Bosch Universal Plus with Blender Model: MUM6N10UC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have now had my Bosch for a couple of months. The model I have is a slightly more powerful (1000W) European version with the metal bowl, but otherwise it is the same. It replaces a much-loved Kitchen Aid mixer which I had in the States. I must say that as much as I loved my Kitchen Aid, this Bosch model outperforms it as well as many other mixers. My first impression of the machine upon using it to make bread was that it was way too easy. After using industry-grade Hobart machines, Kitchen Aid, Electrolux, and Kenwood for many years in work and home, I was amazed at how well and effortlessly the Bosch kneaded the dough. I have not one time need to scrape down the sides and there is no spillage.
The capacity is truly enough to make 4 loaves of bread at a time. The lid performs wonderfully, leaving no place for ingredients to escape. Further, the removable part of the lid allows the most space for adding ingredients of all home machines which I have tried. As comparisons: I use an Electrolux Assistant (same capacity bowl)at work every week to make 8 loaves of bread and pizza dough and am frustrated with every batch as the ingredients leap over the backside of the bowl nearly every time no matter how diligently I guard it. The splash guard on my Kitchen Aid I also found to be undersized for adding dry ingredients and I spilled them every time, in the end removing the guard completely. The kneading mechanism on the Bosch looks strange as it has a stationary dough blade as well as a dough hook, but it functions beautifully.
The double whisk works well to mix cake batters. The beaters fit snug in the bowl without hitting the sides. I have experienced that only minimal scraping is sometimes required for cake batters. While this has been occasional and quite optional (perfectionist), it does require that the splash-guard be removed first. I cannot yet give an opinion on its whisk ability regarding cream or eggwhites as I have not had occasion to test that yet. The beaters snap on and off of the head (much like traditional beaters) for easier cleaning and storage.
The plastic blender is of solid and sturdy material and the lid locks onto the blender bowl in addition to having a rubber seal. The blender is driven by a second rotor hidden under a removable cover on the tower part of the mixer base. It locks securely on the base and is as powerful as any free-standing blender I have used. Keep in mind that I do have a 1000W model, so your 800W experience may be slightly different.
Clean up is the only more complicated part of the process. There are not so many more parts, but the design makes it trickier to clean properly. With a tower in the middle of the mixing bowl (similar to a tube pan), it just plain takes more attention and time to clean and the angles of the dough hook makes it a bit trickier than the Kitchen Aid. The whisks are no more difficult than any balloon whisk. All this said, I am so satisfied with the machine that I actually enjoy the more complicated clean up as I get to baby it. And as the other reviewer noted, most parts are dishwasher safe.
I will edit this review as I have more information to add.
I have also attached a customer image which shows the blender attached, the dough hook placed in the bowl, and the double whisk attachment for a bit of visual information.
Enjoy your Bosch! :-)

Click Here to see more reviews about: Bosch Universal Plus with Blender Model: MUM6N10UC

Features: . 800 Watts . 6 ?? quart bowl . Blender . 4 speed settings + momentary switch . Cord storage . Suction feet for a secure standing . Wide range of optional accessories . Overload and start motor protection . 3 year motor / transmission warranty Selling Features: . BOSCH quality - making mixers for decades . The most powerful motor in its class . Unique and modern design . Large mixing bowl will handle up to 15 lbs of dough . Ergonomic and easy handling with rim at top of bowl . Works perfect whether small or large quantities (as little as one egg white) . Endless possibilities with optional accessories . Removable drive shaft is easy to clean . Whisk holder is dishwasher safe . Splash ring allows for easy adding of ingredients . Dough hook is designed to replicate hand kneading - 100% gluten development in minimal time Benefits: . BOSCH quality - higher than average lifetime for mixers in its class . High customer satisfaction . BOSCH has sold this series of mixer since the 1950's. . Long term proven quality and performance . Easy to clean

Click here for more information about Bosch Universal Plus with Blender Model: MUM6N10UC

