Friday, November 20, 2009

Bosch Mixer Review



After saving my money from a couple of birthdays and Christmases and anything in between, I finally got a Bosch mixer! My old mixer wasn't great, and with being interested in baking my own bread and making more things from scratch, I really wanted a nice mixer. I've had it for awhile now and have made a few different things with it, so I wanted to share my thoughts.

I debated for a while between getting a KitchenAid mixer or the Bosch mixer. I first read about the Bosch mixer on blogs where people were making their own bread (and often grinding their own wheat as well!). The more I read, I kept running into rave reviews of the Bosch mixer. Looking up reviews on the KitchenAid mixer, I discovered that many people seem to have problems with it leaking oil or the motor burning up, especially when trying to mix larger batches of bread dough. I asked some mom friends on a private message board I belong to and several of them said that yes, their KitchenAid leaked oil (from the top, down into the mixing bowl). I didn't find as many reviews on the Bosch mixer, but the ones I did read were very favorable. The reviews all seemed to agree that the Bosch was a workhorse, lasts forever, and performed well.

This comparison chart (Bosch vs KitchenAid) from Everything Kitchens eventually helped me decide on the Bosch. The Bosch mixer has an 800 watt motor, while the KitchenAid's top mixer is only 575 watts. Bosch has a better warranty, but also weighs less and has a smaller profile which is better for my tiny kitchen. The bowl is a bit bigger, and the Bosch mixer does better at mixing bread dough. The prices are actually similar when you compare KitchenAid's top model to the Bosch mixer. I did discover after some research that the Bosch blender attachment is made of polycarbonate and therefore contains BPA. The blender attachment is optional and I will not be purchasing it unless they make it of some other material. The mixing bowl is polypropylene, a safe plastic, or you can purchase a stainless steel mixing bowl. I think the clear plastic lid may be polycarbonate, but the food doesn't really touch that part.

When I set out to purchase the Bosch mixer, Everything Kitchens ended up sending me the mixer and Nutrimill grain mill at a discount for reviewing them on my blog. Of course I enjoy chatting about things that I've researched and use in my home, and I thought you'd like hearing about my adventures with the mixer and grain mill. I'm definitely not an expert bread baker (or even cookie baker!) yet, but I'm having fun trying.


The mixer is short enough that it fits under my low counters, but I do have to pull it out each time I want to use it. There are suction cups on the bottom of the mixer (because its so powerful it can fling itself right off your counter without these I guess!), so I have to un-suction it every time I want to pull it out for use. I'd love to have more counter space so as to not have to move it every time, but that's just an issue with my small kitchen. I am able to store all of the attachments inside the mixing bowl, which is nice.

The Bosch mixer comes with a dough hook and french whisks. I also purchased the cookie paddles and the batter/ cookie whips, which are similar to the wire whips that come with the mixer, but they are a bit stronger for thicker batters. The whips and whisks are for pourable batters, and the cookie paddles and dough hook are for thicker doughs. All of the pieces, bowl, lid, etc, attach by turning them one direction or another until they click. I still get confused about which way I'm supposed to turn each piece, but overall its not very complicated to set up and use. There are also all kinds of different attachments you can buy for the mixer.

The Bosch is a bit different in the way that it mixes - the paddles or whisks fit down inside of the bowl and spin around, rather than coming up over the top like a KitchenAid. Here is a picture looking down into the mixer. I like this set up because one you put the lid on it completely covers the top and keeps in all of the flour dust when you turn it on.


I'm still working on finding a good bread recipe that we like, but the dough hook really does seem to do a great job at mixing and kneading the dough. I can put in all of the ingredients, leave the mixer to knead the dough for a certain amount of time, let the dough rise, then shape and bake the loaves. I don't find it to be any harder than using my bread machine, and I get better results. My bread machine seemed to make the bread crust a bit too dark for us, and then you get the weird shaped loaf too. With the Bosch mixer I can also make larger batches of bread dough at once. I have to try making bread a few more times with the Bosch, but I'm thinking of sending my bread machine the way of Craigslist, along with my old mixer.


I purchased the Bosch mixer and Nutrimill from Everything Kitchens and was very happy with their customer service. I received my items within just a few days of ordering them. They have a huge selection of all kinds of kitchen products, and have great prices. They told me that the listed prices for the Bosch and Nutrimill are from the manufacturers, but if you call and request a discount, the sales people are authorized to give you one. Another cool thing about Everything Kitchens is that they donate 1% of their proceeds to World Vision, an international humanitarian aid organization. I would definitely recommend purchasing through this website for their great customer service, focus on customer satisfaction, and their best price guarantee. You can read more about Everything Kitchens here, or visit their real live store in Springfield, MO.

