Bosch Compact

   Before I got into cooking big time, I was an apartment dweller and didn't have lots of room and researched a mixer that would be a Swiss army knife "do all" mixer that could do everything plus a mixer and I found it in the Bosch Compact. It has attachments for just about everything. This this is mixer, blender, food processor, meat grinder, pasta maker, ice cream maker, slicer/shredder, grater, press juicer, citrus juicer, and grain mill. Phew!

   Don't let it's size and looks deceive you! It's got a 400 watt powerhouse (75 watts more than the KitchenAid) which can crank out single loaf pans of bread easily. And cookie dough, forget it, its like the energizer rabbit. It's bowl and the unit is mostly plastic, but don't let that bother you, it's TOUGH. It has a convenient cord loom for easy storage. It's so light it can be easily whisked away with one hand and fits into cabinets most other mixers would have to be broken in half to fit into. It was $240.00 when I first got it and can be now had for about $199.00 new and even cheaper on eBay and such sites.

   One very unique feature of this mixer that makes it effective is it's mixing pattern. Compared to the action if a KitchenAid and 99.9% of the mixers out there which mixes by a cylinder planetary action (the beater is straight up and down) which is good, the Compact's action has a cone shaped planetary and is VERY effective at getting everything mixed quickly. There is even gentle bulge in the bottom of the bowl to assist in integrating what you put in there.

   However the bowl is, like I said, small. 4 quarts, one quart smaller than the average KitchenAid and makes the bowl feel cramped when making larger batches of whatever. Also this isn't something you are going to pick up at your average Bed, Bath and Beyond, itself and every attachment for it will have to be ordered from the internet. But it's worth it, especially if you have limited space in your kitchen for dedicated appliances.

   I still keep my Bosch Compact around because it's so handy and I can't see parting with it after it served me so well over the years. If you are a starting cook in a cramped kitchen the Bosch Compact is PERFECT for you. There are several videos on YouTube that are worth checking out.

P.S. They do make a larger more powerful (1400 watt 7 quart) version of this mixer called the Bosch MUM8. But alas, it is only sold in Germany where they use a weird plug (well, weird to me) and 240V single phase (I think it's the standard there). But IF they do bring the Bosch MUM8 mixer to these shores, rest assured, I'll toss my Breville out my kitchen window to make room for this bad boy...