L'Equip 760200 NutriMill Grain Mill Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This review was originally posted to thefreshloaf.com by Mike Avery
I've owned a Nutrimill, a Whispermill and now own a WonderMIll and a KitchenAid mill.
I started with the KitchenAid mill. I really like it for a number of reasons. I like that it extends the use of my KA, and that it was cheaper than the rest of the mills. Also, I like being able to produce cracked wheat and rye chops. In both cases, you want the grain lightly broken and still identifiable. In "The Bread Builders" the authors joke that when you make rye chops, you want three pieces out of the mill for each two that go in. Pretty much true. However, the down side is that it's difficult to produce finely milled flour. Like othes here, I use the two pass system.
Which is what led me to the WhisperMill. It ground grain very finely and had little in the way of adjustment. It went from very fine to very, very fine. No cracked wheat. No rye chops. And, it seemed that the flour quality wasn't as good for bread making purposes as I wanted. However, it was able to make flour in a single pass and could be used for extended periods of time.
That led me to buy a NutriMill because of its advertized and much ballyhooed wider range of settings, a larger hopper, and the claim that it was able to handle starts and stops with grain in the hopper, which the WhisperMill does not handle. Sadly, the wider range of settings is not terribly releavant. Instead of going from very fine to very, very fine it goes from fine to very, very fine. No cracked wheat, no rye chops, and still the breadmaking characteristics of the flour seemed lacking.
When I sold the bakery, I sold the NutriMill and sent the Whispermill off to be overhauled - employees had turned it off and on with grain in the hopper a few too many times. By this time, the Whispermill company had died and been resurected as Wondermill, so now my mill is the essentially identical wondermill. Same comments apply as to the WhisperMill.
The Whisper/Nutri.Wonder mills have larger hoppers than the KitchenAid and can be used pretty much continuously. In baking classes, I've seen a friend grind as much as 25 pounds without stopping, except to empty the output hopper. I think some people have modified their Wondermills to feed into a trash can sized hopper.
The common thread through the Whisper/Nutri/Wonder mill is that they are all micronizer mills. The grains are sent into spinning wheels that are turning at around 45,000 rpm and the grain explodes into powder.
This has implications. A number of implications. First, the output is homogenous. If you grind grain with a KitchenAid or similar maill you can sift out the bran and make whiter flour, Your flour will have flecks in it, which I find attractive. You cannot do that with micronizer producd flour, the particle size is far moreconsistent.
Next, the micronizers produce more damaged starch than steel or stone wheels. Heartland Mills says, "When wheat is milled into flour some of the starch granules in the endosperm are broken. This damaged starch absorbs much more water than the undamaged granules. If too little damaged starch is in the flour, it will be difficult to mix normal to high-hydration doughs. If there is too much, the flour will exhibit high absorption, but the loaf may flatten at the end of proofing as the excess water is released. In between these extremes, as damaged starch increases, absorption will go up, but at the expense of extensibility and overall dough strength."
Yin and yang. Black and white. Teeter and totter. Sweet and sour. Most things need a balance to work well. Most of the people I know who use mills to grind their own flour look more at nutrition than bread quality. They tend to serve bricks rather than well risen loaves. And the micronizers do support that pretty well. My observations of contemporary America is that few of us seem to be malnourished.
However, I know that some people are concerned about trace mineral deficiencies. Minerals are not depleted in the whole grain flours sold on the shelves. Some people are concerned that whole wheat flour goes rancid quickly after milling. To some extent that is true, but I am not convinced that is significant if you buy flour from a merchant with quick turnover of their stocks.
Other people feel freshly ground tastes better. I won't argue that point, as there is no disputing taste.
The bread making characteristics of the stone or steel wheel mills seems to be higher than from the micronizer mills. However, the steel and stone mills have issues too. The KitchenAid is limited as to how much it can make in a single run. The KA's motor will get hot. Like other posters, I make flour in two passes. I will grind as much as 5 pounds, let the mixer rest, and then make another pass. This is OK for home use... mostly. Steel and stone mills such as the Retsel and Sampo are considerably more expensive, but are said to produce much better flour, and can make coarsely ground grain as well.
You can find Retsel and Sampo dealers on line, check Google or bizrate.
If you have a micronizer mill, you can work with your recipes to get the best results you can. First, be patient. Let the flour absorb the water. My 5 minute knead, 5 minute rest and 5 minute knead regimen works very well here. These breads really benefit from the use of vital wheat gluten. I use about 5 or 6% as a baker's percentage. If you go much higher, the bread can acquire a gummy texture that most people find objectionable. I suggest using an American organic vital wheat gluten, such as Bob's Red Mill as the Chinese gluten has been contaminated in the recent past.
Hope that helps,
Mike