The Bosch mixer comes with a great little cookbook and I'm still experimenting with different recipes - overall I'm happy with my new mixer! I'm going to be posting a review of the Nutrimill grain mill in the near future. I was interested in the grain mill not only to be able to grind my own fresh grain, but also to be able to use other lighter whole grains like spelt and white wheat. Check back soon for more about that. Feel free to email Santa Claus a link to this blog post if you're wanting to add these to your Christmas list.

29 comments:

  1. I'm anxious to hear what you think of your Nutrimill. It is a permanent fixture on my Amazon wish list. That's great to know that the store you mentioned price matches and donates to World Vision. That will definitely influence where I *eventually* buy a grain mill. I've been making all of our bread for the past six months or so and I don't think we'll ever go back to store bought. Nothing beats a loaf of fresh whole wheat bread. Mmmm...

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  2. You had me SOLD...until I went to the site and saw the price! Phew! I'll keep dreaming! :D

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  3. Courtney - What's your bread recipe? I'm still trying to figure out what we like best.

    Heather - lol, didn't you notice how long I said I saved up for it? ;)

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  4. *blush* I purchased the new Bosch like yours yesterday because my old one (25 years) was starting to grind and would need reconditioning. Today I started to feel guilty for not researching it, and found your blog by Googling. I grind whole wheat and use the home-ground flour 100% in my bread. Pretty much the only mixer that will handle that is a Bosch!

    Yes, Loving Touch, by saving here and there you can work up to this machine ... it's how I finally got my Le Creuset dutch oven that I wanted for years. There's nothing like wanting something for a long time to make you really appreciate it. My Bosch was $399 at the local dealer. Happy baking!

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  5. Thank you for telling us about Everything Kitchens donating 1% to World Vision...WOW!) I just bought a 2 yr old Bosch via Craigslist (from all the way across the US):/ But I have been grinding my wheat (with my beloved Wonder mill) and baking bread in my bread machine for about 5+ yrs. I did try my Kichen Aid for bread making and it couldn't handle very much flour and the top that holds the beater started bobbing up and down and I just had a huge mess on my hands. So I just stuck with the bread machine till I decided I wanted a Bosch. I will say that after doubling a few recipes and my K.Aid motor getting hot and doing the bobbing thing....my mixer was never the same again. So I am going to keep my K. Aid for small batches of cookie and cake batter, as Ive heard the Bosch just slings small batches of batter to the walls of the bowl w/out mixing well.
    Ok this week I just found a web site from a lady that has videos to go along with her recipes, its SOOO great! It is called www.simplylivingsmart.com
    This lady shows you how to make 3 loaves of bread in under an hour! YAY! Ok one more thing, if your bread is too heavy/wheaty, use whole wheat pastry flour or also called "soft wheat." Its like having white flour in your bread.

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  6. I've been making bread for many years now. I love my bread recipe. My husband takes a loaf to work each week and his co-workers devour it. You can check out the recipe on my food blog. The bread is light in texture and has a great flavor. http://smittenwithmykitchen.blogspot.com/2009/04/tanyas-wheat-bread.html

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  7. Thanks for sharing, I'll have to try your recipe soon!

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  8. Hi,
    I have recently started baking whole wheat bread (with fresh group grain of course!) and one book has been indispensable.

    The book is called 'No More Bricks' By Lori Viets
    http://www.amazon.com/Bricks-Successful-Whole-Grain-Bread/dp/061525330X

    Also, her website is very informative; if you don't want to buy the book she will send you emails for free. But of course a couple days apart.
    www.breadclass.com

    Hope this helps!

    [And I leave the page dreaming of a Bosch mixer... :) ]

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  9. *ground not group in the above post
    oops!

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  10. Can you share which part of the blender attachment is made of polycarbonate BSP. Where can I locate this information?

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  11. Thanks for the links, I'll have to check that out!

    Click on the word "discover" in the post above where I say its PC and you'll be taken to my blog post explaining all I went through to find this out. The entire blender canister is PC re emails from their distributor unfortunately.

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  12. Great site! First time visitor. I thought I would mention we are giving away a FREE Bosch mixer on our blog www.dealstomeals.blogspot.com For anyone that is interested in entering the contest just visit our site and see how you can win!

    Good luck!

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  13. Loved the review! I have a bosch mixer as does my sister and my mom. We love them! I bake all our bread (wheat) and make cookies and french bread, bagels. You get the idea! I have a friend who got a kitchen aid when i got my bosch and she loved her machine until she came and watched me make bread. She said that mine incorporates the ingredients much better and quicker than he ka. I skipped the cookie paddle and use the wisks till I add the choc chips. Works great! The price tag was hard to swallow but once I had been using it awhile I decided it was worth every penny!

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  14. I have had a Braun mixer and blender for 33 years and it will need to be replaced soon. The only one that really looks like it will meet my needs and not weigh as much as a small hippo is the Bosch. Thanks for your review. It just sealed the deal for me.

