Bosch Stand Mixer Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G Review

Verdict

The Bosch Stand Mixer Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G is not a typical one: there are no aspirational glossy pastel colours and you might not give it pride of place in your kitchen.

But what it does have in spades is practicality and function: something for the dedicated bakers who want good results more than a fancy paperweight. Its twin scales and deep bowl are handy highlights but it’s the sensor mixing modes that help to take the guesswork out of common tasks, which make it worth the price tag.

Introduction

Stand mixers have long been taking the effort out of everything from whipping cream to whisking egg whites, but finding one that can also handle bread dough, or that doesn’t leave unmixed ingredients behind can be a challenge.

While it may not look like a typical stand mixer, Bosch’s Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G packs a lot into its compact worktop footprint.

This includes auto programmes for cake batter, bread and pasta doughs, as well as cream and egg whites, integral weighing scales below the bowl, and on top, plus two hubs for accessories, making it ideal for keen bakers as well as those who like to prepare recipes from scratch. 

Design and Features

• Timer
• Deep mixing bowl
• Seven speeds, fold and pulse

The first thing you’ll notice about the Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G is that it doesn’t look much like a typical stand mixer. There’s still something of the U-shaped configuration, but it’s designed with the mixing head straight on rather than at an angle to the user.

This works in most ways: tools are easier to fit, there’s space for a screen, and the controls are easy to view. However, some actions feel awkward, such as raising the mixer head with a button to the back left of it.

The tools are a standard issue dough hook, silicone-coated beater and whisk, but they are designed to prevent any debris from getting into their hub thanks to a protective plastic cap.

They’re all dishwasher-safe, as is the 5.5-litre stainless-steel mixing bowl. This can accommodate a generous 3.5kg of cake batter, 2.5kg of bread dough, two-to-12 egg whites or 1.5 litres of cream.

Its appearance is sleek but functional with a jet-black matt plastic body and stainless-steel elements, plus a Tritan splashguard.

Controls sit to the right: there’s the more typical dial, with seven speeds, a fold or gentle stirring setting – charmingly indicated by a snail – and a pulse, plus a touchscreen for accessing the scales, timer and auto settings, and controlling optional accessories.

Mixing is planetary – across the bowl not round and round – and powered by a 1600W motor, perfect for heavy dough and large quantities.

Performance

• Hard to scrape down bowl
• Excellent mixing
• Handled bread dough effortlessly

While the instructions that the Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G comes with lack clarity and are often overly complicated, the machine itself is straightforward to use if you’ve ever owned a stand mixer.

My only initial niggle was that I often mixed up the button for releasing the tool with the one for raising the mixing head. My feeling was that you’d be raising the head more than swapping tools, so a button at the front would be more natural. It would also be useful to have a small bowl for using the scales on top of the mixer head. The scales are only 12cm wide, so not suitable for big bowls.

I began by whisking six egg whites with the auto sensor option. This worked up to the maximum speed with the whisk tool.

Like most mixers, the noise on this programme grew loud enough to drown out conversation but, unlike some others it’s not a piercing whine or uncomfortable to hear. Some of the automatic programmes allow you to select the quantity of ingredients but this one didn’t. After around five minutes, it finished with a slow stop. The egg whites looked perfectly stiff but a large lump of them had gathered in the whisk, meaning that when I raised the mixer head, the whites grazed the edge of the bowl.

I had to release the whisk first before raising the mixer head fully. I inverted the bowl and the egg whites still in it stayed put.

Next, I made a sponge batter. This is where I found the twin scales to be most useful, first allowing me to measure ingredients directly into the bowl, before using the scales on top for additional ingredients.

First, I creamed butter and sugar using the manual settings: 30 seconds slow mixing to initially incorporate, before raising to speed four for four more minutes.

This created a visibly fluffy pale-yellow mixture. I liked the count-up timer in this process as it allowed me to see exactly how long the mixer had been running. You can also set the processing time.

However, I found it awkward to scrape the bowl down before adding the next ingredient – as the bowl has tall sides and the tool doesn’t move out of the way by much. I had to take the bowl out of the mixer to scrape down sufficiently.

After adding flour, I expected a typical ‘flour puff’ from the initial stir but was surprised that the gentle fold action didn’t cause it. I also liked that the splashguard raised with the mixer head. The finished batter appeared aerated and baked well, producing a light, airy sponge.

Finally, I made bread dough with the hook and manual settings, starting the mixer on low before raising it to speed three. Unlike some mixers that can rock when making thick dough, the Series 6 MUMS6ZM00G stayed firmly planted on the worktop.

The machine’s yeast dough programme runs a cycle of kneading, resting, and knocking back, but as my test area was cold, I decided to solely assess the kneading abilities. This it did with flying colours: the dough was thoroughly combined, no residue was left around the bowl and although it wrapped around the hook sometimes, the mixer’s action freed it for more kneading.

The dough rose and baked perfectly. Clean-up was simple as all the removable parts could be popped in the dishwasher, but were equally straightforward to wash by hand.

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