Food processor versus planetary mixer: which one to buy?

2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20

Planetary: raise your hand if you have it. Indeed, first let those who DO NOT have it get up. Because now, almost everyone has the planetary mixer.

The planetarium has by now consecrated itself as the discovery of the century, and the name - sluggish - refers us to nocturnal scrutiny of starry skies and firmaments of distant and mysterious planets.

None of this: the planetary mixer is a mixer. Yes, a trivial mixer.

Yet, since Montersino - holy man - years ago began to go crazy on the net manipulating the mysterious instrument, legions of various humanity have begun to drool for this mixer.

But in the end, poetry and firmaments aside, have we ever wondered if this miracle of technique is really so indispensable, so essential in our lives and in our doughs?

Did it really relegate to the nano-second space all the appliances we had used in the category of obsolete museum-worthy rubbish or unworthy junk?

The writer, that is me, has gloriously used for almost three decades what was simply called "kitchen robot", now promoted to "food processor", with which he kneaded endless shortbreads for pies and cartloads of pizza dough, assembled wheelbarrows of cream and mixed hundreds of doughs from the “one cake in two minutes” series, throwing all the ingredients into the blender cup without any order or restraint, and always obtaining more than appreciable results.

Did I really need the very powerful planetary mixer that I too, yes, I am equipped with, like the whole food addict world?

Intimately distressed by this doubt, I therefore tried to find more or less objective answers, comparing the two appliances to understand if the planetary mixer is really so essential for kneading, as we believe, or if instead the old and dear food processor has been unfairly shipped to the attic.

And therefore, I performed my very personal test that I gladly share, to clarify the ideas to those who, like me, still had some doubts about the actual usefulness of a planetary mixer for home / family use.

I start my test with the leavened dough test, then continuing with the other two main types of dough, namely shortcrust dough and doughs called "whipped masses", ie sponge cake or plum - cakes. which include a whipped egg and sugar or butter and sugar.

I then continue with other features that do not have to do with kneading (such as functions, accessories, aesthetics or price), but which in any case have their weight in determining the usefulness, practicality and accessibility of our helpers in the kitchen..

Let's begin.

1) Doughs for leavened products

Pizzas, focaccias, wraps and even large sweet leavened products such as pandoro, panettone and colombe. Here the planetary is at stake its reputation as indispensable, here the game gets tough, here its very existence is justified!

Well, then, know that to make "stringing", that is to transform your two or three ounces of flour into a dough worthy of the name, you will eat about forty minutes of your existence: that is how long it takes the porridge of water and flour to "develop the gluten mesh”, that is to transform itself into a dough worthy of the name and which represents something edible.

Forty.

Moreover, in these forty minutes of life do not think of doing your own business quietly by leaving the machine there to turn, just imagine: you will have to overturn the dough at least two or three times, detach the parts twisted on the hook, vary the speed when necessary (to say increase it badly when you are about to lose all hope of obtaining a semblance of dough), and keep everything under control continuously.

Are you sure you really want to commit so forty minutes of your life when instead, by kneading by hand, you would have the same result in less than ten minutes?

And above all, how does the dear old robot fare?

Well, in the robot, in a matter of minutes, indeed, seconds, as reported in the instruction booklet and as confirmed by over ten years of practice in the field, you will have your beautiful and smooth ball of dough.

And I don't even want to hear the more purists among you who say that in any case the planetary dough would be a thousand times better: in a blind test, perhaps only the absolute palate of Mr. Massari and that of Bonci would distinguish the two types of dough.

VERDICT: So, this point, which is worth two because it is the most important for a planetary mixer, is won by the robot: two points to the robot!

2) Doughs for shortcrust pastry

Putting all the ingredients in the robot like cz, ooops, in bulk, in just over a minute you get a perfect shortcrust pastry, which in cooking will be fragrant and crunchy, without any risk of finding yourself biting into a hard and gneck shoe sole. the tarts, the sluggish ones, can be.

In the planetary mixer you will put, with the shield hook, or kappa, or leaf or whatever you want to call it, at least a couple of minutes more, but not much.

