My wife and I recently purchased a Magic Mill DLX (after consulting persons
on this list as well as many other lists, and doing extensive research and
comparison with the KitchenAid, Kenwood, and Bosch). I must say that Marcy
Goldman's description that the Magic Mill "just 'thugs' the dough around
and around - it does not properly knead or manipulate it AT ALL" is
completely and totally inaccurate. (For the record, my wife and I are not
dealers nor do we have any other affiliation with Magic Mill or any other
mixer company.)
What is most impressive about the Magic Mill (at least regarding yeast
doughs) is its ability to simulate hand kneading by means of its roller
attachment (and dough scraper). There is no other machine that has
anything even close to the roller attachment of the Magic Mill. It's so
good, I have yet to even touch the dough hook that came with the
machine. Furthermore, the roller attachment makes it possible to do all of
the necessary mixing/blending/kneading in ONE bowl, using only ONE
attachment (definitely a bonus when it comes to cleanup - and, makes moving
from mixing/blending to kneading just a matter of changing speed!!). My
wife is a big fan of 100% Whole Wheat Bread and I've made several batches
for her using over 12 cups of flour in each batch. The Magic Mill does a
fantastic job kneading this heavy dough on half speed or less where other
mixers couldn't even handle such a job at top speed. I've made all
different types of breads (rye, egg, white, whole wheat, etc.) and the
Magic Mill does an exceptional job kneading every dough I've tried.
As an aside, the double beater attachment is also excellent for cakes and
cookies. Besides the solid metal construction of the machine (it's built
like a tank), what really stands out is just how well all of the pieces fit
together - the dough scraper (used in conjunction with the roller
attachment) fits the bowl perfectly. The roller attachment reaches to the
very bottom of the stainless steel bowl. The double beater attachment
(which works with a separate plastic bowl) also touches the very corners of
the bowl - not missing anything.
In short, the Magic Mill is just what we were looking for - a high quality
mixer that would excel at kneading yeast breads as well as mixing batter
for cakes and cookies. It is a pleasure to use, easy to clean, and the
built in timer makes it possible to walk away from the machine to do other
things knowing that it will automatically shut off without over
mixing/kneading. In the words of my sister-in-law, her KitchenAid is a
"toy" compared to our Magic Mill.
Robert Sussman