A New Mixer

I have had my Kitchenaid Mixer for over 15 years. It's been a good friend, has never broken down and I've loved it dearly. Over the last few years I started thinking about getting a larger capacity mixer. Bigger batches just didn't work as well in my mixer. A few weeks ago my hubby showed me a mixer in Costco and said he'd like to buy it for me if I wanted it. It was different, looked nothing like my Kitchenaid (and I'm kind of one to get stuck in a rut with the familiar). However, it was larger, I liked many of the features and so decided to give it a try. I think I'm sold! I have made several recipes in it because I wanted to test out a variety of things to make sure I liked how it worked. I think it'll be a good friend. I will pass on my Kitchenaid to my oldest daughter if she doesn't get one for a wedding present.

The Bosch Universal Plus Mixer has a 6 1/2 quart capacity which I love and functions at 800w. It's pretty powerful. Check out the above link for all the specs. My Costco version was quite a bit less money and also came with the shredder/slicer discs. This mixer has several attachments that are available to purchase and I may eventually purchase a few of them. 

My favorite feature other than the larger capacity, is the open top which makes it so easy to add ingredients. However I don't recommend laying a spatula or wooden spoon  across the top because that seems so convenient. It will inevitably fall inside and go flying along with contents of the mixer. I speak from experience, but don't tell my husband. The open top makes adding ingredients easier and with less mess (if you're a messy baker/cook like I am). There is a splash shield and lid which is also great. 

I would say my only qualm is it's a little loud, but not obnoxiously so, and it mixes so quickly I don't feel like it's a feature that would cause me to not own it. 

I'm sure I've said many times how much I LOVE Costco. They are just one of my favorite stores. Here is what came with my kit. 

It has a unique streamline look that took a bit to get used to. I guess it's just more "modern" looking than the Kitchenaid, though it's actually been around for a really long time. 

One of the features I liked was the splash guard and lid. At least that's what I call it. Everything tucks neatly inside. When the lid and guard are used, flour doesn't go flying everywhere...Hallelujah!

I love, love, love the open top of this mixer. Okay, I know I've said that in every paragraph, but I really do!  It makes it so easy to add ingredients (yes, I've said that too, have you gotten the point yet) and everything is well distributed when mixing. It's a little tricky for smaller batches because the bowl is so much bigger and wider, but I think it just takes getting used to. 

Making Peanut Butter Cookies. Now, it could be that because my Kitchen Aid was 15+ years old it was starting to slow down, but I'm pretty impressed with the speed of this mixer. 

Also tried out a coffee cake recipe. And a bread recipe. Today I made my Energy Bites. Because of the wider base, I feel like ingredients are more evenly incorporated, whereas the KitchenAid often had stuff on the bottom that didn't get mixed in properly.

So all in all, I am very satisfied and pleased with this mixer. I kinda miss the look of the KitchenAid, but I am definitely loving this one. I have another bread recipe I'm going to try later this week or next week. We'll see how it turns out.

With Joy UNquenchable,