VERDICT: Let's say this round ends with a nice draw (even if the robot takes less)

3) Doughs for whipped masses (sponge cake, plum-cake)

Here we say that perhaps the planetary takes a few minutes less, by virtue of its mega professional whip that incorporates not only air but entire tornadoes.

VERDICT: And this round we assign it to the floor plan, because we are good and also objective, few stories.

4) Weight

Unless you have a Hollywood kitchen or a corporate canteen model, you will certainly not have the space to keep all your work tools at hand and on display on a table ready for eventual use, but you will take them out. from a closet or a shelf every time, as needed.

In this case, you will move on average about nine kilos minimum for a planetary mixer against the average five and a half for the robot.

And it is not always so easy to move these two featherweights, indeed, many times at the thought of moving the tool, you will decide, for the miserable three ounces of flour you need for your homemade pizzottella, to knead by hand.

VERDICT: In any case, it is always better to move five and a half kilos rather than nine: I point to the robot. Moreover, he also gave me the opportunity to use the expression "rather than" correctly, and this earns him my eternal gratitude and gratitude.

5) Power

Yes, the planetaries are powerful, but how much? To be reliable they must not go below 1000 watts, to reach, in the toughest models, up to 1500/1800 watts. An average robot hovers around the same values. Equal power then? Not at all.

If we exclude some planetary models that have a "direct drive" motor, that is placed directly on the head of the kneading arm (ie the Kitchen Aid by Artisan and the Kmix by Kenwood), the other planetary machines practically all have the motor in the machine body, that is, away from the arm.

The motor energy is transmitted by joints and transmission belts which cause a lot of nominal energy to be lost: for a power of 1000 watts in the motor body, the effective one reaching the arm is about half.

Therefore, a common planetary mixer, with motor in the machine block and with nominal 1000 watts of power, will actually deliver us an effective power of 500 watts (different is the case for direct drive planetary machines, in which the nominal watts correspond to the actual ones delivered., but they are the minority, as far as the Italian market is concerned).

The robots, on the other hand, are all direct drive, so the nominal 1000 watts are actually those delivered.

Conclusion: the robots are much more sincere and have a work capacity practically double compared to a common planetary with the same Watt.

VERDICT: I point to the robot, indisputably.

6) Functions and accessories

Both machines have the classic fucking function, if properly equipped, and therefore if with one we can roll the dough, with the other we can grate fior di parmesan and pecorino cheese. Now they all do pretty much everything.

VERDICT: So, this round also ends on a par.

7) Aesthetics

Here, as for aesthetics, my eyes, although not particularly of the world, have certainly been able to admire better than planetary machines and food processors, and therefore I would say that in the standard versions the two of our friends play equal and reveal themselves for what they are: appliances.

Powerful, well-finished, with a certain line that wants to be aggressive at times, at times retro but here, I would say that we are still far from Michelangelo or Canova.

However, some models of planetary mixer by Artisan or the Kmix line by Kenwood are exceptions, which in their beautiful colored lacquers also make a bad impression in the dining room. Well, maybe not in the dining room, but in the kitchen, yes, come on.

In any case, I don't feel like giving victory to the planetary mixer just because some lines are lacquered and colored: appliances are and appliances remain, up!

VERDICT: Even score.

(8) Price

And here are bitter tears. In fact, if with 200 euros you already take home a nice robot and with 400 you will have a "Mr." robot, with the same euros, that is 400, you will instead be able to take home only a medium-low level planetary mixer, unreliable or in any case a now an “old” model, while for a good planetary mixer you will have to easily exceed 700 euros.

And there are not a few.

VERDICT: Net point to the robot.

(9) Quality, materials and company

I don't know how to judge: I personally and tirelessly broke pieces and components of both planetary and robots, after prolonged obsessive-compulsive uses, especially of the robot. I would say that here, in addition to the reliability of the manufacturer, there is a large component of c … o, aka good or bad luck.

VERDICT: Draw, always hoping for a lucky star and not having brought home the only faulty car of the game (which happens regularly).

(10) Acc … I miss the tenth

Let's do this, let's assign it to the robot and don't talk about it anymore.

CONCLUSIONS

Oh well, by now, however, I bought the planetary mixer, I spent the money and then I decided that the planetary mixer wins, test or not!

Stop.

Everyone agrees or has the planetary frenzy taken hold of you too?