Bosch Mixer - Exactly What I Needed for Whole Grain recipes
Written: Oct 10 '07 (Updated Jul 19 '09)
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Pros: Does a great job of mixing heavy recipes like whole grain breads.
Cons: Not all parts dishwasher safe. Bowl and dough hook hard to remove.
The Bottom Line: Excellent work horse of a mixer, doesn't strain with heavy loads.
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| kjri's Full Review: Bosch MUM6610 Universal Series 700 Watts Stand Mix... |
Oh yeah. I had been lusting after a KitchenAid mixer for some time, thinking it would really help me make all my totally whole grain bread recipes, but then I came here and read the reviews. Oh no, it can't be, I found myself thinking. Epinions reviewers said even the most powerful model doesn't handle heavy loads well.
So I went to the KitchenAid forums and read what people were saying over there. Some people claimed that they got good results with whole grain breads, if you watch the machine and are willing to divide a recipe and work in smaller batches when the machine starts to strain. Otherwise you have to send it in for repair!
Whoa there Nellie, I thought to myself. That's not what I'm looking for. I don't want to have to nursemaid my kitchen mixer. So I did a little more research. It was helpful to know that people in Germany, where Bosch products are designed and made, eat a lot of breads similar to my peasant ryes and my dense whole wheats.
I'm so happy that I bought the Bosch. From the first recipe of two 2-pound loaves I've had a smile on my face when I use this machine. It does a great job! It doesn't strain. There's no reason to divide a load ever.
This mixer has a standard one year warranty. It comes with a dough blade (kneading arm), two "gourmet whisks", and a high-speed blender. It has a speed dial: 3 speeds and a mixing setting. You turn the dial to the left for mixing in short bursts, but it will not stay at this setting. The dial will stay on speeds 1-3 on the right.
The base, which has two separate motors, has a relatively small footprint and easily fits into a cupboard when I'm done with it. I love it's simplicity. It is inconspicuous to look at, but contains two different motors: one high-torque for kneading and mixing, and the other high-speed for blending. It has a cap that you put over whatever motor you aren't using to lock it.
The blender is awesome! I still somewhat distrust plastic parts, especially when they don't weigh very much, and this blender seemed somewhat lightweight to me at first. But my concerns were put to rest the first time I used the it. I put a half cup of frozen blueberries, some protein powder and yogurt into it and flipped the dial to 3. It made slush out of those blueberries in just a few seconds! My old Osterizer would just hang up on anything frozen. The manufacturer claims it turns ice to snow and it does!
On the mixer, I had to get used to a few things. First of all, it is a very simple machine and they don't provide much in the way of instruction. There are just a few recipes in the back of the manual and you have to extrapolate from them. But cooking is about experimenting anyway, and it didn't really take too much to figure out how to use this thing.
Always remember to put the liquids in first. For bread, this means dissolve the yeast in water and add that first with the rest of the liquids. Then add the dry ingredients, with the salt on top of everything else.
It is easier to add more flour if your dough is too wet than to add more liquid if it is dry. This is because added liquids tend to collect on the outer surface of the mixing bowl instead of getting mixed in, unless you are careful to dribble them in towards the center while the mixer is working. The centrifugal force of the turning dough hook moves the liquid out into the dough.
After mixing whole grain ingredients, let them sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb all the liquid. Whole grains take longer to absorb than white flour. For bread, continue to knead for 7 minutes or more. I learned this trick from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. She says to do it with every loaf. I find that it isn't always necessary to do this if you are comfortable with the proportions of your recipe.
Until you get used to the action of the mixer, test your dough every couple of minutes for texture and moisture content. With a machine this powerful, it is easy to over-knead, so 10 minutes is sufficient for most breads.
The machine will "walk", as others have stated here, if the load becomes unbalanced. Bread dough collects into a lump on one side of the bowl so each batch does cause the machine to become lopsided. Mine doesn't "walk" unless I turn it on the high speed setting (3) and then it really moves. If I didn't stop it, it would walk itself right off the counter! The manual doesn't really address this, unfortunately. My solution is to only use speeds 1 and 2 for bread.
It is a well-designed and inconspicuous machine, but I do have a few design issues with it:
-The splatter ring and center lid would be easier to use if they had some kind of grip or handle.
-The dough hook is a little difficult to remove whether it is stuck in dough or not.
-The bowl is also a little hard to remove. Instructions on all these things say to turn them clockwise while you're lifting, but I still struggle with them after a month of use. Not a big issue, but an issue nonetheless.
-The dough hook and wire whips aren't dishwasher safe. It would be really nice if I could toss the whole thing in the dishwasher without having to hand wash.
I bought mine with the blender attachment at Bosch Kitchen Center, otherwise known as www.spoilthecook.com. I thought I should mention that even though I couldn't find a review for them online, their customer service was excellent. I will do business with them again.
ADDENDUM: After using the mixer for some time for whole grain breads, I am now making 4 loaves per batch with 20 minutes kneading time! Speed 1 takes 40 minutes. Speed 2 takes 30. Speed 3 takes 20 minutes. In other words, Speed 3 is twice as fast as Speed 1, while Speed 2 is 1.5 times as fast as Speed 1.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $320
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Epinions.com ID:
kjri
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Reviews written: 11
Trusted by: 0 members
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