Hobart vs Electrolux vs Bosch

I have a DLX, an older 5 Quart Hobart and a Bosch Universal clone. I do use all three of them, I will try to give you a hand with your problem....remember it is just one persons opinion tho and your mileage may vary. My Hobart is great for making cakes and cookies and dough for a single loaf of bread, now that may be because it is aged well at this point in time and was used years ago to knead lots of bread dough. I bought the Universal clone back in about 2003 and used it to keep the deli I was working at supplied with foccacia, I was making typically 10 half sheet pans a day, the dough was similar to a wet ciabatta dough, the machine never struggled with wet or dry doughs, it was the machine I used to really get busy making bread and foccacia. I stumbled on a great deal on a barely used DLX in about 2005 and snapped it up because a friend of mine wanted to see if I could make him about 25 ciabatta a day in addition to pizza dough and whatever else he wanted bread wise, and I figured between the DLX and the Bosch clone I could do it all at once instead of working all day just mixing batch after batch, I guess I should have taken into account that I only had one oven tho.....Now my preference of the three and the one I use the most is the DLX, it just seems sturdier to me but I also think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it has never sprayed me with flour as it starts up, that is what happens with the Bosch clone if I forget to put the cover on it when I start to mix, the extra step of having to cover the bowl on the Bosch clone knocks it down from first place in my little line up, the Bosch clone will also rock and roll on the counter if I am doing a large amount, the DLX doesn't budge and I love the open bowl for adding the ingredients. The plastic bowl on the Bosch clone can get dough caught up in the top of it and be a pain to clean, I invested in the stainless bowl for it and it's easier to clean, the genuine Bosch doesn't have a timer on it (maybe the new Universal does by now, I haven't checked) so you need to take a more active roll in timing, the DLX has a 12 minute timer, you can set it and walk away. Most of my doughs came together faster in the Bosch clone than they do in the DLX, texture is the same in both at the end of the mix, the Bosch is louder than the DLX for sure. I have run at least 3 full batchs of dough in succession in each machine and had no problem with either, never tried that in the Hobart. After all this my opinion is if money is an issue go with the Bosch Universal, it is a great machine and will do what you need, just remember to put the cover on at the start of the mix and be aware it is louder than the DLX. If money isn't a concern go with the DLX, it seems to be a little sturdier to me. I guess I should state that I worked at a kitchen store and actually sold the Bosch Universal back in the 1990's so even tho mine is a Bosch clone I do know how loud the genuine Bosch is as compared to a DLX. I hope some of this helps.   mattie

bassopotamus

For the kind of usage that you are going to need to crank out large quantities of dough I would give very serious consideration to a commercial mixer..Most of the ones from 8-quarts up to 20-quarts are wired for 120v electricity..They will, of course, need their own circut, probably a 15 amp to 20 amp circut..

Depending upon your mindset, making batch after batch of dough in the 10-12 lb. range to achieve the 50-75 lbs. of dough that you anticipate needing, can be quite tedious, and get real old in a hurry..The number one reason that people quit trying to sell baked goods at Farmer's Markets is the long days and nights of work between Wednesday through Friday in order to get ready for a weekends sales..

While the Electrolux DLX is perhaps the best home-oriented bread kneading stand mixer, it is not a commercial-quality machine..That being said, I own and use a DLX, primarily for personal use..For your needs I believe that the Globe SP8 commercial 8-quart stand mixer to be a FAR better choice..While the electric motor in the DLX is head and shoulders quality-wise above all of its residential stand mixer competitors, it is still NOT a commercial-quality electric motor..The Globe SP8 mixer is designed from the get-go to be able to knead batch after batch of bread dough ALL day long with only short periods of rest between batches..

Commercial mixers have one feature that residential mixers sorely lack..They have an actual 3-speed transmission that is gear-driven with hardened steel machined gears..This allows them to use a far smaller electric motor than a resisential stand mixer of comparable size..The power of the electric motor is thus transfered far more efficiently to the paddle, whip, or dough hook than on most residential stand mixers..

The price of the Globe SP8 will cost just a little less than twice the DLX's $600.00 price tag..You would also gain the advantages of a paddle and wire whip if cakes and cookies ever became something that you wanted to sell at the farmer's market..

Although both the Globe and the Dlx are 8-quart mixers, the Globe will handle heavier batches of dough more easily due to its high-quality single speed motor that is connected directly to the transmission..If I were ever to consider replacing, and or augmenting my DLX the Globe SP8 would be at, or very near, the top of my short list of mixers to consider..It has all of the tools that the Kitchen Aid stand mixers have, the paddle, the whip, and the dough hook, but with a commercial electric motor..What it lacks is the #12 attachment hub (PTO port) for attaching accessory tools such as grain mills, pasta machines, meat grinders, etc..One must move up to the Globe SP10 10-quart mixer to get the #12 hub..

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/globe_commercial_8qt_stand_mixer.html

http://www.everythingkitchens.com/mixers.html

Checking on e-Bay and Craigslist will in all likelihood result in deals that shave off a substantial amount of the close to $1100.00 retail price of the SP8..

By comparison, the Hobart N50 5-quart commercial bowl-lift stand mixer sells for close to $2000.00..

Good luck in your decision making process!!!..

Bruce

Is that in many cities and states it is illegal to have a food business run out of your home, and unlike baking something for a bake sale, this would qualify. Many places require that you have a kitchen that does not open to the rest of the house and a 3-bowl sink where you can do a wash, rinse, and bleach rinse as well.

In many areas, you can't use equipment that isn't NSF certified to produce food for sale.  I don't think that any of the mixers discussed so far, other than the Global, are NSF certified.

One very real option is to not use a mixer.  I used to bake for a farmers market and developed all my doughs with a stretch and fold technique.  I talk about it at some length at http://www.sourdoughhome.com/stretchandfold.html and at the bottom of that page is a link to a semi-secret photo essay about baking for the farmers market.  I routinely did 220 or so loaves a night, almost single handedly.  My wife helped measure the ingredients and then I was on my own

As to the mixers, if you can use them where you are, I find the Bosch overworks the dough, and the whisks are too fragile.  I prefer a KitchenAid for general kitchen work, and a DLX if you are doing mostly bread.  I put together a "mixer shootout" a while back that might be of interest.  Maybe as interesting as watching paint dry.  http://www.sourdoughhome.com/mixerthrowdown.html

Enjoy!

Mike