Bosch Universal Mixer - a tough, powerful competent kitchen mixer
Written: Feb 14 '06 (Updated Feb 14 '06)
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Pros: Powerful (700 watts!), versatile, well made, a quality appliance.
Cons: Takes a bit of practice to master.
The Bottom Line: Serious cooks and bakers and those who appreciate good tools will enjoy this mixer. It's tough, powerful and well designed.
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| Peter-A's Full Review: Bosch MUM6610 Universal Series 700 Watts Stand Mix... |
Bosch MUM 6610 Universal Mixer
Our 17-year old Sunbeam stand mixer died in a cloud of smoke just before Christmas, victim of my 13-year old son’s batch of gingerbread dough. I was quite cheerful about this because I like to bake with the kids, and the old Sunbeam didn’t have enough power for heavy mixing, plus I was concerned about little fingers near the twin beaters. I had been admiring Costco’s enormous heavy-duty 450 watt KitchenAid mixer for a couple of years, and now I could justify buying one.
However, upon checking Epinions, I discovered that the KitchenAid is not as rugged as it seems, and recent models now contain a plastic gearbox case! For more information, see informative review by Masri. What a terrible disappointment.
Why I chose the Bosch mixer
I wanted a good quality heavy-duty mixer with enough power to knead bread dough, and three machines appeared suitable:
DeLonghi DMS7
Electrolux DLX 2000
Bosch MUM6610 Universal Mixer.
The Delonghi has a good Kenwood heritage but it is rare, there is little information about it, and it is too expensive for me (CDN $600); the Electrolux is intriguing but rare and too expensive (about CDN$600), but the Bosch is easier to find and costs just under CDN$400.
I sought the advice of the proprietor of a local small-appliance repair shop, and he showed me a 24-year old Bosch Universal Mixer that he had just repaired (belt replacement). After 24 years, the unit was in great shape, and the only sign of age was yellowing of the plastic case and bowl. The repair guy said that these machines are sturdy and well-designed, and their owners love them. Right there I made the decision to get a Bosch.
How I bought my Bosch mixer
I could not find a Bosch mixer in Calgary! After phoning the main appliance stores without success, I Google-searched with key words Bosch & ”whole grain”, and discovered home-businesses that market Bosch mixers via the web. But I hesitated because making a $400 purchase over the internet from a home business seemed a big leap of faith.
However these home-business web-sites appear to be sincere and knowledgeable, especially since they focus upon quality nutrition using home mills to make whole-wheat flour for baking. The on-line descriptions of the mixer are probably standard marketing materials from Bosch, but they provide lots of information together with photographs. And the websites also provide a wealth of recipes, information about whole grain, and general nutrition and cooking information. Anyone who promotes bread from whole grain just has to be an honest person.
Here are five example sites that leaped from the Google search, but there are probably 50 more:
http://www.healthykitchens.com
http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com
http://www.countrybaker.com
http://www.mountaintopsmilling.com
http://www.urbanhomemaker.com
I phoned our nearest site (healthykitchens.com in British Columbia), and proprietor Carol Stiles was so knowledgeable and helpful that I promptly logged back onto her website and ordered the Bosch MUM 6610 plus the cookie beaters, for a total cost including delivery of CDN$419 plus tax.
Four days later, Canada Parcel Post delivered a stout cardboard outer case containing the Bosch box in which my new mixer was securely nestled.
Bosch MUM 6610 Universal Mixer - Description
My MUM 6610 package consists of the 700-watt Universal Mixer base, with white plastic bowl, a pair of wire whips and a dough hook. I also bought a set of two cookie paddles.
The mixer base has a tough white plastic case from which protrude two drive outlets: a low-speed high-torque outlet for the main bowl, and a high-speed outlet for accessories that I didn’t buy (such as a blender or food processor).
The large bowl resembles a large bundt pan containing a central steel drive spindle that latches into the drive. The bowl is made of strong thick white plastic, and it can hold more than 5 litres (20 cups), though 4 litres is a practical limit for mixing without splashing. The bowl cover consists of two pieces of clear plastic: an outer splash-ring and a smaller-diameter inner cover, both of which drop and click loosely into place.
The whips and dough hook fit easily into the bowl for storage, and the mixer together with bowl weighs about 6 kg, so is easy to carry from cupboard to counter.
The mixer is operated by a simple knob with three speeds plus pulse.
