Bosch Universal Bowls Explained


at least 7 bowls, 2 series of mixers, multiple splash rings: extreme chaos

I went looking for a stainless steel bowl for my Bosch Universal mixer. Oh boy. That wasn’t fun. I quickly got a headache. There are at least 6 Bosch bowls spanning two Bosch Universal classifications and no website seemed to agree with any other. Here’s what I learned.

First some history and definitions:

Bosch Universal Mixer Enamel on Steel Mixing Bowl The original Bosch bowl was a flat-bottomed, dough-only bowl that had a three-pronged dough hook that mounted on the bottom of the bowl. This bowl started out with the first Universal mixer in 1951. Some time later Bosch introduced the white, all-purpose, donut-shaped bowl with the center post. I have currently narrowed this down to sometime between 1961 and 1970. I’ll refer to Universal mixers prior to 2007 as Classic Universals. I am lumping together everything from the original 1950’s mixers, to the 2007 redesign into this category – UM3, MUM6, Comfort Plus, the whole lot. The post-2007 mixer is the Universal Plus and will be referred to as such. Note: the links below will take you to pages on this site with more in-depth coverage of each bowl.

The current line-up:

Bosch Universal Original Bowl in StainlessBosch makes the MUZ6ER1 stainless steel bowl. This bowl is the original-style dough-only bowl that has shipped with Bosch Universals since their inception. This bowl is the flat-bottomed bowl that has the dough hook mounted to the bottom. This bowl will fit on all Classic Universals as-is. It does not have the built-in locking mechanism on Universal Plus bowls and is unstable on the Universal Plus. To fix this issue people are using rubber bumpers to keep it stable. There have been at least two versions. The current version has 3 locking pins on the inside of the bowl and use the newer splash-ring that fits inside the rim of the bowl. The ER1 has an approximate capacity of 6 quarts by volume and is rated at 14 pounds of dough.

Bosch Universal Plus Stainless Steel Bowl MUZ6ER2Bosch also makes the MUZ6ER2 stainless steel bowl. This is the all-purpose stainless bowl designed for the Universal Plus. It is specific to the Universal Plus and will not fit the Classic Universals. This bowl uses the standard French whisks, batter whisks, cookie paddles and dough hook. This bowl has 4 locking pins and requires a 4-pin splash ring. The ER2 has a removable center post for easy clean-up. The ER2 has an approximate capacity of 6 1/2 quarts or 15 pounds of dough.

Bosch Universal Stainless Steel Bowl MUZ6SB4L’Equip makes two stainless bowls for Bosch Universal mixers. MUZ6SB3 and MUZ6SB4. These bowls are identical except for the number of splash-ring locking pins. These bowls fit both Classic Universal mixers and Universal Plus mixers. They both have removable drive shafts for easy cleaning. While you can use the SB4 with a Classic Universal and an SB3 with a Universal Plus, you will wind up with mis-matched splash-rings. If this isn’t a concern for you, feel free to mix n match! These bowls are able to hold approximately 5 1/2 quarts or 12 pounds dough.

Bosch Universal Bowl MUZ6KR4UCBosch makes two all-purpose plastic bowls designed for both kneading and mixing. These are the MUZ6KR4 and MUZ6KR4UC. The MUZ6KR4 has three splash-ring locking pins and uses a splash-ring that fits inside the bowl. This is the bowl that I believe was introduced in 1984 with the MUM6 series of mixers. The KR4 has an approximate capacity of 5 1/2 quarts or 12 pounds of dough. The MUZ6KR4UC bowl is the newest design and is specific to the Universal Plus. It has 4 locking pins and a removable drive shaft for easy cleaning. The UC is rated at approximately 6 1/2 quarts and can knead 15 pounds of dough.

Bosch Universal Mini Dough Hook for the Slicer Shredder BowlThat brought me up to 6 bowls; I thought my research was finished. I had forgotten about the slicer-shredder bowl. I knew that there was a set of whisks for the slicer-shredder bowl – I had even used them. Then L’Equip dropped a bit of a bombshell into the mix with the release of a mini dough hook for the slicer-shredder bowl.

