kitchenaids... are they worth the money?

[winnie]

I am thinking of splashing out and buying a kitchenaid BUT it is a lot of money. I cook a lot but have managed without a foodmixer for years. I want one and I'd like a KitchenAid but cannot help but think they are hugely overpriced. Do you have one and was it worth the money?

I love my Kitchen Aid but there is a bit of a tale surrounding how I have one, involving someone who supplied catering equipment owing my DH a largish sum of money, rather boring tale. I don't know if I would have forked out for one under different circumstances but I had a secondhand Kenwood Chef at the time (which is very similar although not so stylish) which I found indispensable, it cost me £15 out of a charity shop and a friend who is an excellent cook/baker recommended I buy it.

I suppose what I am saying is that IMO a big stand mixer is a good investment (fantastic for cakes and bread in particular, makes the job very quick and cuts down on mess) and a Kitchen Aid is lovely, looks really nice too. However a secondhand (try e-Bay) or a new Kenwood Chef is a cheaper option. FWIW I sold my £15 charity shop Kenwood Chef on e-Bay for over £50 so it was a good buy.

Yes I have one and love it. If you like baking it is fantastic. I probably should use it for more things but everything I have done in it has been successful.

Is the KitchenAid better than the Kenwood Chef? Is it worth the extra cost despite not coming with a blender, mincer, etc?

mmmm I think they are overpriced too (but very pretty!)
I have a Kenwood chef and it is brilliant, I'd go for that if I were you....

I'm like you winnie - I've managed for years without one and wonder if I can justify the cost.

Undoubtedly it would mean I could do somethign else in the kitchen whilst my sponge mixing was being prepared rather than standing over the bowl and perhaps it ouwldn't have taken me quite as long to prepare the food I've done today but I'm just not sure...

I love my Chef. I grew up with one, and my mum only had to replace it (after 40 years! ) last year. But my Chef and her new one are not as well-made as her old one, and the accessories from my 4yo Chef do not fit her new one.

besides making cakes ,what to do use them for?

Is it worth the extra space they take up?

thanks for the comments. Dd is desperate for me to get one We both do a lot of cooking but i don't own even a hand held electric mixer so anything would be better than now However, around £300 is a lot of money. I am going to look around a bit before I make a decision.
Wonder if a Kichenaid would last a lifetime.

I have one and wouldn't be without it it is fantastic!Mine is the banana yellow one and I really would like the matching toaster but so expensive.I make everything in it literally.I hide all sorts of veg in tomatoes and make pasta for ds and he has always eaten it great for cakes and smoothies too xx

Dustgatherers IMO kitchen gadgets.
Have bought the fandango (in thing) but like you and suew I just go about and do it the way I know how.

Good Old Kenwood came out above it in GH survey a while ago.

Having had both I probably agree with Davros that the Kenwood Chef is marginally better, the bowl keeps getting stuck in my KA, especially after making bread dough and that never happened with the KC but the Kitchen Aid just looks sooo lovely.

I think that a Kenwood Chef/Kitchen Aid are in a different league from most kitchen gadgets though, they are almost up there with a Magimix as far as cannot live without goes IMO.

ggirl:

making dough, liquidising, grinding nuts, mincing, making sausages, making biscuits, whipping cream, making icecream...

If our family gets any bigger then I want to get the potato-peeler and potato-masher attachments as well.

My parents have a juicer attachment for their new one, and had a food-processor attachment for their old one.