A look at Bosch MUM86

Side by side. Which one do you like better?

I've been borrowing a new stand mixer for a few weeks now - a Bosch MUM86. I am a true Kitchen-Aid fan and have had my machine for many years now, but as I've been baking more bread recently, I'm thinking about getting something a bit more powerful. Hence, the trial of Bosch.

And I have to say, right away - it *is* better for baking bread. A lot better. It's much more powerful at 1600 watts compared to 300, and it doesn't get as warm nor smell funny like my Kitchen-Aid does after a heavy batch of dough. It also has a smarter lid, that actually keeps stuff in the bowl (I hate the so-called pouring shield on the KA - I always end up with a huge mess) and it also has a really smart little shield right where the hook attaches to the engine. So, for baking - I love it, I really do.


Fitted with the pasta roller attachment.

It's sturdily built - it's heavy and since it has little suction feet, it doesn't move around on the counter. However, it's a bit clunky and hard to operate - you have to press down hard at the button to release the arm, pull up hard on the arm itself, yank attachments out with force, etc. Not for the timid! And one thing I really dislike is that the bowl has really sharp edges, and easily scratches the machine body itself.



It has pretty much the same extra equipment available - I've tried the pasta rollers, and they rock. I haven't tried the KA rollers yet though - I hope I'll be able to borrow some soon. But it sure is much more fun than rolling by hand! I've also tried the food processor attachment, which is a bit small to be a real option for me.



And now for the downside: it can not deal with small amounts like the Kitchen-Aid can. I can easily whip up 100 ml of cream, or just two eggs, in my KA. In the Bosch - forget it. It just won't work. And I really love that feature in the KA - I use it a lot for small stuff, like making aioli or a small batch of buttercream.


The flat beater, which is quite different from Kitchen-Aid's.

So, which one would I choose? Both! I don't know if I'll be buying the Bosch, since it's pretty expensive (a bit more so than the Kitchen-Aid, which is already hugely expensive in Sweden), but if I had the extra cash, I probably would. Bread baking is a big hobby for me, and this machine really, really helps. But I feel that the Kitchen-Aid is more of a multi-tasker - and something I'll never be able to be without.