Photo by Aldward Castillo on Unsplash

A skilled baker with a good rolling pin is fast. That is why this myth survives: watch practiced hands roll out one batch of croissant dough and it looks like a machine could not add much.

The trouble is that a bakery does not run on one batch.

Hand speed fades. Volume doesn't.

The first sheet of the morning is the fastest one you will roll all day. By the tenth, arms are tired, passes get shorter, and thickness starts to drift.

Laminated dough makes it worse. Every fold means another full roll-out, and the butter is warming the whole time. Uneven sheets then cost you again at the oven, with thin edges that overbake and thick centers that don't bake through.

What a sheeter actually changes

A dough sheeter does not get tired. You set the roller gap, feed the dough, and get the same thickness on the last pass as on the first. Our AE-DS650B-SS, for example, handles 15 lb batches and adjusts from 1mm to 50mm, so one machine covers thin pizza and pastry sheets as well as thicker doughs.

The bigger win is labor. Sheeting stops being a job for your most experienced hands and becomes one a newer team member can run. That frees your best baker for shaping, finishing, and the work that needs judgment.

Run the test yourself

Hand rolling still makes sense if you sheet a few pieces a day. If you are not sure where you stand, measure it: for one week, track how long your team spends rolling dough and how many pieces get reworked or tossed for uneven thickness.

If that number surprises you, take a look at the American Eagle dough sheeter line. Our team can help you match a machine to your batch size and your bench space.

Less time on the rolling pin. Sheeting by hand is slow, tiring, and hard to repeat exactly. The AE-DS650B-SS does in a few passes what takes a skilled baker much longer, freeing your team for shaping, filling, and baking while cutting labor costs.

Why pizza makers like it: Consistency. A digital gauge and a locking roller lever let you dial in the same crust thickness pass after pass, with quick adjustments of up to 4mm at a time. Every pie comes out the same, whoever is working the station.

Why pastry kitchens like it: Control. The fully reversible belts and sync drive stretch dough smoothly instead of bunching it, and forward/reverse foot pedals keep both hands free for delicate laminated dough.

Built for a busy back of house:

• 1.5 HP enclosed motor with thermal overload protection
• Roughly 25.5" x 110" of working surface
• All-stainless-steel body panels that resist rust, dents, and scratches
• Fold-up tables and locking casters to free up floor space
• Safety guard interlock and emergency stop, designed to meet OSHA requirements
• 220V single-phase, 1-year limited warranty

It's a natural fit for bakeries and high-volume commissary kitchens looking to standardize production, delivering the same results batch after batch, shift after shift, without sacrificing the texture your customers expect.

See full specs, videos, and pricing for the AE-DS650B-SS →

Photo by Conor Brown on Unsplash

If you've ever rolled out croissant dough by hand at 4 a.m. and felt your forearms give out before the batch did, you've probably wondered whether a dough sheeter is worth the investment. Below are answers to some common questions that will help you decide.

What does a dough sheeter actually do? A dough sheeter passes dough between two rollers, flattening it to a consistent, adjustable thickness in seconds. Instead of rolling pins, muscle, and guesswork, you get the same thickness on sheet one and sheet fifty.

Isn't rolling by hand basically the same thing? Not once volume climbs. Hand-rolling introduces variation: uneven thickness means uneven baking, wasted product, and inconsistent portioning. A sheeter also saves the labor hours your team is currently spending on repetitive rolling - hours that add up fast during croissant, puff pastry, or pizza dough production.

Do I need one if I'm not a full-scale bakery? It depends on volume, not size. A shop making a few dozen pastries a day may get by with a rolling pin. But if you're laminating dough regularly, prepping pizza crusts in batches, or find rolling is becoming a bottleneck before your morning rush, a sheeter pays for itself in labor time and product consistency alone.

What should I look for in a commercial sheeter? Batch capacity and thickness range matter most. Our AE-DS650B-SS, for example, handles 15 lb batches and adjusts from 0mm to 50mm - enough range to go from delicate pastry sheets to pizza dough on the same machine.

Floor model or bench model - what's the difference? Mostly space and volume. A floor sheeter like the AE-DS650B-SS has a much larger footprint (roughly 111" L x 44.5" W once assembled) and a longer working surface to match, which suits kitchens running higher daily batch counts. A bench/countertop sheeter has a compact footprint (around 71" L x 32–36" W) and often folds up when not in use, which makes more sense for a smaller shop with limited floor space or lower daily volume. Batch capacity scales with the machine too, so measure your space and your typical batch size before deciding.