Vintage Cookie Plates for the Assistent Mixer

Need to make some cookies in your Assistent mixer, 1950’s style?

The Assistent mixer has been around for many decades and the model shown on the front of that manual in the picture below appears to be an N4. I believe the N4 dates to the 1950s.

These cookie plates would attach in place of the grinder plate at the end of the meat grinder and you’d feed your cookie dough through – and out would come a strip of formed cookie dough, which you would then cut to whatever size you wanted.

Aren’t they just plain cool?

assistent-mixer-cookie-plates-manual

assistent-mixer-cookie-plates

Vintage Bosch Deluxe Stainless Bowl Parts List

I found the parts list below and thought it would be interesting to archive for posterity. Bosch still makes the big bowl show below. It is the [easyazon-link asin=”B0006DOROQ” locale=”us”]MUZ-6ER1 Stainless Steel Bowl[/easyazon-link]. Unfortunately, the small bowl with double beaters is no longer produced.

See my post for the original Bosch Stainless Bowl.

Bosch Deluxe Stainless Steel Bowl Parts List

Small-Batch Dough in Bottom-Mount Bosch Universal Bowl

Big bowl, small batch!

Continuing my small-batch dough series, I’ve thrown together a challah loaf in my bottom-mount stainless bowl on my Bosch Universal mixer. This dough has 338 grams of flour and is about 60% hydration.

I’ll let you decide how the bottom-mount bowl handles a small batch, but will say the dough turned out smooth, elastic and gorgeous.

Note: always keep your lid on your bowl. I removed it for the video, but notice that it would be very easy for the dough to be slung out onto the floor without it!

Jim’s List of Essential Canning Tools

What do you need to do some major canning? Here are my suggestions for a happy canning experience.

  1. A Stainless Steel Canning Funnel
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B00004UE88″ locale=”us” height=”115″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H8B03T3PL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]A [easyazon-link asin=”B00004UE88″ locale=”us”]canning funnel[/easyazon-link] is a requirement to easily transfer foods into a jar. Sure you can go with plastic, but stainless will hold up better and isn’t going to melt if you get it too close to a hot burner.

  2. A Jar Lifter
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B007QT4GM6″ locale=”us” height=”160″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HLBRZCB0L._SL160_.jpg” width=”108″]You don’t want to try to lift hot jars out of a pot of boiling water by hand, do you? A [easyazon-link keywords=”jar-lifter” locale=”us”]jar-lifter[/easyazon-link] will let you grab those jars without burning your hands.

  3. Commercial-Grade Stainless Steel Ladles
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B008K3Z76Q” locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31EzsaG-%2BVL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]You want a [easyazon-link keywords=”nsf stainless ladle” locale=”us”]ladle with a long handle[/easyazon-link] so that you can get into large stockpots. Most ladles made for home use are way to short for this task and don’t hold anywhere near enough. You can find [easyazon-link keywords=”32 oz ladle” locale=”us”]quart-sized commercial ladles[/easyazon-link]. I find myself using an [easyazon-link keywords=”8 oz stainless ladle” locale=”us”]8 oz stainless[/easyazon-link], NSF-approved ladle I picked up at a local restaurant-supply store. If you are only canning small jars, you may find a [easyazon-link keywords=”4 oz stainless ladle” locale=”us”]4 oz[/easyazon-link] or [easyazon-link keywords=”6 oz stainless ladle” locale=”us”]6 oz[/easyazon-link] ladle more appropriate.

