy:
Spiralmac SV5 Royal Queen
or
It seems like the Famag is more popular, but unfortunately it's out of stock and about 3 months for it to be back, so I'm looking at alternatives and the spiralmac have one or two positive reviews on the pizzamaking forum. Should I go ahead and pull the trigger on the spiralmac or does anyone see any concerns? Also, I could be wrong but I kinda favor its approach to removable breaker bar + hook than the Famag tilt-head style as they'd be easier to clean that way.
The main advantage of the famag in my eye other than popularity is the height of 17" vs 21" on the spiralmac, but I've a spot on the counter (or floor if it proves to be too hard to maneuver) where both would sit anyway. The famag also supports a lower RPM of 96 vs 110 on the spiralmac but I don't know if that difference will ever matter for me, I've read it matters for super low hydration but I've never done these.
A third option was this Alpha AVS-10 but it had mixed reviews and in every single video it was noticeably rocking so I decided to pass on it.
Appreciate any insights
Is it the colour you want in the Famag that is out of stock? I see they have two different rpm tilt-heads in stock, but they are green.
Oh, no, I just missed that, it seems like the 2 units in stock are the higher RPM one though, 130 minimum RPM. I've no clue on how fast 130 RPM is in practice though.
Stock availability & the price variance aside though, anything specific that stands out in either models compared to each other?
Sorry, I can't help. I've got a crummy KA.
130 rpm is just a little more than two revolutions per second! 2.166666 to be exact
I don't see the point of the superfast spiral speeds that are available now. Spiral speeds used to be 100 slow and 200 fast and that is all you need. You can develop gluten perfectly at 68% hydration/200rpm and then use bassinage to increase hydration to your desired level.
I wouldn't be happy with a minimum speed of 130rpm - it's too high.
I haven't seen the Spiralmac before - it looks good, well built and I like the removeable spiral, breaker and bowl - if you can cope with the height, as you say. My Famag has "adequate" build and is fine for home use, but certainly not in the class of a Sunmix, IGF Fornitalia, or possibly that Spiralmac.
Have a search for "impastatrice spiralmac sv5 royal" and you might get a bit more info - especially if you search with Bing with country and language set to Italy/Italian.
Lance
Thanks Lance, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the Spiralmac
Well done - I'm sure it will serve you well. Let us know how you get on with it.
Lance
Bought one in February, best mixer I ever had. Incredible dough development in about 12 minutes on slow speed. $799 delivered. Prices will go up at some point. The mixer is built like a tank, weighs 60lbs. Quiet operation, variable speed, lifetime motor warranty. Easily handles 10lbs of dough including 100% whole wheat. Just google KYS pro baker. At this price, it does not have a tilt head, those models are coming but will be $1200 of so and a bargain compared to the $2,000 mixers. Easy cleaning using a micro fiber cloth. Comes with an outer ice pack that you can wrap around the bowl to keep dough cool, but have not needed it. Fast shipping, well packaged. I fully recommend!
Bought on in February, best mixer I ever had. Incredible dough development in about 12 minutes on slow speed. $799 delivered. Prices will go up at some points. The mixer is built like a tank, weighs 60lbs. Quiet operation, variable speed, lifetime motor warranty. Easily handles 10lbs of dough including 100% whole wheat. Just google KYS pro baker. I fully recommend. At this price, it does not have a tilt head, those models are coming but will be $1200 of so and a bargain compared to the $2,000 mixers.Easy cleaning using a micro fiber cloth. Comes with an outer ice pack that you can wrap around the bowl to keep dough cool, but have not needed it. Fast shipping, well packaged..
A nice looking mixer, Nick.
I'm interested in the cleaning regime - the website suggests to clean with a microfibre cloth when the residual dough is dry. Does this actually work? I tend to do the exact opposite and pour in some boiling water and quickly cover the top of the bowl with plastic to keep the steam in to soften the dough before wiping out.
Lance
Great choice! The Spiralmac is an excellent investment. Looking forward to hearing how you like it after you try it out!
I have a question or two for those of you that have "fixed" bowl home spiral mixers. How easy is it to remove high hydration dough from a mixer when you can't dump the bowl? Low hydration seems pretty simple, but how about 80% plus hydration? Also, how difficult is it to clean the bowl?
I'm considering buying a KYS Pro Bake 7, but I'm concerned about the fixed bowl, and high hydration dough.
Thanks for your attention and thoughts. Jim
PS: I would also welcome comments about the KYS mixers from any of you that have used one.