The two wire whips click into metal header that drops onto the spindle, and they spin and rotate around the bowl. The whips are quite light, and are not recommended for heavy batter (which is why we bought cookie paddles too).
The dough hook is an odd-looking eccentric S-shaped piece of stainless steel bar that drops onto the drive spindle. During operation, it merely turns without spinning.
The cookie paddles (that were extra to the 6610 package) consist of simple loops of thick white polyethylene. They are as tough as nails and would probably mix concrete.
The Bosch user manual is disappointing – just a flimsy stapled booklet.
Look, I could quote all the dimensions and detailed specifications from the manual, but all this is easy to find on-line, with plenty of photos (e.g., http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/bosch_universal.asp). I’d rather describe the experience of running this machine through its paces.
Making Bread Dough
I made the four-loaf bread recipe from the manual: the bowl slotted onto the low-speed spindle, the dough hook dropped into place within the bowl, in went 4 cups of water and 11 cups of white flour, together with yeast, sugar, salt and some oil, the clear plastic splash ring and inner cover clicked onto the top of the bowl. I switched to Speed 1.
Wow! The slowest speed is quite fast! The Bosch started up with a smooth powerful purr, and the dough hook went around the stationary bowl several times before the dough started to develop resistance. The motor slowed and the purr became more of a growl, and then the machine settled into a determined pace and continued to work this very stiff dough for the next 10 minutes. The unit was very steady, with just a few occasional bumps, and its rubber feet kept it securely in place on the kitchen counter. However the load was so heavy that the plastic bowl started to bulge as the dough hook rotated, which popped off the lid. Didn’t do any harm. The bread turned out OK (but I didn’t expect more from such an uninspired recipe).
I’ve since experimented with a dozen batches of various doughs, and am nurturing a wicked sourdough starter. I find the hook tricky to master – if my dough contains too little liquid, it engulfs the hook and then goes round and round in one lump. I’m still learning to handle it, but am confident that I’ll get the knack soon.
Making Cakes, Cookies and Brownies
We use the white cookie beaters for beating butter-sugar-egg batters. The beaters spin as the assembly rotates around the bowl, and they do a great job. They seem to reach most of the bowl, though a small amount of the mix climbs partly up the center column and the sides of the bowl, so it is necessary to use a rubber spatula at least once.
One thing that I have noticed is that the splash ring reduces access to the bowl, so if ingredients are poured in during mixing, spillage tends to occur over the central drive and spindle. It’s not a major problem, and is easy to clean later, but it’s inelegant. Martha wouldn’t approve.
Once, I forgot the splash ring. It is appropriately-named.
Sticky batters, such as for cocoa brownies, mix up beautifully, but to get the batter out of the bowl, I have to twist and lift the beater assembly and use a spoon or spatula to scoop the batter from the beaters – it’s a clumsy and sticky operation. Easiest way is to put the beater assembly onto a dinner plate, but this makes another cleanup item. Once the beaters are out, the bowl empties easily, especially with a rubber spatula.
Making Meringues
The wire whips are too light for most uses, but they are excellent for making meringues! Just pour one or more egg whites into the bowl, and beat away for just a minute or two, resulting in fluffy white clouds of meringue.
Cleaning Up
The big white plastic bowl easily wipes clean after a one-minute soak in warm soapy water. A stream of water from the faucet onto the central drive spindle sluices any trapped material out.
The clear plastic splash ring and central cover also wipe clean after a brief soak.
I usually put the beaters into the dishwasher, and they always come out sparkling clean.
The Bosch base unit receives the occasional splash of ingredients, and wipes clean with a damp cloth.
Conclusion
I’m very pleased with this mixer. It is robust, powerful and well-made, and will probably outlast me. Bosch has been refining this basic design for about 50 years, and most of the glitches should be gone by now! It does an excellent job, and can tackle very light to very heavy mixes. It looks (and sounds) competent. It isn’t cheap, but it’s a class act, and I expect that it will be economical in the long run. It’s fun to use.
But it does have some quirks – the beaters and top-drive assembly are unusual, and the techniques of dough mixing require some learning. The standard wire whips are inadequate for anything thicker than a light batter, so make sure that you get the cookie beaters too.
If you enjoy cooking and get pleasure from using good equipment, then I would highly recommend the Bosch 6610 Universal Mixer.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 320
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Epinions.com ID:
Peter-A
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Location: Alberta, Canada
Reviews written: 58
Trusted by: 14 members
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