Stand mixers

[MerylSqueak]

Can anyone tell me about theirs? DD 13 is a fantastic baker and wants one for Christmas. There seems to be a range about £350 and a range about £100. Are the cheaper ones just duds or are they reasonable? I don't want to get her something that will be annoying but I don't readily have £350 to fork out on a present. Thanks

The best are Kenwood, but my Bosch MUM was really good value for money and is really good
Kitchenaids are style over substance and you are paying for it to look pretty on the worktops.

I had one from lidl for several years. It was fine. I had to stop and scrape the edges down with a rubber spatula now and then. I used it mostly for cakes, whipping cream, etc. It had dough hooks but I would have been nervous of the motor if I were making bread.

Now I have a kitchen aid. It’s a thing of beauty. It’s certainly more powerful. It’s very heavy to move around but it’s built to last. It has metal twist and lock attachments rather than plastic parts to break. I wouldn’t give it back but if it was stolen in the morning I wouldn’t be rushing out to replace it either.

I've had a kitchenaid for decades. It's a proper workhorse. Expensive to buy but definitely worth the money.

Meant to say i paid £75 for my Bosch in a John Lewis sale, which was half price. That was a few year ago. I think you can get similar for £150 now

I have kitchenaid and absolutely love it. Yes it looks great but I don't agree it's style over substance. All parts are metal and you know it will keep going for a very long time. It's very powerful as well and very easy to use - my 9 yo loves baking and uses it independently.
The classic model is about £350 I think but honestly completely worth it.

I have a kenwood mixer it's fab. It cost around £150, well worth it as I use it a lot.

Kenwood Prospero Plus KHC29.A0SI Stand Mixer for Baking, Compact 4.3L Bowl, 3 Bowl Tools, 1000W, Silver https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082BQGTMS/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabcF4DK7PE3SASGSCR3PQ05??encoding=UTF8&psc=1

This is the one I have

But you are paying for the looks with the kitchenaid. They are always ranked below Kenwood , Bosch etc in reviews

I paid £299 for my kitchen aid 7 years ago, and my god the price per use is tiny now. It's so versatile and there are so many things you can do with it. Highly recommend but Black Friday is the perfect time to buy!

I love my Kenwood chef. It ain’t pretty but it’s a proper workhorse. Had it 10 years so far and my mum had hers for 30 before she decided to replace it!

My kitchenaid is 8 years old and has had heavy use - from cakes to bread to cookies it gets used all the time. I’m not sure that I agree with it being style over substance, it’s very good, and easy to clean etc. My mum has a Kenwood which works well but is noisy, clunky, and more awkward to clean.

But they are expensive and probably not necessary for a teen who is starting their baking journey. You could definitely get away with spending less. I agree with keeping an eye on Lidl too - their tools etc are usually very good for the price and I’d take a punt on their stand mixer in your shoes.

Aldi online is doing Kenwood stand mixers www.aldi.co.uk/cream-kenwood-kmix-stand-mixer/p/716789537353301

A Bosch etc one will be fine. I have had both. I love my kitchen aid, but it was a special gift so the price doesn't hurt, of that make sense

If she really gets into it and you want a more expensive one on a few years you/she can save for it and buy from a position of knowledge. Don't spend £££ now on something that might not be used

I've got a kenwood chefette, it's under £100 and fantastic for cakes etc, nice and compact for storage too. Definitely a great choice as a starting point for the first few years at least.

I have a Kenwood K Mix and it replaced a 40 year old Kenwood Chef. It works very well and can be left to do it’s thing without having to scrape the sides etc.

It’s well built and solid, the Aldi special buy for the cream one linked above is an absolute bargain.

bosch mum is great.
look out for deals. I think mine was around 150£. a workhorse. doesn't take up much workspace. it comes with a lot of useful equipment and you can buy specialist attachments like a meat grinder or flour mill if required/desired.

I also disagree that Kitchenaids are style over substance. Just because Kenwood / Bosch get better reviews overall doesn't mean that Kitchenaids are therefore totally useless. There's room in the market for everybody.

My mum's Kitchenaid has been going decades now. My friend uses hers in her business - it's in constant use and has never given any trouble.

Another friend has a Kenwood and she swears by it.

We gor kenwood for costco in black friday deal it was £150 ish.

I did a huuuuge amount of research and kitchenaid motor is not as powerful or good.
We use it a lot for bread pasta and meringue and really like it.

We have a kenwood chef. Bought it 14 years ago out of vouchers we received when we got married, and it has been absolutely amazing. I don’t have experience of other stand mixers but I really love ours. I make so many things in it, it’s going a few times every week. Today I will make pizza dough in the mixer but and fish cakes for tomorrow in the processor bit.

I lie...
it is currently £220 (other colours are 235) so prob paid more like 170-180...

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.costco.co.uk/Appliances/Small-Kitchen-Appliances/Food-Processors-Mixers/Kenwood-kMix-Stand-Mixer-in-White-KMX750AW/p/750126&ved=2ahUKEwiVxvb9jKHzAhXsQEEAHaMrCXsQFnoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw25AAy9seRmzc1f9zVMa46X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.costco.co.uk/Appliances/Small-Kitchen-Appliances/Food-Processors-Mixers/Kenwood-kMix-Stand-Mixer-in-White-KMX750AW/p/750126&ved=2ahUKEwiVxvb9jKHzAhXsQEEAHaMrCXsQFnoECAMQAQ&usg=AOvVaw25AAy9seRmzc1f9zVMa46X

I have a kitchenaid and it does everything it needs to. Looks good. I use it a fair bit.

I've had a KMix and a Kitchenaid. Both where excellent for cake making.

I think the KMix had a 'folding in' setting as well.

I remember buying the paddle with the rubber ends on for the kitchenaid which was handy, helped with scraping down.

Unfortunately, neither could cope with more than 500g of flour when bread making which is what I wanted them for, but for cakes,cookies and whipping up meringues, they are both great.
I've seen that pastry can be made with a mixer as well,though I have always used a food processor.

We got dd a Kitchenaid mini a couple of years ago. It’s fantastic and is used several times a week.
We also have a kenwood but rarely use it.

Thank you all for your ideas. I'll have a proper look through but it's really helpful to have a list of names that seems pretty solid to go from.

Whilst I would love a kitchen aid or similar I couldn't justify the price for myself so got one from next for £75 recently- it's plastic so less sturdy than others I'm sure but for the extent if my hobby baking (including bread) it's ideal so maybe an option as a starter model