does it have to be a Kitchen Aid

[kiwibella]

has anyone ever considered buying a kitchen aid mixer and then bought an alternative? Or, could you never ever be without your kitchen aid? I'm trying to decide whether to splurge the cash.

I am going to watch this with interest as I will be looking at buying a really good mixer when my current one finally breaks. Knowing my luck it will last forever .

hubs has always wanted one. They have seemingly gone up in price recently? We've been given a voucher so are going to buy something... just not sure which one .

THere is a Kenwood Chef in our family which is the best part of 40-45 years old, and still going strong. And it took a hell of a pasting for about 30 of those years.

KC's have become less fashionable re looks, but they were built to last and I would probably buy another if necessary....

Actually in the next few years, they might become agreeably retro

I have a Kitchen Aid mixer (in granite black) I also have a matching blender. I really love it. I looked at other brands but they didn't look as good.

Mine looks lovely in the kitchen.

It is a really great mixer. Really makes me look like I have true baking skill. The cakes I have produced using it have been amazing. I also make bread in it regularly and pizza dough and even mashed potato.

I love my KitchenAid - it's so very pretty and makes lovely cakes.

Yes Catinthehat, I just managed to but a replacement bowl for my grannies old KC in a charity shop for £1, I am vey it excited to have it up and running again, it is fab (with lods of atachments). It is a bit beige but I scorn matchy matchy kitchens anyway!

Yes : " I scorn matchy matchy kitchens anyway"
I think I don't do Kitchen Aid for that very reason (not cool)

I'd rather go for a Kenwood myself.
Aside from that - wigglybeezer, your son is beautiful

I've recently been given my Mum's KC. It's at least 30 years old and in almost perfect condition - excellent piece of kit!

My pastry chef college tutor rekons that Kenwood Major is best followed by kenwood Chef, for durability and motor strength...then kitchenaid. I think kitchenaids do look lovely and they are good mixers but I have heard a lot of complaints about them not lasting as long as the kenwoods. I kind of think you are paying a lot of the fancy colours and the name with the KA because it is very trendy at the moment to have one sparkling on the worktop. Which is fine, obviously, as they are very pretty!
If you are looking for replacement bits, or to have your kenwood refurbished/resprayed or whatever, here is an excellent company I found:
www.facebook.com/#!/pages/United-Kingdom/Kenwood-Chef-Restore/97924851390?ref=ts
their prices are very reasonable, i have a mixer that was given to me that is a seventies model, needs a new motor, and might send it off to these people. I dont work for them, Im just a mixer geek

oh sorry forgot entirely to do the link properly:
kenwood restore people

Hey! not just me who hearts KCs!

Is there just one KC so that if I decide to get one I get the right one. There are hundreds of different blenders.

Kenwood it might be! There are so many types of kenwood... it's overwhelming . They aren't quite as strokeable looking as Kitchen Aids, are they?

i have the cheapo kitchen aid. the classic or something. definitely worth the money as i only paid 120 ish on amazon. it does dance across the worktop when making dough which is alarming.

i leave it out all the time and it is easier on the eye than the rather matronly kenwood

Kenwood Chef.

I got mine from the local papers small ads. It is a 70s model and is great.

There are 3 models at present classic, something else (?premiere) and titanium.

There are minor variations in motor size but the main difference is in the accessories you get. I was looking at new ones and had decided to go for the mid range one whose name I forget.

There is also a slightly smaller triangular mixer/ blender combo from kenwood but it's bowl isn't very big and if you regularly cook for thousands the Major is a bigger Chef.

HTH.

Kenwood Chef Titanium. Wonderful, wonderful mixer, and the liquidizer perfect for cocktails soups and milkshakes.

I have a Kenwood Major, so it doesn't have to be Kitchen Aid.

Kenwood chef all the way - suggested by a chef my mum goes to for advanced cookery classes. We never regretted it.

I have the cheap Kitchen Aid too - it's very good.

I had a Kenwood Chef that belonged to DH's grandma which blew - flames and all - last year. MIL reckons it was bought new in 1962 - so 47 years old is not bad at all! I don't know if they make them like they used too though! I would buy another, but am making to with a hand whisk at the moment - also Kenwood.

Our Kenwood chef is also about 23 years old (had from new). Have a few attachments and my mum may give us a couple of bits she no longer uses. TBH it does the job very well but would like a KA as theuy look so fab - maybe Cranberry?

Handwhisks we seem to go through quite a bit - now also a Kenwood in chrome. I blame DFW for doing bigger tasks with the handmixer when she doesn't want to get the big machine out (lives in a cupboard) - the KA would be out on display.

I have a KA but confess it's partly kitchen vanity. I put off buying one for ages though as it seemed a rather expensive splurge when I had my Mums 70's kenwood that worked perfectly well. Then I blow it up by making several Kg's of butter icing for cupcakes for a wedding and had an excuse to get a KA.

I use it loads more though as it sits proudly on the worktop unlike the KC which i used to hid away.

I have the triangular Kenwood with the blender and liquidiser attatchments, its very good value! though would agree that the size of the bowl is a bit smaller, its plenty big enough for large cakes/1 1/12 lb buttercream or more.

that should read one and a half pounds of buttercream by the way