[tarotangel]

Thinking about getting a mixer for baking but not been 100% convinced that it gets as much air in as the stages that you use doing it by hand. What's peoples opinions?

[Welsh-lad]

They are much better.

I have a 1970s Kenwood chef and it does lovely cakes.

You've just got o play to its strengths. If I were making a victoria sponge I would definitely use the Kenwood to cream the butter and the sugar - because it's easier and blends them beautifully - far better than if it were me beating them for ages with a wooden spoon.
I'd add the eggs with the mixer as well.

But with folding in the flour at the end, I'd do with a metal spoon, by hand, as it's a delicate job.

[noise747]

yeah, kenwooods are pretty good if you can afford them, another good one is kitchen aid, but again you are looking at the best part of £300.

There are some cheaper ones around like andrew james you can pick up for around £80, i have no idea what they are like, I seen some reviews and some people say it is fine, others say it is loud, which for the price you expect it to be a bit noisy.

Grundig have also got a new one, around £150, again I have no idea what it is like, but seeing some of the reviews on amazon, people seem to like it.

i got a old Kenwood I got second hand, sadly I think it is coming to the end of its life, i have had it for 4 years now and i have no idea how long the other person had it or how they treated it.

i would love to get another Kenwood, but money is the problem, so I think i would go halfway and go for the grundig.

[molliepops]

I cannot get as much air in as my ancient kenwood does. Worth looking out for a refurbished one as the old ones are far better IMO than the new ones.

[tarotangel]

Thanks for replies. Money is tight so will keep an eye out for 2nd hand ones.

[AmberPanda]

Kenwood I think is a the best, expensive I know but looked after they will carry on for years, my mother's outlived her and I gave it to the lady who "did" for her.

[-GONZO-]

Originally Posted by tarotangel

Thanks for replies. Money is tight so will keep an eye out for 2nd hand ones.

I got a Grundig Die Cast mixer from Ideal World which is really good and is compatible with Kitchen Aid accessories if you wish to use them(and can afford to buy them Lol)
They offer a flexi-pay option to spread the £149.99 cost over 4 months at around £37.50. http://www.idealworld.tv/_239025.aspx

[noise747]

Originally Posted by -GONZO-

I got a Grundig Die Cast mixer from Ideal World which is really good and is compatible with Kitchen Aid accessories if you wish to use them(and can afford to buy them Lol)
They offer a flexi-pay option to spread the £149.99 cost over 4 months at around £37.50. http://www.idealworld.tv/_239025.aspx

The reviews I have read for the Grundig are pretty good. the only problem I have with it is that it is Grundig. they used to make good products years ago, but Grundig is not Grundig any more and i heard pretty awful things about them.

Still as i said the mixer got some good reviews for the price.

[Welsh-lad]

Originally Posted by Welsh-lad

They are much better.
I have a 1970s Kenwood chef and it does lovely cakes.

Originally Posted by noise747

yeah, kenwooods are pretty good if you can afford them.

Originally Posted by molliepops

I cannot get as much air in as my ancient kenwood does. Worth looking out for a refurbished one as the old ones are far better IMO than the new ones.

Originally Posted by AmberPanda

Kenwood I think is a the best, expensive I know but looked after they will carry on for years, my mother's outlived her and I gave it to the lady who "did" for her.

We all love our Kenwoods!!
Mine is actually my mum's - dad won it in a newspaper competition in the 1970s!
It really is a superb piece of machinery - robust and seemingly indestructable. "They don't make 'em like that anymore" comes to mind.

[-GONZO-]

Originally Posted by noise747

The reviews I have read for the Grundig are pretty good. the only problem I have with it is that it is Grundig. they used to make good products years ago, but Grundig is not Grundig any more and i heard pretty awful things about them.

Still as i said the mixer got some good reviews for the price.

They're made in the same factory as the kitchen aid mixers.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by -GONZO-

They're made in the same factory as the kitchen aid mixers.

Not from what I been told, Kitchen Aid are produced in the U.S, Grundig mixers are produced in china.

[Sallysally]

I have had a Kenwood all my married life (42 years of it!) and would not part with it for the world. It is still going strong.
It makes the most wonderful cakes provided you are careful not to overbeat at the adding of flour stage.

