Challah Making Appliances

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  • #609024
    oomis
    Participant

    Opinions, please. What do you prefer, the Bosch or Magic Mill, and why? Because of a new arthritic condition, I cannot use my hands to knead dough anymore, but would like to still make my own challah. These machines are very pricey, so if I am able to buy one (or get a present, hint, hint…), I want to be sure it will be user friendly, as well as a good machine.

    #949808
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    Hmmm. I also want a mixer. Like a kitchenaid for example. It can be very hard to knead dough. Like for pizza or for spent grain beer bread.

    #949809
    oomis
    Participant

    My mom O”H had a kitchen aid mixer, but it really was not good for making large batches of challah.

    #949810
    popa_bar_abba
    Participant

    oh. how large are we talking here?

    #949811
    a mamin
    Participant

    I have a Magic Mill and I use 6 pds. of flour. My daughters all have a Bosch and prefer that one.( They’ve used both).

    #949812
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    Oomis, refuah sheleimah.

    #949813
    TheGoq
    Participant

    This thread title put the picture in my head of a 6 foot challahman working in a refrigerator factory wearing overalls and a bandanna beads of sweat trickling down his braids.

    #949814
    Bored214
    Participant

    Well i actually use something completely different which works amazingly for me.

    I use a bread machine to knead the dough. You can put in up to 1 kilo of flour (which is fine for me I dont have time to make more than that) and if i want to make a bracha i just do the batch twice.

    It takes 5 minutes to load the machine, add all liquids, then add all dry ingredients and turn on to mix. It has a 20 minute mixing cycle and then leaves it to rise in the warm machine for about an hour and the dough comes out amazing. (you have to try your recipe a few times until you get the perfect amount of water so that it’s not too sticky but once you do that it literally takes 5 minutes to make the dough.

    Another advantage is that the bread machine is pretty cheap compared to the other machines but you can only use it for dough’s like pizza, challa etc. If you need the machine to whip up eggs etc then this won’t work for you.

    I use a handheld electric whisk to whip up eggs etc. in a bowl.

    #949815
    oomis
    Participant

    Thanks D”Y for the good wishes. I had just about gotten used to having bad knees, when my right hand decided to rise up in protest, as well. I think I will have to bite the bullet and get a cortisone shot in it, which I have been putting off for a number of valid reasons. Not complaining, mind you. B”H I have hands and legs that (mostly) work.

    Thanks to those who have answered thus far. I have been leaning toward the Bosch (can’t afford it right now anyway, so it’s a moot point, but I want to start saving for this), though an opportunity came along to buy a very lightly-used Magic Mill. But it won’t benefit me if it is not so user-friendly. I would want to use around 5 lbs. of flour at a time, I think.

    #949816
    Imaofthree
    Participant

    how many cups of flour would go in a bread machine?

    #949817
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    an opportunity came along to buy a very lightly-used Magic Mill

    Probably, she didn’t like the Magic Mill and wants to trade up for a Bosch.

    #949818
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant
    #949819
    seeallsides
    Participant

    i use the magic mill – it is okay but not amazing – you just have to watch it and balance wet and dry ingredients, which for the price you pay, you kind of figure, it should do everything by itself. I have bought many machines, as that is my wedding present to the nieces and nephews – they all seem to want the Bosch. Last Bosch i got was on overstock for 349.99 which was a great price but i am still looking for stainless bowl which goes for another $100 – hoping for some sale. Good Luck !

    #949820
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    The Bosch MUM6N10UC is available with free shipping on Amazon for $400.

    #949821
    rc
    Participant

    I love my magic mill. I also love the mixer bowl and the whisk attachment for all things EXCEPT a thick dough or cookies. i also have a kitchen aid. but i use my magic mill for most things..I think it does an excellent job with the challah dough~

    #949822
    ontheball
    Member

    I have the Bosch. I’m very happy with it. I bake challah and cake every week.

    #949823
    oomis
    Participant

    Probably, she didn’t like the Magic Mill and wants to trade up for a Bosch”‘

    LOL – that’s what I was thinking, too. The Bosch you mentioned is less than what is being asked for the Magic Mill. I can’t afford either right now, but I am certainly taking ALL the comments in the CR under advisement. So far, Bosch is winning.

    For those who have a Bosch, what is its best feature in your opinion?

    #949824
    Imaofthree
    Participant

    So maybe get a bread machine. That would be cheaper.

    #949825
    flyer
    Participant

    if you’re main thing is challa – definitely the bosch. but you have to get the silver bowl. WIth the Bosch you can put everything in and mix and you don’t have to worry about it not mixing well etc. Many people have the Bosch just for challa.

