Let's talk about stand mixers: are they worth it and which one?

[KoreanBeauty]

I'll be honest, I don't think I need one but I would definitely like to have one. I absolutely love the look of a kitchen aid, I think it is a beautiful design object (on top of being a great tool and workhorse) that can last a very long time. That said, it is also very expensive and I have also heard that Kenwood is equally as good and often cheaper. I also like the look of the smeg one.

So which ones are the best and why? And what sort of style/model would I need? Realistically I would mainly use it for the occasional cake or muffins etc and to make dough for focaccia or flatbreads.

I wanted a stand mixer but, like you, didn't think I actually *needed' one. I bought a KMix during the pandemic and use it four or five times a week; if it broke I'd get another one immediately if it couldn't be repaired. I liked the look of the Kitchen Aid too but the initial price put me off, along with the price of spares/accessories. I use it mainly for making bread, but also for cakes, mixing ingredients for meatballs etc.

I have a Kenwood chef that I've had for more than 10 years and I use it all the time. As well as obviously the mixer bowl, I have the spice mill, food processor and glass blender attachments, and a large rotary grater which was an older model but still compatible. I use it pretty much every time I cook.

Thank you. Just to clarify, is this the Kenwood you are referring to?
What else could I use it for? Things I cook everyday are dishes like pasta, curries, soups, oven roasted meals. I often make flat breads, occasionally make pizza or focaccia (like once a month). Would bake a cake or muffins also once a month or so. Don't make my own bread although I would like to do so one day.

I am so tempted but wouldn't want it to be a waste of money and space!

Thank you. What sort of dishes do you use it for? I have a food processor already so wouldn't need that functionality.

I’ve got a Magimix but would love a KA. They are beautiful! I can’t justify it because I don’t bake much and the Magimix does everything I need

What I like about it is that you can replace most of your other kitchen gadgets with it, so it takes up a bit less space in my kitchen than having a separate food processor, blender etc. I use the mixer for bread, cakes, meringues etc., the food processor attachment for chopping all my veg really small (fussy children), the mini chopper/mill attachment for garlic and ginger (instead of bothering to crush and grate them) and small amounts of breadcrumbs. The glass blender for hummus, guacamole etc. and sometimes soups. I also have a grater/shredder attachment which I use for large quantities of carrots, celeriac etc. - for smaller amounts I would just use the grater discs in the food processor.

I have a KitchenAid which i chose over Kenwood because they have similar functionality, but i like the look of the KitchenAid more. I have it out on the countertop and use it a lot, i do have some attachments for it that i use often too.

They are really heavy, so if you aren'T having it on the countertop, you need to think about that.

having seen this: tbh it doesn't really sound as though you need one. Their hand mixers are good. (DH makes all our bread: he does that by hand although he does use the KitchenAid for lots of other things)

Kenwoods last a very long time so if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, try and pick one up second hand. Mine is about 50 years old (and I have a spare for some reason) and my mothers is 60 (though that probably needs a new gasket - DM has been dead these past 15 years).

All the gadgets can be bought separately, again look for second hand. Many of those will be unused.

From the sound of it you don't need one especially if you're only baking once a month.

I enjoy cooking and baking, would make cakes and biscuits once or twice a week and for decades managed well with a food processor and hand mixer. I only got a stand mixer a year ago, it's a Kenwood kmix. I'm pleased with it, what I really rate it for is the speed with which it mixes cakes especially larger ones. It's also great for whisking egg whites for meringues and making royal icing. It looks good too.

But I'd say it was an extra whereas my food processor is an essential. I use that far more, for chopping all sorts, grating, making pastry and scones, making houmous and dips and blending soups with the blender attachment etc.

The stand mixer also takes up a lot of room, I have it in a cupboard and lift out when needed, it's heavy. But my food processor lives on the worktop.

Thanks for starting the post. My DD has asked for one for Xmas but doesn’t know what type. She bakes a lot, loves trying new recipes and I’d like to get her one that lasts her for many years to come. I, too, love the kitchen aid but wow the price. Plus I think when she gets her first house she may struggle with the space for it!

I’ve got a KitchenAid mixer, and I bloody love it. Honestly, the best appliance I have ever bought. I shopped around and got a good deal online: ended up with a black one – would’ve picked a different colour, but the black was about 20 quid cheaper. I make a lot of bread, and it’s perfect for mixing the stickier doughs.

I bought a Kenwood a few years ago (my mum had had one for years), first time I used it with the dough hook it made awful grinding noises and packed up completely. Their customer service was absolutely appalling and I had to fight to return it for a refund. I also had a Kenwood mini chopper, that packed up very quickly, after about a year.
I then bought an Andrew James at half the price, and it's been brilliant. I have three AJ gadgets and they have all worked well,plus their customer service was good. They stopped trading a while ago, but it seems they now have a shopfront on Amazon. Wouldn't buy anything from Kenwood now.

I got a KitchenAid for Christmas in 2000.
I have used it every week since and, 25 years later it is still going strong.

I have a Kitchen Aid and I love it, I bought it primarily because it looks beautiful in my kitchen. I got a decent deal on it in QVC. I gets used a couple of times a week, mostly for mash potatoes, but more often when I am off work for a few days and have time to bake. It’s great for pizza dough.