  4. Large Stainless Stockpots – induction capable
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B000ZMHDRQ” locale=”us” height=”82″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/2176Dek6DtL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]You can cook a small amount of something in a large pot, but you’ll not be cooking a large amount in a tiny pot! If you were to go for a [easyazon-link keywords=”22 quart stainless stock pot” locale=”us”]22 quart stockpot[/easyazon-link] (a common size), it could do double-duty as a boiling-water-bath canner. I suggest an [easyazon-link keywords=”induction cookware” locale=”us”]induction-capable pot[/easyazon-link] because induction technology seems to be becoming very popular and your next stove-top may be induction. Also, many people buy hotplates to help out in the kitchen during canning season – there are several [easyazon-link keywords=”induction” locale=”us”]portable induction burners[/easyazon-link] on the market these days.

  5. Commercial-Grade Stainless Steel Spoons
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B00915HNZK” locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31YiLxZu8RL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]Again with the commercial thing? Why do I need a [easyazon-link keywords=”commercial spoon stainless professional” locale=”us”]commercial spoon[/easyazon-link]? Because they have the long handles to get to the bottom of a tall stockpot.

  6. Stainless Steel Skimmer
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B000P9TKC0″ locale=”us” height=”58″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31uju5z%2BTlL._SL160_.jpg” width=”160″]When canning, you frequently want to distribute the solids out of a pot of soup evenly between jars, or only have a jar half-ful of solids before topping-off with broth. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is with a [easyazon-link asin=”B000P9TKC0″ locale=”us”]skimmer[/easyazon-link]. If you are fan of deep-frying, perhaps you already have one lying about the house?

  7. Stainless Steel Colanders
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B00555ETXY” locale=”us” height=”68″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41eVkUNRBJL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]A couple [easyazon-link keywords=”stainless colander” locale=”us”]large colanders[/easyazon-link] make rinsing large quantities of vegetables much easier! If you have a steam juicer, you should probably just grab the colander out of the top if it.

  8. Stainless Steel Steam Juicer
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B0002IBQL2″ locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416lluf6DBL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]The best invention for clear jellies, the [easyazon-link keywords=”stainless steam juicer” locale=”us”]steam juicer[/easyazon-link] also is great for removing water from tomatoes or preparing apples for apple sauce. The large colander can be used for straining anything, or with the [easyazon-link asin=”B0002IBQL2″ locale=”us”]Krona model[/easyazon-link] can be used as a normal steamer. A [easyazon-link keywords=”stainless steam juicer” locale=”us”]steam juicer[/easyazon-link] consists of 5 parts: A water pan on the bottom, A collection pan, with spout, above the water pan, A colander into which you place your product, A lid sitting on top of all, and a heat-proof hose attached to the collection pan’s spout, for draining-off your juice.

  9. A food mill or berry-press attachment for your stand mixer
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B00004SGFJ” locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/311qb72yfJL._SL110_.jpg” width=”110″]How do you remove all the seeds and peels from the produce you’ve just run through your steam juicer? Hook up a press attachment to your [easyazon-link asin=”B00004SGFJ” locale=”us”]Kitchen Aid[/easyazon-link], Bosch or Assistent stand mixers.

  10. Pressure Canners
    [easyazon-image align=”right” asin=”B00004S88Z” locale=”us” height=”110″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41hC%2BsFPoBL._SL110_.jpg” width=”97″]Canners? Plural? Why would you need more than one canner? And what about water bath canners?I feel a tall [easyazon-link keywords=”pressure canner” locale=”us”]pressure canner[/easyazon-link] is a must unless you have need of a small canner. A tall [easyazon-link keywords=”pressure canner” locale=”us”]pressure canner[/easyazon-link] is one that is 21 quarts by volume or greater. It will be tall enough to do two layers of pint jars as well as be used as a boiling water bath canner.[easyazon-link keywords=”Presto pressure canner” locale=”us”]Presto[/easyazon-link], [easyazon-link keywords=”Mirro pressure canner” locale=”us”]Mirro[/easyazon-link] and [easyazon-link keywords=”All-American pressure canner” locale=”us”]All-American[/easyazon-link] all make 21 quart, or larger, pressure canners. I suggest more than one canner if you are doing large batches. You can start a second canner-load as soon as the first has finished its time, or you can have two canners going at once.