I have owned and used mixers for nearly 40 years, all the major brands. I have already written reviews for the Magic Mill/Electrolux DLX, the Sunbeam stand mixer and the Bosch Compact, all of which I own. I bought a Bosch universal because I like appliances, and have used the Compact for many years successfully. It’s true, the Bosch is quite different than the conventional American mixer, e.g. K’Aid. Unlike a prior reviewer, I’ve had no problem whatsoever with the center post on the Bosch. It is no harder to work around that post than working around the head on an American mixer! I have the same type of whisk bowl on my DLX; it will indeed make a cup-and-a-half of meringue from a single egg white. It covers the mixing area much better than the K’Aid or Bosch’s own Compact with a single beater. Like the DLX, there is a high-torque outlet (where the mixing bowl sits) and a high-speed outlet (where the blender and other accessories sit). This is a design that Bosch has developed over a half-century and it shows. The mixing bowl comes with a dough hook and two weights of whisks. One of my few reservations with this machine in the past was the lack of a beating paddle, but this has been remedied with available Delrin paddles now, produced in America and quite inexpensive. I’ve used them for heavier things such as cookie batters and mashing potatoes and they’ve worked beautifully–and they have a lifetime warranty. After several years living with a DLX I appreciate having no mixer head to try and peek around while I’m working. I’ve found the bowl ring on the Bosch to be no problem, it serves the same function that the splatter ring does on the K’Aid. The design of the Bosch cleans the bowl much better than the K’Aid so that little scraping is required, at least for the recipes I’ve done. The dough hook has worked very well for me, running a dozen and more cups of whole wheat flour at a time. This is of course not possible on the K’Aid, where the motor will just burn out with this type of duty. Breadmaking was what made the Bosch popular in this country, back in the seventies, and it still excels at all breads. Incidentally, the Bosch blender is a real standout. The blades are set quite differently than my Waring or Oster blenders and it has power and speed almost like a Vita-Mix. Plus, it’s a six-cup capacity. I haven’t bought any of the other accessories for this machine because I’ve got the shredder, food processor, grinder, etc. on the Compact. I expect this machine would match and/or exceed the Compact in ease of use and quality.
Tags:
Bosch,
Electrolux,
Magic Mill,
Oster,
Sunbeam,
Waring
