From whipping together beautiful meringue to dollop on freshly made pies to beating cookie dough to perfection before baking, a regular stand mixer is not equipped to stand up to the commercial use of a professional home bakery. Even if you stick with your traditional oven and glaze your confections by hand, it is well worth the money to spring for a commercial-duty double-arm mixer. These industrial machines are well qualified to handle daily and heavy mixing duties. Here is a look at some of the top features to look for in a double-arm mixer for your professional home bakery. 

Wheeled Base - This is a major feature to look for because a lot of industrial versions of double arm mixers are designed to be freestanding on a solid base in a mostly permanent location. Therefore, not all models have wheels. In a home kitchen setting, it is more likely that you will need to maneuver your bakery equipment as needed to make room. Look for a double arm mixer model that has sturdy caster wheels on the base so the heavy machine can be wheeled out of the way when it is no longer in use. 

Steel Guards - That spinning whisk, mixing blade, or dough hook can be moving at a pace so rapid that it could easily take off a hand or finger with a commercial-grade mixer. Therefore, you don't want the mixer to have open access to the moving parts when the machine is in use. Look for a double-arm mixer that has a protective grate that covers the mixer blade area when the machine is turned on. These can be in many different forms, but some double-arm mixers don't have one at all. Finding one that does will keep you safe while you work, and keep any other people in your home bakery safe as well. 

Height-Adjustable Arm - Sometimes, you need a really deep-digging mixer to reach in and scrape every last ingredient from the sides of the mixing bowl. Sometimes, you will need a mixing blade to gently whisk at the surface of the concoction you're mixing so you can slowly incorporate ingredients. Because your needs can change, look for a double arm mixer that gives you the choice to pick the height of the arms of the mixer. Even if only one of the two arms is adjustable, it will give you precise control over how far your attachments reaces into the bowl.