How are the controls different between floor and bench models? On our floor models, you get both hands-free foot pedals and a locking control lever to reverse the belts and run the dough back and forth - so one hand can stay on the dough while the other manages thickness. Bench models rely on the front-mounted control lever alone, with no foot pedal. It's a smaller detail, but it affects workflow: floor models let an operator keep both hands on the dough during lamination, while bench models are built for simpler, lower-volume runs.

What does cleaning and maintenance actually involve? Less than people expect, if the machine is built for it. Look for easy-to-remove scrapers - ours pull out without tools for daily cleaning - and a safety guard that auto-shuts off the machine when it's opened, so cleaning is both faster and safer. Removable working tables and pop-up conveyor rollers also make it easier to get into every part of the machine for a proper wipe-down or belt replacement.

What electrical setup do these machines need? Our dough sheeters run on standard 220V/1-phase power, so most commercial kitchens can accommodate them without special electrical work. On the floor models, that 220V/1-phase supply feeds an inverter that powers a 1.5HP 3-phase motor - you get 3-phase performance without needing 3-phase service in the building. As always, confirm your outlet matches the nameplate spec before installing, since an improper connection can void the warranty.

Bottom line: If dough prep is eating into your labor budget or your thickness is inconsistent from batch to batch, a sheeter isn't a luxury - it's a production tool that pays for itself. If you're rolling occasional small batches, you likely don't need one yet.

Have questions about sizing a sheeter to your bakery's volume - or whether a floor or bench model fits your space? We're happy to help you figure out what fits.

Image by Maxim Hopman

Running a catering operation in Chicago means competing in a market that's shifting fast - and the numbers tell the story better than any anecdote. Here's where the industry stands heading into the second half of the year.

$77.18 billion. That's the size of the U.S. catering market in 2025, on pace to grow at a 6.2% CAGR through 2035 - a sign that demand for outsourced food service keeps climbing nationwide.

~3 million. That's how many event-goers pass through McCormick Place every year - the largest convention center in North America and a steady engine of catering demand for the whole city, from trade shows to corporate meetings to consumer events.

2.6 million square feet. McCormick Place's exhibit space spans 2.6 million square feet, with 173 meeting rooms and four ballrooms as large as 103,000 square feet. Some single conventions bring 45,000+ attendees to the city - which means the caterers serving them are prepping meals at a scale most restaurants never see.

48% and 35%. Nationally, corporate events remain the biggest growth driver for caterers (cited by 48% of operators), with weddings close behind at 35% of sales growth - a reminder that a diversified event calendar is still the safest bet.

531,000+ employees, 23,000+ locations. That's the scale of Illinois's broader restaurant and foodservice workforce - one of the largest employment sectors in the state, and the labor pool Chicago caterers are drawing from and competing against.

The takeaway for operators: Chicago's event calendar keeps generating serious volume, and the caterers built to handle it are the ones capturing that demand.

Photo by Dave Garcia

It's one of the most common calls our team takes: a customer asks for a "meat slicer" when what they actually need is a meat cutter. So the first question our sales team asks is simple - are you looking for something like a deli slicer or ham slicer? That one question usually clears things up fast. 

A meat cutter cuts with the grain into strips

A commercial meat cutter - like our AE-MC12N - is a gravity-fed unit that uses two blade roller assemblies to cut raw meat into strips, with the grain. It's the right tool for fajita prep (some customers just call it a "fajita cutter"), stir-fry strips, and stew meat. The AE-MC12N handles skirt steak, boneless chuck, chicken breast, venison, and more, with strip thickness (1/8″, 3/16″, 1/4″, or 1/2″) specified at order. 

A meat slicer cuts across the grain in uniform, thin sheets

A commercial meat slicer is a large rotating circular blade machine - think of it like a miter saw with an adjustable thickness gauge. It's built for cooked or cured product: deli meats, prosciutto, roast beef, brisket for sandwiches. American Eagle doesn't carry slicers; brands like Globe and Hobart are worth a look. 

The difference is important

Slicers are not designed to process raw meat into strips - forcing raw meat through a slicer will damage the blade and create a food safety problem.

So which do you need?

•       If you’re prepping raw meat into strips before cooking → meat cutter (like our AE-MC12N)
•       If you’re slicing cooked, cured, or deli meats for service → meat slicer
•       If you need both → both. They solve different problems.