    #949826
    Bored214
    Participant

    I’m not sure how many cups it is but it’s 1 kilo of flour..i’ve got a great recipe that works perfectly in it if anyone’s interested.

    I guess the bread machine wouldn’t work for oomis if she wants to use 5lb’s of flour. Though the machine is so easy to use that you could just do a 1 kilo recipe twice (which comes to 4.4lb’s). My mother in law actually does that – if she doesnt have time she does a quick one kilo batch and if she wants to make a bracha she just does the 1 kilo batch twice.

    #949827
    Nechomah
    Participant

    Oomis, first off refuah sheleimah for your knees and your hands and anything else that is aching you.

    I have a Bosch – the older model, which I think is terrific. I have a friend who has had one for probably 30 years and she still fixes it and it’s great. I think the best features are that there is the cover which keeps the stuff from spraying out, which the kitchen aid does not have since it mixes from the top. It does have a spill guard or something like that, but cannot prevent stuff from really flying out, which sometimes does happen by me.

    The metal bowl is a must for large batches of challah, like on YT, especially with R”H being 3 days this year again and you guys in chutz la’aretz have 3-day YTs with Sukkos and Simchas Torah also.

    The nice thing about the Bosch also is that it has many attachments that you can buy separately later on, like a meat grinder, which is good for making chopped liver and even grinding your own meat rather than paying extra for it, like we do over here in EY. I think they also have a food processor attachment for making salads. Mine came with a blender from the start, not sure if the new model does also.

    Hope you can save up for a Bosch soon. Nothing like fresh home-baked challah on Shabbos. My kids are not mevater on it NEVER.

    Again, Refuah Sheleimah. All the best

    #949828
    Imaofthree
    Participant

    Thanks Bored 214

    #949829
    EY Mom
    Participant

    I’ve never used the Magic Mill, but I have the Bosch for years and am very happy with it. I bake challah every week with 2+ kilo of flour which is about 5 pounds. If you do get it, definitely buy the stainless steel bowl. It’s also really good for big batches of cookie dough. I don’t use it for smaller batches or for cakes, though, so I can’t tell you how it performs for the lighter stuff.

    #949830
    TheGoq
    Participant

    Another day another dollar challahman punches in at the factory hes got 7 rolls at home he needs to feed.

    #949831
    twisted
    Participant

    I am moche for the kavod of the good old Kitchen Aid. When way back wife was doing 5 lb egg challa recipes, the machine with dough hook did the job fine. It has the yichus of being sized down from the Hobart, a massive behemoth of catering machinery. I have seen a little brother Hobart roughly twice the stature of a KA that easily did ten and fifteen lb recipes. You csn also find refurbished machines, and with a new hook and bowl, you’re set. Just do a counter top “garage” for it so you don’t have to shclep it up and down with arthritic hands. Refuah shlema and may there be a bracha in your dough.

    #949832
    writersoul
    Participant

    I happen to really like the Magic Mill. It’s a workhorse, and it really does the job well. My only complaint is that it’s VERY heavy (which for me is an issue as I have an arthralgia-related condition which makes heavy lifting kind of painful), but as long as you are smarter than me and you don’t keep it in the cabinet under the sink it really shouldn’t be a big deal. It’s absolutely fantastic- I love the dough hook and that gizmo that scrapes the edges of the bowl. I also use it to make triple batches of cakes and cookies for yom tov.

    I’ve never had a Bosch, so it might be way better than this for all I know, but the Magic Mill is nothing to sneeze at.

    #949833
    oomis
    Participant

    “Oomis, first off refuah sheleimah for your knees and your hands and anything else that is aching you.”

    Thank you SO much, Nechomah.

    Again, thanks to all who responded. So far Bosch is in the lead. The heaviness of the Magic Mill is a really big caveat for me, especially right now. I am taking all suggestions under advisement.

    #949834
    TheGoq
    Participant

    Challahman works overtime he has a bagel in law in yeshiva to support.

    #949835
    oomis
    Participant

    Where is Challahman?

    #949836
    TheGoq
    Participant

    Today challahman is back at the factory working hard on the line installing parts in the refrigerators but tomorrow he will leave work early to get home to help prepare for Shabbos he makes the family cholent with his own selection of special spices that he wont tell anyone, Mrs Challahman starts cooking tonite they are having company for Shabbos lunch the new family that just moved in down the block the Baguettes.

    #949837
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    There’s currently a coupon offer in Costco for a 5.5 qt. Kitchen Aid. $280 plus tax.

