What type of devices, could increase dim sum output, short of a complete expensive, automatic machine?

Question

I am getting irregular requests for dim sum catering and would like to increase my dim sum output, but am not yet ready to invest in something like this:

Dim Sum Maker Video

What other ways are there, to increase my fire rate?

I could probably save some time by investing in a dough mixer, but the dough mixing is actually not the big problem. The steps, that are most time consuming are:

• Cutting the dough into uniform pieces
• Making 2D circles out of the pieces
• Filling the circles with the filling
• closing the whole thing (the most tricky part)

What kind of machines could I use to greatly reduce my work, without buying a 15k machine?

Answer 1

Three sets of tools would help you speed up your operation, with some caveats:

1. Circle cutters, particularly ones that allow you to cut a lot of circles together like this kind.
2. Dumpling molds in a variety of sizes. There are even some that mold-and-cut, but that's not actually a big help since you have to "pre-cut" the dough anyway.
3. Cookie scoops for portioning fillings.

The biggest speed-up here comes from having sets that match: cutters that match the size of specific dumpling molds and a cookie scoop that portions exactly the amount of filling for those molds. You'll also want at least a half-dozen molds of each size so that you can assembly-line it.

Now, the caveats: first, molded dumplings will never look as good as hand-folded. Second, certain shapes aren't possible using a plastic mold, such as Siu Mai or the classic Har Gow shapes.