Do I want a Magimix or a Kenwood...or something else?

[Blatherskite]

Ever since someone bought me the Jamie 30 minute meals book, I have needed a food processor Quite a few of the recipes have become family favourites but they take way longer than 30 minutes when I'm left doing all the fiddly chopping and blending by hand.

Recently, I won a load of vouchers (thanks MNHQ) so I can finally treat myself but I'm a bit overawed by all the choices!

I think what I want is 4200XL but it's a lot of money and I'm panicking that I should be choosing something else instead.

Help me choose MN!

I've already got a KitchenAid Classic so I don't need a food processor that does cakes and I have a Braun Multiquick too for doing soups and small amounts of chopping. Also, MIL bought me us a Kmix hand mixer last Christmas.

According to 30 min meals, I need a Food processor with a standard blade, thick and think slicer discs, fine and coarse graters, a whisk and beater. We are a family of 4 but I do like batch cooking and cooking for friends too so I'm often making larger amounts.

Would a Kenwood be better? I know I'm probably overthinking it but money like this to spoil myself comes up once in a blue moon round here and I'd hate to buy one and then spot the thing I should have bought a week later.

Blatherskite - cheeky request for an update....

How are you getting on with the Magimix? The 4200XL is calling to me but the woman in John Lewis thought a Kenwood would be better. She thought that only having one speed on the Magimix would be restrictive. Having said that she thought it would be an issue for certain cakes and I didn't fess up that I am actually intending on buying a KA as DH was stood next to me at the time and he'd have a heart attack if he knew I was planning on spending a squillion pounds on kitchen gadgets......

Thanks in advance!

I have had a 4200 (not XL I don't think) for around 4-5 years. I love it! I can't see why you would need the different speeds...but I do make my cakes in the Kitchen Aid. The Magimix is very solid and has a good capacity.

Thanks schmalex!

OurAveline I hope you don't mind me posting but I had similar ideas and went for a Kenwood Chef Titanium stand mixer that also comes with attachable food processor and blender, KMC010. V. happy!

Maybe not as cute looking as a Kitchen Aid though!

Funnily enough fairisle I've been looking at exactly that model this afternoon. I like the idea of one machine that does everything (and in actual fact think I've now discounted the KA and would perhaps go for a kmix if not a kenwood chef -albeit maybe more basic than the C010 - for the mixing bit). How do you find the food processor on the c010? I'm a bit worried it won't be as good as a machine whose raison d'être is to chop/grate/and well process...... Any thoughts? Thanks!

I suspect it's not as brill as the magimix and that was my biggest doubt.

But I have to say it's working well for me - great for veg slicing and I made nice humous for the first time! I think some of the magimix machines (XLs?) have a bigger feed tube which would come in handy for slicing bigger potatoes, for example.

The stand mixer is great, the flexible beater means no more scraping down the sides.

There are other attachments you can buy separately too such as mincer, ice cream maker and I was intrigued by the peeler!

Ooooh decisions decisions! Might nip to John Lewis to see the chef in the flesh