Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine
The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine is a fantastic all in one kitchen mixer, blender and so much more that uses a unique below the bowl drive system.
Ease of Use/Performance: 21/25
Convenience/Storage 23/25
Appearance/Design 24/25
How much I enjoy 21/25
Total: 89/100
Kitchen machines or kitchen mixers are not all created equal, many have higher price tags to go along with their versatility and heavy duty design. The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine is no light weight when it comes to power and versatility but it does come with a hefty price tag.
The newest Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine does cost about $400 and this does not come with any attachments other than the bread dough hook and the two whisk beaters. The model I received for reviewing comes without the blender attachment that connects to the base on the side above the motor.
The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine has a different design than other more common stand kitchen mixers with a base that is square and rather large. In the middle of this base is your attachment point for the main mixing bowl and some of the other attachments.
To the corner of the base is the motor which stands above the attachment point for the bowl and is also where some attachments like the blender go. The bowl which is made of a tough yet slightly flexible plastic has the power drive attachment for the mixer and dough hook running up through the center.
This center tower attachment point means the mixer whisks and bread dough hook attach through the bottom of the bowl and do not have some arm in the way from the top like other mixers. Easily adding or folding in ingredients or occasionally scraping the bowl is much easier without the arm of the mixer hanging over the bowl in your way.
The through the bowl drive design is the main difference between the Bosch Universal Machine and many of those other expensive kitchen mixers. Although I did not get the chance to try out other attachments they would easily work by attaching either where the bowl attaches or on top of the motor just like the blender would.
When using the bowl you need to have the safety cap in place on the other attachment point where the blender goes. There is a switch on the blender attachment point and the bowl attachment point that makes a great way to ensure you have either an attachment or cover in place over both drive connections for safety.
The basic model has the base of the unit and the mixing bowl with the two attachments, the two whisk beaters and the attachment they connect to, the bread dough hook and a mixing spatula as well as a manual. The company does have a few recipes in the manual but recipes are easy to get from your family favorites to the many available from the internet.
The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine does have plenty of power to thoroughly knead bread dough or cookies which are among the toughest things a stand mixer will face. I found the mixer also did a great job mashing potatoes and at lighter tasks like whisking eggs or cream into light and fluffy topping or meringue quickly.
I used the Bosch Kitchen Machine for several recipes including a flourless cake which takes melted chocolate and butter added to whipped egg whites and creates an almost brownie like cake that was great. I also did some recipes like bread which turned out pretty good but that was not the fault of the mixer, I’m just not a really good cook when it comes to breads.
I did use the mixer for many recipes and it withstood the tough jobs of heavy bread dough and cookies well even when adding the chips to a cookie recipe. Cookies and bread dough were no problem for the Bosch Kitchen Machine and the motor never wavered or slowed down at all.
The Bosch did not slow down or start to sound like a tired old machine when I made a double recipe of chocolate chip cookies. The Bosch Universal tackled the job of final mixing with the chips into the dough just fine without slowing down so there is power behind the slightly odd design.
I found having the mixer rather open on the top made adding ingredients easier and you could watch things better than having to peak around a large central column. Other mixers I have used with that large column right in the way can be distracting from trying to cook.
I much prefer the open top of the Bosch mixer when preparing those delicious recipes and adding ingredients is also much easier. A down side to the Bosch machine is the wire whisks do not quite touch the curve of the bowl in the middle so there ends up being a small ring of unmixed ingredients around the center of the mixing bowl.
What this means when preparing cookies, a cake or other foods is you need to occasionally stop the mixer and scrape the bowl at times to get all the ingredients mixed in. I found this true of any mixer I used just in different places so this is not really any problem.
All the mixers I have used require occasional scraping, this one includes a scraper, except when you get toward the end of a good bread dough or cookie. Mixing the bread dough or cookie dough was easy and the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine made it much easier and more fun.
The Bosch Kitchen Machine is a great stand mixer that lets you concentrate on the recipe and you’re cooking instead of using the mixer. The Bosch Kitchen Machine is a great mixer and you can turn your back on it at times to work on other parts of the recipe without fear of your mixing running away from you.
While whipping cream into a topping for the cake I could start cutting the cake and plating it while the mixer did its work without having to scrape the sides as it whisked. The same was true of mixing the egg whites as the two ingredients of egg whites and sugar easily mixed and then I just allowed it to run without giving it much thought.
The Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine is a great overall mixer that has the great feature of the open top design unlike other more traditional stand mixers. The Bosch Universal may cost a bit more but its nice open design and tough 800 watt motor deliver the power you need in a handy kitchen appliance.
I highly recommend the Bosch Universal Kitchen Machine as the start to a full kitchen appliance system and a great investment to make food preparation not only easier but fun.