Commercial baking buying guide: mixers and blenders
12 minutes
28 November 2025
KitchenAid brand is known for offering an extensive selection of timeless appliances for Makers creating in their home kitchens—including commercial-style ranges for people wanting a professional-style look at home. But KitchenAid brand’s product offering doesn’t end at the home kitchen, it includes appliances specially designed for the professional kitchen as well. If you’re an owner of a restaurant, bakery or catering business, KitchenAid brand has a great selection of commercial baking equipment to help tackle bigger, tougher cooking tasks.
Commercial baking buying guide: mixers and blenders
Commercial baking buying guide: mixers and blenders
Commercial stand mixers for mixing, kneading and more
Professional baking supplies, including stand mixers, are designed to stand up to the heavy duty wear and tear that professionals throw at them. These appliances are the driving force of commercial kitchens and can help take on bigger jobs and heavier ingredients.
There are three main types of commercial stand mixers: Dough or spiral mixers for making pizzas, pastries and breads for pizzerias and bakeries. Vertical cutter mixers to perform a variety of functions for high-volume restaurants, cafeterias and food production facilities. Or planetary mixers, which are usually countertop mixers, created for a variety of uses including dough, whipped cream, sauces and mashed potatoes for smaller volume businesses.
KitchenAid® commercial stand mixers are planetary mixers. They’re designed to knead dough, mix ingredients, whip cream and more. They’re larger than consumer stand mixers to accommodate more ingredients. KitchenAid brand offers 2 commercial stand mixers, each available in 4 stylish colors:
1. Nsf® certified commercial series 8 quart bowl lift stand mixer1
The robust motor, the backbone of the mixer, delivers .44 HP to the bowl enabling the mixer to deliver consistent power to small and large loads with less heat build-up for years of dependable mixing. When combined with and guided by the advanced motor control board, this is KitchenAid brand’s longest lasting and most efficient motor yet. This highly efficient, special purpose motor can handle more than 8 pounds of dough with ease.
The mixer comes with an 8 quart bowl for large and small batches, a flat beater, Powerknead™ Spiral Dough Hook, stainless steel wire whip and features bowl-lift to provide support for stable mixing. 1. Motor horsepower for our mixer motors was measured using a dynamometer, a machine laboratories routinely use to measure the mechanical power of motors. The 1.3 horsepower (HP) motor reference reflects the horsepower rating of the motor itself and not the mixer’s horsepower output to the mixer bowl.
2. Nsf® certified commercial series 8 quart bowl-lift stand mixer with stainless steel bowl guard and 1.3 hp motor.1
Features the same powerful 1.3 HP motor, accessories and design, along with a stainless steel bowl guard to prevent unwanted items from entering the mix.
1. Motor horsepower for our mixer motors was measured using a dynamometer, a machine laboratories routinely use to measure the mechanical power of motors. The 1.3 horsepower (HP) motor reference reflects the horsepower rating of the motor itself and not the mixer’s horsepower output to the mixer bowl.
What to look for in a commercial stand mixer
When you’re purchasing a commercial stand mixer, be sure and look for the following:
NSF® certified - means the appliance is safe in commercial food service application.
Heavy duty motor - for speed, longer run times and durability.
Large capacity - commercial recipes are typically made on a larger scale so capacity is key. KitchenAid® commercial stand mixers feature an 8 quart bowl to easily mix recipes with up to 16 cups of flour, 13 dozen cookies or knead dough for 8¼ loaves of bread in a single bowl. They also have 5 and 7 quart bowls for smaller jobs.
Bowl lift design - to add to mixing stability.
Dishwasher safe bowls and accessories - for easy cleanup.
Commercial grade attachments & accessories - for durability, added versatility.
How attachments can make your mixer more versatile
KitchenAid brand makes a variety of attachments and accessories for all its stand mixer models to help turn them into more versatile appliances like pasta makers, meat grinders, ice cream makers and more. KitchenAid® commercial stand mixers include the following accessories to help expand creativity in professional kitchens:
Accessory | Uses |
|---|---|
6.9 NSF® Certified flat beater | smooth cake batters, mashed potatoes, cookie doughs, creamy icings and buttercreams |
6.9 L Dough hook | doughs for pasta, pizza, breads and rolls |
6.9 L Wire elliptical wisk | whipping cream, eggs whites, sauces, puddings and butters |
Tip: mixing
A KitchenAid® commercial stand mixer will mix faster and more thoroughly than most other electric stand mixers. The mixing time in most recipes must be adjusted to avoid overbeating. With cakes, for example, beating time may be half as long as with other stand mixers.
Commercial immersion blenders for chopping, crushing, blending and more
Larger and more powerful than their home kitchen immersion blender counterparts, commercial immersion, or stick blenders, are an essential addition to any professional kitchen. Unlike traditional blenders, they can be submerged and blend ingredients right in the cooking pot. They can help with tasks like whipping creams, pureeing soups, blending batters, sauces and gravies, emulsifying dressings, and crushing and chopping ingredients for your baked goods quickly and easily. Because they’re so large, they can help make large quantities for commercial purposes.