I have a Kenwood as my mum’s is older than me. I’ve had it for 7 years and it’s still going strong. No issues at all. I use it for baking, pizza dough (a very quick doddle) and blending soup. One of these days, I shall buy a mincer but as a family of 6, we rarely have leftovers to mince!

I just bought a used Kenwood Prospero.
I haven’t used the dough hooks yet but have made cakes- slower than hand mixer but it’s hands off . You get a better feel for the mix with hand mixer.
We’ve made smoothies, semifreddo type thing with frozen bananas, coleslaw, shredded a vast head of cabbage that is in the microwave at the moment bathed in yummy melted salty kerrygold butter, finely chopped 3 glass jars of organic celery for the freezer, made a couple jars of frozen mirepoix/ carrot onion celery mix for quick midweek meals / soups.
Four tomatoes that got frozen on top shelf of the fridge got blitzed into a tomato and basil sauce but I think my stick blender is better.
Slicing onions in large quantities- yes. Diced onions- don’t look great for salad and too much faff for 1-2 onions.
If you are short, it’s a bit of a pain having the attachments on top of the stand mixer.
Overall impression is that the mixer looks great ( love the cord storage), love the scales that it sits on- no taking out scales and you can put a bowl on top of the mixer, love compact size. However, I think the good processor will mainly be for when I’m feeling overwhelmed with fresh produce for whatever reason and even as a keen baker, I couldn’t justify counter pace without additional functionality.

I am still using my Mum’s 1960s Kenwood. They are very well built.

I’m going to say no.
I bought one this summer and it was a total dud. It didn’t even mix properly, there was always mixture at the bottom of the bowl that didn’t mix in at all, it was huge and bulky and also the bowl became lodged and then eventually when it came out, it never went in properly again. So it was not the hands free solution I thought it would be.

As it was faulty I sent it back. It was a kenwood and I wish I had read more before I bought it as that bowl stand is a common issue.

I got a refund and went back to a hand mixer from Argos again. Which was one tenth the price.

Also my friend has a Kenwood for many years and it’s the best ever, it’s the newer models that have the bowl stand issue. He was the one that recommended it to me, he loves his.

Another shout out for Kenwood Chef. Mine is at least 55 years old and still going. Try picking up an old one second hand, they can be serviced if needed.

I’ve got a beautiful kitchen aid but never use it as I don’t make cakes

I bought my Kitchen Aid in 1997 when I got a bonus from work. Still looks great, still works great. Not a single issues. It’s a beautiful friend. I got a white one and it still looks pretty chic. We’ve made cakes and meringues and bread and cookie and whipped cream together.

Kenwood is better than kitchenaid, I have both.

The chopped/grater is better on kenwood
Pasta maker better on kitchenaid
Meat grinder both are fine
Juicer I prefer kenwood like citrus thing.

I have so many of the extras on both I can pretty much say which is better where.

I love the kitchenaid look sure but I get frustrated when trying to grate something for a dinner and it being a struggle knowing the kenwood which is in another property, could handle it in a second.

I also make sd bread, have done for almost two decades now - kenwood is better at kneading it (i started by hand) the kitchenaid has a life struggle kneading my sd. But saying that - kitchenaid handles melonpan for the kids regularly without and issue (just had to buy paddle)

I also marginally prefer the whisk on kitchenaid. Just marginally.

Also as a seasoned baker I dislike how top heavy the kitchenaid is every time I'm lifting and closing the top bit. Kenwood definitely better there by far. But kenwood isn't as....pretty. 100%

Ohhhhhhh and the bits the extras attach to - that actually broke in my kenwood (titanium chef) so I had to HOLD some extras so they wouldn't spin etc it wasn't sturdy but even with that nonsense it chopped and grated better than kitchenaid...but it was annoying that it broke. Kitchenaid the extra bit is unbreakable. Struggling to find the work for it on this little sleep lol. The bit that attaches the extras, kenwoods broke the one I used the most and kitchenaid is just unbreakable. I could probs send for repair with kenwood though so I'm not too stressed but still.

Any specific questions shoot, I use both regularly enough.

I was considering changing the kitchenaid to a kenwood but it was a gift from partner and some special colour and some nonsense plus all the extras kitchenaid could sell him lol so it was a huge expense and I'd feel really guilty. It's not a bad machine at all. Just if you're baking regularly because it's kind of what you do responsibility wise it can grate on you if you KNOW there's a better product out there. I use these pretty much daily, rarely is there a day I don't somehow use an attachment or generally use it. Also if you get either stainless steel hooks and beaters etc - dishwasher safe. Ain't nobody got time for handwashing.

Kitchenaid I think any model is fine
Kenwood you must do research, the types of hooks etc. I got a chef titanium idk, a decade ago. 10/10 if I had to buy new one as I did consider replacing the kitchenaid I know itd be a long ass process and that partially put me off.

I don’t like Kenwood. I’ve had two kmix’s. The first one blew up and the Kenwood replaced it under guarantee. The second one has been barely used, but is limping along and needs a service, which is likely to cost not much less than the machine.,