The Halo Professional is way quieter, and the motor doesn’t overheat; I don’t get the sense that the motor is straining to knead the dough. There’s additionally—sorry, I don’t understand how else to explain this—no violent thwapping of dough because it’s being kneaded. In contrast to a KitchenAid, you’ll be able to go away it unattended. This is very easy that I ruined not one however two batches of shokupan with over-kneading earlier than I noticed what was taking place.
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
Having the ability to extra exactly calibrate the pace of the blending with a dial as a substitute of the KitchenAid’s 5 settings helped. You may knead it a lot slower and deal with it extra gently with a dial and a spiral mixer than with a KitchenAid.
I additionally love the Halo Professional’s versatile paddle, which is significantly better than the KitchenAid flat paddle. It suits completely in opposition to the bowl’s sides, which implies you’ll be able to put even the smallest quantities of softened butter and sugar within the bowl, and the paddle will cream them completely. No stopping each few seconds to raise the arm and scrape the edges with a separate spatula, though you’ll in all probability really feel the necessity to try this anyway. I’ve solely had this mixer since February, so I can’t vouch for the paddle’s long-term sturdiness, however it appears to be holding up properly.
Lastly, there may be even a gentle inside, so that you don’t should have the mixer completely positioned in your kitchen to examine in case your chocolate chips have been properly distributed within the dough.
Mucho Gusto
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
As you’ll have guessed, getting a business stand mixer is generally about quantity. For those who’re a bread baker who desires to enhance your one or two weekly loaves for your loved ones, there are cheaper and simpler issues you are able to do that may have a significantly better impact earlier than you put money into certainly one of these. (For these ideas, I refer you to Ken Forkish’s e book Flour Water Salt Yeast, which my colleague Kat Merck edited and recipe-tested.)
The Halo Professional’s fundamental competitor is the Ankarsrum stand mixer. It’s lovely and has the identical retro aesthetic because the KitchenAid, if that’s your factor. The Halo Professional has higher specs in some regards. For instance, I received the Halo Professional as much as 345 revolutions per minute versus the Ankarsrum’s measly 130 rpm. The Halo Professional has the inside gentle and the versatile paddle, which I appreciated fairly a bit.
The main draw back has to do with why folks purchase KitchenAids: You understand they will final a lifetime, and possibly a number of. Irrespective of how nice any spiral mixer is, it is arduous to face up in opposition to that sort of well-known assure. However if you happen to’re like me, and you want entertaining in a carby, chaotic approach—pizza! Pretzels! Cinnamon rolls!—getting a much bigger spiral mixer is price it. No extra worrying about making a number of batches, or overheating, or having to babysit your dough. It is also handy for whipping up little batches of this or that within the mornings, too.
