Mumsnet Talk

I know this has probably been done before, did have a quick look but 5mo baby means not much Internet time! I've wanted a kitchenaid for years but now it's come to actually getting one I don't want to be taken in by the looks and end up with a mixer I can't use for what I need it for (cakes, bread, meringues etc)

The Chef seems to be more sturdy and better made (metal gears instead of plastic, for instance) please help me decide mnetters!

I have had a kitchen aid for ten years and use it almost daily for bread ( ten minutes kneading nearly every day ) , cakes, meringues and stuff. It's very sturdy and beautiful to look at .

Kitchenaid for being able to keep it on the work surface so, in theory, more use out of it.

In practice though my mums kitchen aid died a month after the warranty expired. Her kenwood chef lasted donkeys years though.

I do have a suspicion that neither are as well made as they were 10 - 20 years ago.

I think both are made by different companies now, if only my budget stretched to a Hobart! No one expects electrical items to last nowadays, awful considering how much things cost.

I'm leaning toward a KC at the moment purely because of reviews I've read online. But the Kitchenaid is so pretty! It's the plastic gears that worry me most.

I have a kenwood chef and I love it, it lives on my kitchen surface, I have no shame you could get a retro old chef from Ebay and get it refurbished and painted any colour you want here

I think they are both meant to be very good but I love, love my Kitchen Aid. I would have had it 15 years; it is used regularly and I have never had any problems. It has shifted the length of the country with me and even overseas

Style or substance? That's really what it comes down to.

To be honest apart from the range of colours I really don't think the KA are pretty and certainly not for the £100's more they cost than a good Chef. The chef also comes in a variety of models so you can get one to suit your needs/budget. The Chefs also come up in sales and special offers much more frequently. I have a Titanium and I think it is far more attractive than a KA, and I love it!

Am I the only one who finds the retro look of the Kitchenaid rather ugly?

I couldn't stretch to a Kitchenaid and bought this instead. I love it.

Bunbaker - that looks fab. Can I ask you though does it have a choppy blade like a food processor? I can see the slicing plates. Although to be honest not sure what I'd use the choppy bit for if i had all the other bits! I threw away my food processor the other day as the shaft holding the blade was cracking up and about to shatter. I too can't afford anything mroe than this sort of price (and that will be my birhtday pressie anyway!) I think it says it has a dough attackment?

I showed DH the Chef and he said it looks space age... He prefers the look to the Kitchenaid but I love the retro styling. oddslippers I live outside of the uk so buying an old one off eBay is a logistical nightmare. That site looks great though!

I will be keeping it out on the work surface as I don't have the cupboard space to put it away, which is why a kitchenaid was always my dream mixer.

No it doesn't, which is a pity. The slicing and grating blades are brilliant though. The dough hook is ace and I have used it several times.

I haven't used the juicer and am unlikely to. I have used the liquidizer once just to check that it works, but as I already have a stick blender (which is much less of a faff to wash up) I doubt that I will use the liquidizer much either.

All I know is my mums Kenwood is still going strong and must be around 40 years old.

I have inherited my Mum and Dad's 30 year old KC. It's still going strong! They had one in the UK, took it with them to Brunei for 2 years and sold it over there for enough money to buy one with all the accessories back in the UK again!

Then, two years ago, they got a new one and gave the old one to me. It's my pride and joy.

I'm swaying towards a KC, if only they were as pretty!

Depends what you need it for. I have a KA and bought the grating and slicing attachments to go with it. That's all I need, don't need to blend etc. I use it daily and love it to bits, but it's only 7 months old so can't comment on its longevity

gwen do you make bread doughs with it?

Yes, I have a bread maker so tend to use that more but I've made bread dough in the last few weeks. Am a novice but they've been ok so far

I have a wonderful 70s workhorse of a kenwood chef
About to use it to make sausages

I always wanted one from a child when I had a toy one. I have a photo of my toy one sat next to my real one somewhere. They sit next to each other on a shelf in my kitchen

I've bitten the bullet and ordered a Kenwood Chef Premier will update when it's here and I've used it! Thanks all for your imput it was much appreciated.

I have a toy KA next to my KA

Enjoy your new big toy Foxy

Thank you Gwen

Oh and you'll put on about a stone

Unfortunately Gwendoline is not wrong! Have fun Foxy, the Kenwood is great for bread dough as well as cakes.

The best tip I ever read (which applies to hand kneading as well) is to roughly mix your dough and then leave it to stand for 10-15 mins before you knead to allow the flour to autolyse.

From Wiki...
Autolyse is an optional dough process. It refers to a period of rest after the initial mixing of flour and water, a rest period that occurs sequentially before the addition of yeast and other ingredients.[8][9] This rest period allows for better absorption of water and helps the gluten and starches to align. Breads made with autolysed dough are easier to shape and have more volume and improved structure.

Bit late now you've actually ordered your KC, but I was going to agree with everyone who says how sturdy they are. We have one that's about 8 years old and gets lots of use - but my mum also has a vintage orange and brown model that is at least 35 years old and still going strong! She's had it serviced/repaired a couple of times (there's a list of service agents here) and I think that's one of the points in its favour - you literally can keep them going for decades.

mothership that's a fab tip, thank you! Will definitely try that. I've only made my dough by hand up until now so I'm quite excited to use a machine (saddo alert)

mackerella that is good to hear, I think DH would kill me if I spent so much on a mixer and then it conked out after a year or so!