3. Commercial® 400 series immersion blender- 20, 18, 16, 14, and 12 inch arm
Blend, chop, crush or puree quickly and easily with the multi-purpose blending arm and powerful variable speed 1 HP2 motor. The 400 Series is capable of blending from 10 gallons (12” blending arm) all the way up to 26 gallons (20” blending arm) of tough ingredients.
All 400 series immersion blenders come with a removable stainless steel blending arm, a bowl-clamp for confident no-hands operating, a 12-inch orange cord for safety and awareness and a carrying case to protect your blender.
2. Laboratory measurement of peak horsepower output of motor, not the operational output at the blade.
4. 300 series nsf® certified commercial immersion blender-8 inch blending arm
Designed and engineered to handle tough blending jobs, this commercial immersion blender features an 8" removable blending arm with s-shaped blade to blend everything from smoothies, to sauces and soups. The quiet DC motor with 2 speeds (11,000 and 18,000 RPM) is powerful enough to handle difficult blending with ease, including dough. A convenient wall mount accessory is included for easy storage when not in use.
5. Commercial series 10” whisk accessory3
This commercial whisk accessory fits 400 Series KitchenAid® Commercial Immersion Blenders for making whipped cream, meringues and fluffy frostings.
3. Sold separately
What to look for in a commercial immersion blender
When you’re purchasing a commercial immersion blender, be sure and look for the following:
NSF® certified - means the appliance is safe in commercial food service applications.
Heavy duty motor - to facilitate high-volume blending.
Variable speeds - so you can speed up and slow down with ease, this can even help avoid splash back with ingredients.
Cord - a long, orange colored cord is key for better awareness and more flexibility. Battery operated models might allow for better portability, but they can be heavier and have a limited run time.
Shaft length - make sure your blade can reach the bottom of the bowl or pot you’re blending in. If your blade is too short you may find unblended ingredients at the bottom of the bowl.
Stainless steel removable blending arms - for durability and dishwasher safe convenience.
Bowl clamp - allows for multitasking and secure, no hands operation.
How immersion blenders can help cut prep time
Immersion blenders can help cut prep time in your commercial kitchen. By adding the KitchenAid® Commercial Series 10" Whisk Attachment to your commercial baking supplies you can increase versatility and improve kitchen efficiency even further:
Accessory | Uses |
|---|---|
Multi-purpose S-blade | soups, thick batters, vegetable purées, mousses, compotes, sauces, cooked meats, gravy, liquify fruits, minces, chopped toppings |
Whisk attachment3 | pancake batter, mayonnaise, egg whites, pudding, whipped cream, meringue |
3. Sold separately
Commercial blenders for chopping, crushing ice and pureeing
Choosing the right blender for your professional kitchen will go a long way towards creating greater time-efficiency and productivity for your restaurant, catering business or bar. A good commercial blender is designed for frequent use in a high volume setting. There are culinary blenders that can do everything from chopping nuts to pureeing fruit for jam fillings and beverage blenders that can make frozen drinks, smoothies and signature cocktails to complement your bakes. Some beverage blenders come with sound enclosures to dampen sound.
The KitchenAid® Commercial Culinary Blender even features a programmable Coulis Setting which lets you take 1000 grams of fluid gels to a satin smooth coulis in one single step.
6. Nsf® certified commercial beverage blender with 3.5 peak hp motor
The KitchenAid® Commercial Series Beverage Blender features a powerful 3.5 HP4 motor that blends a margarita in just 22 seconds and the 60-oz BPA-free jar is engineered to optimize performance, with beveled corners that allow for clean pouring from three sides. The die-cast metal motor base stands up to rough kitchen and bar conditions and comes with a 3-year hassle free warranty.
7. Nsf® certified commercial culinary blender with 3.5 peak hp motor
The KitchenAid® Commercial Culinary Blender has everything you need to power through a busy day of food prep and recipe experimentation. The powerful 3.5 HP4 motor blends a silky smooth puree in under 2 minutes and it features the same 60 oz. BPA-free jar, perfect for blends large or small, die cast motor and 3-year warranty as the KitchenAid® Beverage Blender.
4. Motor horsepower for our commercial blender motors were measured using a dynamometer, a machine laboratories routinely use to measure the mechanical power of motors. Our 3.5-horsepower (HP) motor reference reflects the horsepower rating of the motor itself and not the commercial blender's horsepower output to the blending vessel. The output horsepower to the blending vessel will be somewhat reduced.
8. Nsf® certified commercial enclosure blender
Quietly power your way to a perfect blend, from fruit smoothies and dessert beverages to daiquiris and frozen coffee drinks. The powerful motor delivers optimal performance and the enclosure dampens the blender sound, causing fewer distractions in your restaurant, bar or cafe. The 60-oz BPA-free jar is perfect for blends large or small, and includes beveled corners for easy pouring.
What to look for in a commercial blender
NSF®certified - means the appliance is safe in commercial food service applications.
Heavy duty motor - to facilitate high-volume blending of a variety of ingredients.
High quality blades - to take on tough ingredients. KitchenAid® commercial blenders feature the patented Talon™ Asymmetrical Blade to blend at four different angles pulling ingredients into the blending vortex for smooth, consistent results. This design allows for blending large and tough ingredients, like whole fruits and vegetables, which saves you prep time.
Capacity - 51-65 ounces is considered large capacity for higher volume jobs.
Variable speeds - for precision blending.
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