Bosch Universal Plus Stand Mixer - Black 500 Watt, Black

My entire life I have only used stand mixers similar in design to Kitchenaid. I was nervous switching over to Bosch and during unboxing started to think I had picked the wrong machine. It looked extremely complicated. After sitting down with the user manual I decided to give it a chance. Over the years I've gone through multiple brands of mixers with some being better than others but always avoiding any really heavy items or bread dough knowing they couldn't handle it.After a few weeks I'm certain this was the best decision ever! I've been making multiple loaves of bread and rolls per week without fear on top of other duties like meatloaf or cheese balls. The more dough you make the happier the machine is. After 10 straight minutes of kneading heavy dough it's barely even warm- if warm at all. Doesn't strain, doesn't grind, doesn't whine. Just happily keeps going. The paddles and whips work so quickly mixes get done in half the time. I purchased the small dough hook, bowl scraper attachment, and cookie paddles with metal driver at the same time. All were well worth the investment. The bowl scraper works beautifully as it's scraping both the inside column and outer bowl at the same time during mixing. The small dough hook (grey heavy duty plastic, goes under metal dough hook) is for batches of dough under about 4 loaves worth. It keeps the dough from wrapping around the column so it can knead properly.To Address Some Common Concerns:The machine itself is made in Slovenia. All of the Bosch/Nutramill branded accessories are made in the U.S.A. at a factory located in Utah. This is the same location where all warranty or customer service issues are handled.I called them with a question and someone (a real human!) answered the phone right away. Zero hold time. They were very knowledgeable about what I needed, professional and kind. They made it very clear if I ever have any problems with my machine, accessories, or any other questions to call immediately.The machine is much easier to use than I had anticipated. It snaps together quickly and much of it is dishwasher safe. You absolutely need to read the user manual first if you are like me and have zero experience with this type of machine.Replacement parts are readily available with plenty of tutorials online should you have issues after the warranty has ended or just have questions about how something works.The machine comes with white food grade shortening covering some parts. I thought this was a sloppy mistake from factory during unboxing but later learned it's on purpose. It washes off with warm soapy water which you'll be doing before first use anyway. The factory does it to lubricate parts outside of the base and keep them in good condition during storage since they have no idea how long it might sit in a warehouse before being bought.The motor is totally encased in the bottom. It would be difficult to get anything down in there. Wipe the base with a warm rag and avoid any harsh detergents. If you need soap use a mild dish soap. The ink used is environmentally friendly and if you spray it with something like Clorox it will deteriorate. Obviously, this part is not machine washable and you shouldn't submerge it.The metal part through the center column is not machine washable but clicks out super easy. Only the very top will touch any food. You hand wash it or rub it clean with a rag if you've only used it lightly. User manual suggests vegetable oil on a q-tip to keep the bottom in good condition and moving freely.Use vegetable shortening if you have any strange clicking, squeaking, or rubbing on accessories. Sometimes when they are new it can happen and at the speed Bosch goes it's normal. A quick rub of shortening will lubricate until everything is broken in. Personally I did not have this issue but have read others sometimes do. The column covers most everything and if something did slide down the shaft it's not a big deal. Again, the machine motor is sealed and a little spill here or there won't ruin anything.The lid works great. I love having access to the bowl and when I bloom yeast for bread I use this to keep the heat in with a kitchen towel over top. After a dough comes together remove the splash ring. It's not meant to hang out while you have 10 cups of flour getting slapped around in there. The dough will come up over the brim and that's okay. The dough hook will pull it back and keep it going. Don't panic.The bowl is going to bend & move during dough kneading or any other heavy loads. That's normal and not a design flaw. Because the bowl is slightly flexible (even the stainless steel) it helps release some of the torque so you don't burn out the motor. It might look odd and sound concerning but it's totally fine and is actually better for the machine long term.Yes there are a good bit of plastic accessories and parts in the machine. From what I understand part of this is for torque + weight issues (the stainless steel bowl would be unwieldy heavy) and the other is cost. Because the items are made in the US with exception of motor base, they would double in price if they did all stainless steel. Personally I recommend getting a metal driver and ditching the plastic driver for anything but whipped cream or similar. The paddles themselves are made of heavy duty plastic- even heavier than my food processor - and are great. I've used them on cold cream cheese with no problems. Again make sure you read the user manuals on everything and understand what each paddle is for and what it can take.My only two cons~ Lack of handle, some items are difficult to scrape out. Without a handle and a column in the way sometimes this bowl feels like I'm trying to cradle a boulder. Currently looking at my own solution like a silicone strap that would go around. Everything else I love. Just the lack of a handle makes life difficult!In short if you are looking for a real kitchen machine and are sick of weak gears breaking on standard mixers I really recommend giving Bosch a try. I really wish I had bought one earlier. I would have saved myself serious money on all the stand mixers I've had to toss because they wore out on small jobs. It's so nice looking through my cookbooks and feeling like I can try any recipe without worry of my machine breaking.