But I am intrigued to see that a lot of chefs seem to have Kitchen Aid in their kitchens. Is this product placement or is it genuine usage?
The reason I ask is that a friend has a Kitchen Aid and has gone back to her Kenwood because she says it is better.
Yet all the chefs seem to prefer Kitchen Aid. Strange.

[Evilclive]

Originally Posted by Sallysally

I have had a Kenwood all my married life (42 years of it!) and would not part with it for the world. It is still going strong.
It makes the most wonderful cakes provided you are careful not to overbeat at the adding of flour stage.

But I am intrigued to see that a lot of chefs seem to have Kitchen Aid in their kitchens. Is this product placement or is it genuine usage?
The reason I ask is that a friend has a Kitchen Aid and has gone back to her Kenwood because she says it is better.
Yet all the chefs seem to prefer Kitchen Aid. Strange.

It is probably product placement, but they are good. Mine is used most days.

[Sallysally]

Originally Posted by Evilclive

It is probably product placement, but they are good. Mine is used most days.

Yes, I would expect that they are good - no self respecting chef would be seen next to a useless machine, no matter how much money they were paid!
But I will stick to the machine I know best I think.

[molliepops]

Originally Posted by Sallysally

Yes, I would expect that they are good - no self respecting chef would be seen next to a useless machine, no matter how much money they were paid!
But I will stick to the machine I know best I think.

I'm not so sure Anthony Worral T put his name on the worst hand held mixer I have ever used - 3 mixing balloons that were so bulky they wouldn't mix into the corners of bowls and mixed so little air in I was making more biscuits than sponge cakes.

[burton07]

I have an old Kenwood from the 1970's too. I use it for cakes and pastry but I use a hand mixer for beating marg and sugar and eggs together for a Victoria sponge and then fold in the flour by hand.

[Sallysally]

Originally Posted by molliepops

I'm not so sure Anthony Worral T put his name on the worst hand held mixer I have ever used - 3 mixing balloons that were so bulky they wouldn't mix into the corners of bowls and mixed so little air in I was making more biscuits than sponge cakes.

I did say self-respecting chef!

But back to the KitchenAid/Kenwood face off.
What I did mean to ask was has anyone (other than my friend) used both and unlike her found the KitchenAid to be better? I know we are meant to think they are because of the chefs using them, but are they really?
Or are they there because they look cooler than the Kenwood?

[beaglemum]

Would love a kitchenaid but quite simply....I cant afford one However, Ive just bought a Breville mixer and its fantastic, cakes come out light and airy, meringues are great so Ill be sticking to our fifty quid breville until it doesnt work anymore.

[molliepops]

I have used both to be very honest I wasn't impressed with the kitchen aid as it was less versatile than the kenwood and I felt for the money it wouldn't last as long. Kenwoods are deeply unsexy bits of kit but you can get so many add ons and they are old work horses that rarely let you down. Kitchen aid is lovely to look at and having one sat on the worktop is very nice but kenwood all the way for me.

[tarotangel]

Originally Posted by beaglemum

Would love a kitchenaid but quite simply....I cant afford one However, Ive just bought a Breville mixer and its fantastic, cakes come out light and airy, meringues are great so Ill be sticking to our fifty quid breville until it doesnt work anymore.

I've got a Breville stick blender with chopper and whisk bit. It's great can't fault it even with the AWT signature

[andyccm]

I have the Andrew James mixer that was mentioned early in the thread and on the whole it is a decent mixer but yes it is very loud compared to the likes of Kitchen Aids but then as mentioned it is about a third of the price but does the job and I use it for all sorts of baking from bread to cupcakes to pie fillings and the like

[bostin_austin]

Kenwood all the way! I have a Kenwood Major- it is brilliant, does just about everything.I bought the ice cream attatchment and the mincer- even make my own sausages now, fantastic!

[Sallysally]

Originally Posted by molliepops

I have used both to be very honest I wasn't impressed with the kitchen aid as it was less versatile than the kenwood and I felt for the money it wouldn't last as long. Kenwoods are deeply unsexy bits of kit but you can get so many add ons and they are old work horses that rarely let you down. Kitchen aid is lovely to look at and having one sat on the worktop is very nice but kenwood all the way for me.

So 2-0 to kenwood versus Kitchenaid.
I feel quite smug that I have a Kenwood now!