I have a standard mixer that can be put on a stand and its motor has 400W of power. Since it struggles with some doughs and I don't really like its mixing I decided to buy a stand "Planetary Mixer"* (i.e. a non-commercial Stand Mixer with "Planetary Mixing Action"), however I am not sure what wattage I should look for. I certainly won't use it for commercial uses and can't figure out if, say, 800W would be too much.
I also don't know if I can ask here about advice on the model of mixer? Since I am looking for one that has metal gearing and dishwasher safe beaters/parts but am finding it hard to find any information about different models.
* Planetary action means that the beaters rotate on their axis similarly to the way the Earth rotates. Like a planetary system, the whole mixer head then rotates the opposite way, similar to the way the Earth rotates around the sun. This ensures that the sides of the bowl are scraped by the beater rather than having to do it by hand, and that the ingredients become fully mixed.
Best Answer
I have a Kitchen Aid 5 quart Pro lift model stand mixer. It is rated at 450 watts. It can handle a recipe using 1,000 grams (about 8 cups) of King Arthur Whole Wheat flour and yields two 5" X 9" loaves. A-P flour requires less power to knead than whole wheat.
More power usually comes with a bigger bowl and small recipes are going to get lost in such a large mixer