Click Here to see more reviews about: L'Equip 760200 NutriMill Grain Mill

Why mill your own flour, when it's so readily available?Commercial mills remove 30 percent of the wheat kernel, removing the most nutritious part of the grain to make white flour.Commercially milled flour also removes all of the wheat germ oils to prevent it from going rancid and preserving the flour's shelf-life.Ninety percent of the nutritional value of the wheat berry is contained in the wheat germ. Wheat germ oil has almost no shelf life and becomes rancid very quickly. Rancid oil is a carcinogen; government health regulations require the removal of the wheat germ oil from all commercially milled flours to ensure safety. Milling your own flour not only ensures that your flour is as nutritious as it can be, it has a wonderful taste that is lost to commercially made whole-grain flour.Whole grains are important for numerous reasons: strokes, heart attacks, clogged arteries and cardiovascular problems can be prevented when whole grains are eaten regularly.The L'Equip NutriMill is a wonderful way to add nutritious grains to your healthy diet.With it's 20 cup capacity, variable texture control, quiet operation and easy to use self-cleaning milling chamber, you're minutes away from that first batch of fresh-baked bread.

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about L'Equip 760200 NutriMill Grain Mill

Blendtec 52-601-BHM Kitchen Mill 60-Ounce Electric Grain Mill Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Blendtec grain mill works wonderfully. It sounds like a jet engine, but all that power is harnessed into milling wheat into fine flour. After years of using a hand mill this is heaven!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Blendtec 52-601-BHM Kitchen Mill 60-Ounce Electric Grain Mill

Ideal for those seeking healthier, more wholesome food options, this electric grain mill will grind up to 24 cups of natural whole-grain flour in less then eight minutes. Choose from a variety of different grains like whole wheat, rye, oats, rice, buckwheat, millet, corn, soybeans, barley, and others. Simply add the grain (available at health-food stores or from bakery suppliers) to the mill pan, choose the desired speed by turning the dial, flip the switch to "on", and watch as fine flour falls into the 60-ounce transparent container below. The appliance offers all the benefits of an old stone mill, but without any gumming, jamming, or glazing.
Why mill whole-grain flour at home? Natural kernels of whole wheat contain 16 minerals, 10 essential vitamins, and at least 4 other vitamin factors generally found in bran and wheat germ. Whereas refined white flour, usually front and center on the grocery-store shelf, consists mostly of starch, a small amount of protein, and very little vitamins or minerals. Other types of commercially milled flour compromise full nutrition as well, in order to prolong the flour's shelf-life. Flour from freshly milled grains at home, however, not only offers enhanced health benefits and an easy way to increase natural fiber in one's diet, it also tastes delicious--whether making homemade flour tortillas, a warm loaf of bread, a birthday cake for a friend, or a batch of chocolate-chip cookies with the kids on a rainy day. Furthermore, the mill will pay for itself with the money saved by milling flour at home, baking homemade goods, and buying grain in bulk. In addition to its durable construction with high-quality materials, the mill provides solid-state electronics, a self-cleaning stainless-steel Micronetic milling chamber, a 10 amp direct-drive motor, permanent lubrication, and a design that won't overheat. Built to last, the compact grain mill measures approximately 9 by 9 by 10-1/2 inches and carries a limited lifetime warranty on the chamber and pan with a six-year limited warranty on the motor.

Get 8% OFF

Click here for more information about Blendtec 52-601-BHM Kitchen Mill 60-Ounce Electric Grain Mill