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  15. I want to have one of those. Is the cook book for free?

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  16. Hi Christy, I love..love... your review and finally I am sure what should I choose. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. @Al Joy - the cookbook did come with my Bosch, I'm not sure if that is the standard practice or not. You'll have to ask for it if you plan on purchasing. Thanks for the reminder, I should pull it out again and try some more of those recipes!

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  18. Hi Christy,
    What a fabulous blog - covers many of the issues I'm concerned about. I stumbled across it because I am researching BPA in Bosch mixer parts, and your write-ups have been superhelpful. Re. the blender attachment, one dealer (healthykitchens.com, Canada) replied to me that they could possibly order in a SAN blender jug, which according to her, is BPA-free. I haven't quite made up my mind yet about what attachments I'll decide to get with the Bosch, but thought I'd share this info here.

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  19. Glad the info is helpful! My contact at Bosch did tell me that they had a limited amount of SAN blenders but that he felt like they broke easily and were not a good choice.

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  20. I bake a lot and have owned 3 stand up mixers. My first was a KitchenAid that I hated because it didn't get the dough on the bottom of the bowl. Then I bought a 10 year old bosch from a trusted source and it was wonderful! It suddenly died on me and I needed to make a quick replacement so I bought a KitchenAid. Again I am not happy. After reading your review I realize that what I want isn't a KitchenAid, Cuinsinart, or Breville, I want another Bosch. Thanks for helping me

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  21. I also have a Bosch and LOVE it! I did lots of research too before buying because of the price, not only the price of the Bosch but the KA is expensive as well. Everything I read kept leading me away from the KA and towards the Bosch or there was one other option the Electrolux which is also pricey. Oh or a Hobart which is waaaaay out of my price range and mostly used in commercial kitchens. You can see mine here http://bit.ly/HAPAfT if you want to.

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  22. Hello -- Came across your blog while researching stand mixers. Thank you for the info. Two questions: 1. Do you know whether the Bosch food processor attachment is BPA-free? 2. Any update on whether Bosch has made a BPA-free mixer? I don't take total comfort in assuming it must be "safe plastic" because it's from Germany, which may have higher consumer standards. Certain U.S. products are, I've read, made to a higher standard for shipment to Europe and Australia, but not for our own consumption in the U.S. because we don't have as strict consumer laws. So, I don't know that Germany has to make it's U.S. market products to as high a standard as what would be marketed in Germany. Thanks for the help.
    Mary

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    1. Hi Mary, At one point Bosch attachements DID contain BPA. They were in the process of phasing out some of that. At one point I had a list of what plastics were in everything they made, but its since changed. I suggest contacting them directly for more information. Also if you decide to purchase something, be sure the retailer has the most current product. Good point about the product standards too!

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  23. I havre had my bosch for a couple years now and it does not kneed the dough with the dough hooks. You need to buy the stainless steel bowl to do breads. The plastic withe the dough hooks seems to just stir it around and doesn't catch the dough to kneed it.

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    1. Oh that's a good idea! It does kind of slide around. I hadn't thought about the stainless steel bowl making a difference.

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    2. That's odd. I just used mine for the first time, and I have one beautiful hunk of bread dough with all ingredients nicely incorporated. I didn't even need to use the spatula that came with the machine. Maybe you need to add more flour. I'm very pleased.

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  24. Thanks for the review. ordered one for my wife for Christmas...

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  25. We have had three of these Bosch mixers, passing the first to one daughter, the second to the second daughter. We should have either left it at two or passed the newest, as pictured above, to the second daughter. There were never problems with mixers one or two. The third, however, continues to blow out the fuse (it has just blown the third), and because it is not a circuit breaker, it is quite expensive to repair, and a repair that takes several weeks to have it repaired. Guess the designers at Bosch decided it was more profitable to be able to charge an absurd repair fee than to make the machine correctly as they had in the past. Why my wife continues to think Bosch is so bloody wonderful is utterly beyond me!

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  26. I think I have read every review of Bosch in the past 3 months. I'm 77 years old and have a bread machine and a KA. I use the bread machine on the dough cycle for baking my breads. As reported by others, the KA just bounces up and down trying to handle the dough. The price of the Bosch has also stopped me from ordering until I am thoroughly sure that I will be happy with it replacing the two pieces of equipment I already have. I have replaced (under warranty) 2 bread machines. My daughter told me they are not made for the amount of bread baking that I do. I have finally justified the price at my age because my daughter will be glad to use the Bosch when I am no longer here. I will consider it a future gift to her. I have been working with allot of sourdough because I am a Type 2 diabetic. Bread seemed to bother my blood sugars until I read about using the sourdough. I am continually in my kitchen baking for my neighbors because the kitchen is my hobby. This blog has helped me make my decision. I will be ordering soon. Thanks.

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