Hobart A200 Mixer: A Restaurant Kitchen Handbook

A mixer is an essential piece of equipment for any restaurant kitchen. It takes the stress out of high-volume baking, and helps to boost productivity in the kitchen. Due to its frequent use for heavy-duty baking tasks, it is important that restaurants invest in a high-quality, durable Hobart mixer, such as the Hobart A200. Hobart has been a trusted name in commercial kitchen equipment for many years due to the reliability of their equipment, innovative design and quality construction of parts. A Hobart A200 Mixer is versatile and easy-to-use, taking the effort out of commercial baking. To help you make the most of your Hobart A200 mixer and all of its parts, here is a helpful guide outlining the usage, features and maintenance for your mixer.

Specifications

The Hobart A200 Mixer is the ideal purchase for your restaurant kitchen. It comes with a 20-quart capacity, perfect for moderate volume baking, and is available as a bench or floor-mounted model. All models in the A-series are ergonomically designed to allow for maximum comfort and ease of use, and all come with a variety of features and attachments to suit the needs of your restaurant.

Operation

The Hobart A200 has been carefully designed for ease of use and easy cleaning to make your restaurant kitchen run smoother and more efficiently. Due to a slight difference in the features of some models in the A200 series, you should refer to your user’s manual for specific operation instructions. However, in general, the main operational features of a Hobart A200 mixer include:

• The on/off control
• A timer which can be programmed to time various mixing operations
• The gear shift lever, which changes the speed of the agitator arm (This feature is particularly important for ensuring that different ingredients are not over- or under-mixed.)
• The bowl lift arm, which is an ergonomic feature that allows you to maneuver the bowl easily
• The wire cage and splash guard, which can be rotated out of the way to allow you to add ingredients while the mixer is operating

Before operating the mixer, ensure that the bowl is properly installed and locked into the bowl clamps, and use the agitator arm and attachments only after the bowl has been installed.

Attachments

All mixers in the Hobart A200 series come with a selection of attachments for all types of baking and mixing tasks to make your job in the kitchen easier. The dough hook allows you to make large quantities of dough for bread, pizzas or cookies without the hassle of kneading the dough by hand, which can be a demanding job. There are two different dough hooks available: the C-hook has a lighter kneading motion, and the Spiral Dough Hook, with an efficient design that is perfect for denser doughs. The flat beater is an essential attachment for creating light batters, such as cake batters, and for general mixing functions. It is ideal for when you do not want to incorporate too much air into a mixture, or you do not want to risk over-mixing your batters. For fluffy meringues and whipped cream, the wire whip is the tool for the job. Its durable stainless steel construction makes it preferable for use in a restaurant kitchen over traditional aluminum whips. There are many other useful attachments that you may consider purchasing for your Hobart A200 mixer. The pastry knife attachment isn’t for slicing, but it is used for incorporating butter into dough for pies, biscuits, puff pastry, and short crust pastry. It does this without overworking the dough or melting the butter, which could ruin the dough. The bowl scraper attachment is a useful piece of equipment, as it allows you to cut down on mixing time by efficiently scraping down the bowl of the mixer as it works.

Maintenance

The most effective way to maintain your mixer is to clean it daily and inspect it regularly. This will prevent any build-up of dirt or grime from damaging the parts. To clean the mixer, remove the bowl, attachments and agitator arm from the mixer and wash thoroughly with soap and warm water. Remove the bowl guard and splash guard according to the user’s manual for your model. Wash both with warm soapy water, and rinse and a dry thoroughly before reassembling. Wipe down the rest of the machine with a clean, damp cloth. There are a few parts that need to be lubricated often for the mixer to function optimally. The bowl lift arm, which raises and lowers the bowl, and the bowl clamps, which hold the bowl in pace, both need lubrication monthly. Other components of the mixer should be checked regularly for wear or damage and replaced when necessary.