    #949838
    Yatzmich
    Member

    As someone who sells Kitchen Aid, Bosch, and Magic Mill, I can say with certainty that the Bosch outsells all the others by far.

    Those of you who are getting a good deal on Bosch mixers from the internet, just know that they don’t come with the Stainless Steel Bowl which you’ll need for Challah. To buy the bowl seperately will cost you in the area of $125.00 or even $150.00 (or more.)

    For those who don’t find the Bosch good for the heavy cookie dough, they have for sale a cookie paddle set that comes with a metal cap, that should take care of that problem.

    #949839
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    For how much do you sell the Bosch with a stainless steel bowl?

    #949840
    WIY
    Member

    Yatzmich

    I just googled it, you can buy the bowl online for $79 free shipping no tax. Yes many places online and in stores charge much more but it CAN easily be purchased online for well under $150 or $125.

    #949841
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    WIY, are you sure it was the stainless steel 6.5 qt. bowl? I saw it for $140, and the plastic bowl for $79.99.

    #949842
    WIY
    Member

    DY

    Yes google it yourself. Cutleryandmore has it for $79.

    #949843
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    You’re right, the one for $140 has a cover, but without the cover it’s $79.

    Even better, you can buy the mixer with an extra stainless steel bowl for $450.

    #949844
    Nechomah
    Participant

    While it might be nice to have the lid, it is not always necessary as it should be compatible with the from the bowl that comes with the mixer, but DY is right about trying to find the best deal to get the whole thing at one time, especially if one knows that s/he is going to use primarily the metal bowl due to the use of large amounts of flour to make challah.

    I do want to ask Yazmitch a question about the cookie paddles – I have had those in the past and have had problems because the plastic attachment onto the metal piece that goes over the bowl has broken. I’ve had not only one set, but more than one. They’ve not been available here in EY, so I’ve had to order from US and had brought over by a friend/relative who is coming. Sending back is too involved for me to deal with so I have not managed to use the “guarantee”. Are they coming out with newer ones that have metal for the attachment or did I misunderstand your post? They are great for making large batches of cookies – I have done triple batches of chocolate chip cookies before and they are also good for making large batches of brownies since the dough is thicker than the whips can handle and you don’t need the dough hook for such things, so the cookie paddles are a great in-the-middle item. Perfect attachment to buy off the bat if you will be doing baking for simchos or just want to get a lot done before YT.

    #949845
    Yatzmich
    Member

    WIY,

    The steel bowl that they’re selling for $79.99 is a steel version of the plastic bowl. For challah you need the Steel bowl that mixes from the bottom. The dough hook from the plastic bowl will NOT work on the Challah steel bowl. You would have to buy the bowl with a cover and a dough hook and that one they’re selling for $169.99.

    A Bosch complete with BOTH bowls and dough hooks is $450.00 from them & $500.00 where I sell it.

    #949846
    Yatzmich
    Member

    Nechomah,

    The older Bosch machines came with a metal “cap” that you click the wire whisk beaters onto. In the newer Bosch machines (4 -5yrs. old) that cap is PLASTIC. When mixing a cookie dough, if you use the plastic cap and whisk beaters, the whisks will bend or come apart and the plastic cap will bend into a pretzel. (I’ve seen it all!) For cookie batter, you need the METAL cap AND the cookie paddles. If you have the cookie paddles already, all you need is the metal cap.

    Clear?

    #949847
    ☕ DaasYochid ☕
    Participant

    This is why it’s worth spending a few extra bucks to buy from someone who actually knows what he’s talking about.

    #949848
    mirkop6
    Participant

    I used a Kenwood for a long time and loved it. After a while it would blow during the dough kneeding process as it was too heavy for it. I treated myself to a Bosch. At that time it came with a stainless steel bowl. I love it. I have carpal tunnel and cannot knead dough by hand. I have made challah with 9 cups and 18 cups of flour. The results are fabulous! Believe it or not, I still use the Kenwood for cakes as I do not like the cake bowl which comes with the Bosch. It is like a bundt cake bowl and I do not find it easy to work with. I like making cakes in a large deep bowl. Would love if the Bosch came with a bowl for cakes like the bowl for the challah. I have a sister-in-law who loves her Magic Mill. Her challah is also delicious. When my daughter got married she got the Bosch. Good luck with your decision!

    #949849
    oomis
    Participant

    Thanks for all your input!

    #949850
    Yatzmich
    Member

    I just spoke to someone who bought the Bosch with the stainless steel bowl online from cutleryandmore.com. It turns out that the stainless bowl that they sell with the machine is NOT the challah bowl. It’s a steel version of the plastic bowl, not the challah bowl.

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