I make gluten free bread and this "small" (compared to huge commercial mixers) is powerful. I don't have to worry about this mixer giving up on me. It is much easier than using my Kitchen Aid (sorry Kitchen Aid - but your newer products aren't as great as the ones you made 50 years ago). Great value for bread making. Easy to use and to clean. I also learned to just leave the batter alone for let it mix for about 40 seconds to let it do it's thing. I used to stop and check it a lot before and I was making more work for myself. I am learning!

I've had several stand mixers in my lifetime that were all designed like 99% of all tilt head mixers. I've been aware of the Bosch stand mixer for several years, but didn't buy because of the high pricetag. I bought the stainless steel bowl version that had an MSRP of $520. I found it on sale on Amazon for $100 off retail and that's when I put my hat into the ring. I'm a 72 year old male who is a serious cook and old enough to remember when a new Cadillac was $3,500 and a loaf of bread was $.19. Heck, my first car was only $800 back in 1969 and it was only a year old. Truth is I experience sticker shock just about everytime I pull out a credit card and this was no exception. But, if you want quality in manufacturing and engineering then you've got to take a serious look at mixers high end mixers from Germany/Austria that are clearly superior. Before buying I looked at everything from the cheapest Chinese mixers to the highest priced units from Europe. I was hoping to find a hidden gem that did everything I wanted and at a low price, but alas. I did my homework, to be sure. I haven't explored everything the Bosch will do, but its done everything I've wanted to do and did it a lot better than my previous tiltheads. The motor in this Bosch is a real beast and I don't doubt Bosch's claims about what it can do in terms of sheer volume in one batch. Adding ingredients into the bowl while mixing is underway is a lot easier with the Bosch, too. All in all, I'd say I'm completely satisfied with this stand mixer's performance.The only negative is that it doesn't come standard with all the accessories I wanted and I had to spend an extra $100 to get them, which put me back at just over $500. In the end, I got the mixer I've always wanted and then some. In terms of performance let me just say I've never seen a stand mixer that could process batters and doughs as well or as fast as this machine. You'll agree with me after you watch the factory videos. Want to make a meringue? You'll beat egg whites to stiff peaks faster with this Bosch than you will using any other mixer. Additionally, you'll never overheat or stall this motor no matter how thick your batters or doughs. It's like the Energizer Bunny in that respect. People, this is serious German quality and a lifetime investment in your kitchen operations. Bosch has declared their mixer as the best in the world and after buying my own I must say I agree. JD

Had my KA for about 30 years and it’s still going strong. For second home decided to try the Bosch. Can’t believe how it handles bread recipes. It takes 7-8 cups of flour, kneads beautifully, easy to add ingredients and has suction on base to keep it from walking. I love this machine!

I can’t speak to the product’s performance yet because the bowl arrived damaged—the bottom plastic was chipped. I’ll update my review once I receive the replacement, but it’s disappointing to have to go through the return process and wait for a new one. It’s been a frustrating experience so far.