Photo by Frederick Medina on Unsplash

Chicago’s summer festival calendar is one of the most intense food service environments in the country. The Taste of Chicago attracts over a million visitors alone, not to mention Ribfest, Blues Fest, and countless neighborhood block parties. The vendors and caterers behind those booths aren’t cooking for tables of four. They’re cooking for thousands. The equipment that makes it possible has to be built for exactly that.

American Eagle Food Machinery has been supplying commercial food processing equipment to the Chicagoland market since 1980. Here’s what the operations using our equipment have learned about what matters when your kitchen has to scale to festival volume.

Volume means something different at a festival

A busy restaurant dinner service might run 150 covers. A festival booth can serve that many in 30 minutes – and then do it again for the next six hours. The prep that happens before is where the margin is won or lost. If your team is still cutting fajita strips by hand, you’re already behind.

Our AE-MC12N commercial meat cutter is built for exactly this kind of pre-event prep. The dual rotating 3.5″ diameter knives are mounted on ball-bearing shafts and cut through skirt steak, boneless chuck, chicken breast, or venison in seconds – not minutes. Four strip thicknesses are available (1/2", 1",  1-1/2", 2", and 1-1/4"), so whether you’re cutting for a fajita bar, a stir-fry station, or a slider topping, you can get the cuts you need. Removable combs between the knives prevent meat from jamming and reduce food waste – a detail that adds up quickly when you’re processing hundreds of pounds of meat.

The hub system: one motor, the whole prep line

The #12 hub accepts the full range of American Eagle attachments: the AE-G22NH grinder, the AE-VS12NH vegetable processor, and the AE-JS12H jerky slicer. One motor handles grinding, tenderizing, cutting, and vegetable prep – all the tasks that need to be done before the first customer shows up.

A hub system that covers multiple tasks means fewer machines to purchase, store, and clean. For a catering company running three festivals in a weekend, that kind of efficiency is where the day is won or lost.

What to think about before festival season

If you’re planning for a summer of large-format events, here’s what’s worth reviewing now rather than in July:

• Strip thickness: Cutting thickness is specified at order and is not field-adjustable on the AE-MC12N. Know your menu before you buy.
• Hub compatibility: The #12 hub is compatible with other manufacturers’ equipment – check whether your existing motor qualifies before purchasing attachments separately.
• Cleaning: The cutter head disassembles easily for cleaning and sanitation. Build this into your post-event breakdown time.
• Parts availability: Order any wear parts before the season, not after something breaks during event prep.

Check out the many ways you can put the collection to use:

Check out the Collection here: https://www.americaneaglemachine.com/products/onehub/

Planetary mixers are multi-functional mixers with a fixed, non-rotating bowl. The bowl can be raised and lowered into the mixing position. The utensil rotates around the non-rotating bowl like the way the planets rotate the sun. That’s why it’s called a Planetary mixer. This is a great choice as a pizza dough mixer as well a mixer for cakes, pastries, and breads. Many kinds of customers, ranging from small caterers to large-scale baked goods companies, use a Planetary mixer. 

One of the main benefits of a Planetary mixer is the ability to add attachments to this bakery mixer. With the many attachments available, it can turn into a meat grinder or vegetable slicer. Do you need to make some batter? It’s not a problem with the Planetary mixer. It can also whip potatoes. Because of this versatility, many bakers and pastry shops use these types of mixer. A paddle attachment allows for blending and creaming. These mixers a great choice for pie crusts, cake fillings, and cookie dough. If meringue or whipped cream is needed, the wire whip attachment can be used. Pizza shops and bakeries can take advantage of the dough hook attachment for all their dough mixing needs.

We offer a great range of options, from a small 10 quart to a large 80 quart. For the larger sizes available, bowl trucks are available to help you easily move your heavy bowl with all its contents from mixer to working table. 

Check out the many Planetary mixers we have available  HERE.

Need help selecting the mixer that is best for you? 

No worries, we are here to help. Feel free to reach out to us at 800-836-5756.

The event offers customizable schedules for all attendees, where you can rotate through your set of meetings seamlessly, meeting with a variety of vendors within a small group of attendees, just like the show floor.

We hope we’ll make it onto your custom meeting schedule, and look forward to connecting with you at the event. Click Here to Register for Free.

For more information on the show, check out: https://www.thenafemshow.org/

Here's a map on how to reach our booth:

8/5/2021 UPDATE - The NAFEM Show 2021 has been cancelled. We will see you at the next NAFEM Show in 2023.