I got a first look at Ooni’s Halo Core spiral mixer: Three things I love and one thing I don’t

When Ooni unveiled the new Halo Core spiral mixer, an immediate thought crossed my mind: KitchenAid will face some stiff competition. Priced at $599 on Amazon, it shares the same price point as the popular KitchenAid Artisan Plus, yet it boasts a more compact design suitable for home kitchens. While $599 remains a significant investment, the Halo Core feels more accessible compared to the pricier Ooni Halo Pro at $799, and it won't dominate your countertop space.

After testing the Halo Core, there's much to praise, and one aspect I found less impressive. The Ooni Halo Core spiral mixer utilizes the same dual-kneading mechanism favored by professional bakers. This system, featuring a spiral dough hook and breaker bar, works in tandem with the rotating bowl to create a robust gluten structure, resulting in a light and tender dough.

The mixer is accompanied by a 4-8 quart bowl, a dual-geared whisk, and an angled silicone edge beater for crafting cake batters, cookies, and whipping cream and meringues. Here are three aspects I found exceptional and one area that fell short. The Ooni Halo Core spiral mixer, like its predecessor, is tailored for bread making. Unlike the planetary mixers commonly used by home bakers, Ooni's design brings professional-grade spiral mixing to the kitchen.

This is achieved through the dough hook and bowl's rotation around a stationary breaker bar, a vertical metal rod situated within the mixing bowl. Although the rotating bowl is visually engaging, it serves a practical purpose. The breaker bar extracts dough from the hook as it rotates, preventing it from accumulating on the dough hook and eliminating the need to pause the mix to remove the dough.

Additionally, it stretches the dough, fostering a stronger gluten structure. My experiments with crafting bread and pizza dough with the Halo Core have yielded impressive results. The pizza dough, though still being perfected in my kitchen, has turned out exceptionally well, while the bread was of high quality, so much so that my husband couldn't tell it was homemade.

The kneading process proved smooth, unlike other mixers I've tested, which often move around the countertop during dough spinning, sometimes leading to motor overheating. In contrast, the Halo Core remains steady and avoids any signs of motor strain. The mixer's control knob is positioned atop the appliance, offering easy access for both right- and left-handed users.

Rather than the conventional speed settings, the Halo Core operates on a percentage basis, providing 20 speed options. By turning the knob clockwise, one can adjust the speed from 5% at 60 rpm to 100% at 300 rpm. The control panel lights up in segments, clearly indicating the current speed setting. This innovative feature allows for precise control and effortless pausing.

By pressing the knob, the appliance halts, and a simple press resumes mixing from the last point. While this might seem like a minor detail, it alleviated the inconvenience of adjusting speeds mid-mix. Another standout feature is the dual-geared whisk attachment. I've never ventured into making butter before, but inspired by my colleague's success with the Halo Pro, I decided to give it a try.

The whisk attachment, with its built-in gearbox, proved to be a versatile tool. It whipped heavy cream into a luscious, whipped cream that resembled scrambled eggs. The process was mesmerizing to observe, and I highly recommend experimenting with this feature if you've never made butter before. However, the whisk attachment did not excel at incorporating cake batter.

While it performed admirably with the silicone beater, the Halo Core struggled to fully integrate the butter into the mixture. Even after raising the mixer, a significant clump of butter remained attached to the beater. I plan to continue testing its performance in cake-making, as other reviews have been more favorable. Despite this minor setback, the Halo Core demonstrates it's not just a dough mixer; it has diverse applications in the kitchen.

Would you consider purchasing an Ooni mixer, or have you already invested in one? I'm eager to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.