Kenwood Chef Classic KM336 in Gloss White with Liquidiser

I've recently purchased this stand mixer which is the current cheapest model in this classic brand. Not the newest or the most glamorous kitchen appliance, but instead a simple yet effective design that has stood the test of time.
This package contains the three basic attachments, the famous 'K' beater (in a non-stick finish) for creaming, rubbing fat into flour, mixing (and I use it for mashing potatoes), balloon whisk for whipping eggs and beating egg whites, and dough hook for making bread. In addition, there is an acrylic liquidiser in the box which connects to the high power connection on the top. This works fine, although I will probably stick with my hand blender most of the time as it creates far less washing up. The stainless steel bowl (which is quite large - a 4oz cake mix will look a bit lost in it!) is easy to clean, as are the 3 basic accessories. A splash guard made of plastic is also included. I found cleaning the liquidiser a bit more of a fuss, but no more so than a food processor. Whilst it is true that you can't put the attachments in the dishwasher, it only takes a moment to wash them by hand.
The Chef is quite noisy in operation - I was quite surprised the first time I switched it on, but it does a very good job of what it does, (better than a do it all food processor) and it is easier to use than a hand mixer, particularly with larger quantities of ingredients. Its motor seems to work well, and even at lower speeds, the chef moves quite quickly. Processes such as making pastry do take rather longer than food processor, but not ages. There is also a pulse setting if you need a bit more control. To give you some ideas about what your chef can do, there is a comprehensive recipe book included, although for some of the recipes you need additional accessories. In reply to an earlier reviewer, the first few times I used my Chef I found that it wasn't mixing properly, but after some slight adjustments to the height of the 'K' beater and balloon whisk, it works beautifully. A pair of pliers or a spanner was needed - it tells you what to do in the instruction book. Quite why they can't send the machines out from the factory properly calibrated is a bit beyond me.
This is a versatile machine - you can get lots of accessories to add on, but they are quite pricey, but out of the box, as a classic stand mixer, this is a very good buy at the current price on Amazon. Read more ›

I thought I ought to point out - though it's mentioned by others - that proper adjustment is CRITICAL to getting good results. With mine both the dough hook and the K beater had to be wound down 2-3mm - it's all clear in the instructions but you basically loosen the lock-nut, wind the tool down, then tighten up again. Try to get it as close as possible to the bowl without it actually touching (run it empty to check).

Once that's done you find a great improvement - and yes I'd second the comment that they should send them out of the factory properly adjusted!

I bought this mixer around four weeks ago and have used it four times. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer at work, the one with the lever to lift the bowl not the tilting head design. For the price of the kitchen aid mixer I feel that the Kenwood is a bargain. The dust guard on the Kenwood fits snugly over the bowl and when adding flour or icing sugar to a mix it doesn't puff out like it does on the Kitchen Aid. Which is a great advantage if you don't have a kitchen porter to clean up after you!

One reviewer complained of having to scrape the side of the bowl to bring the mix into the center and said she would be buying a Kitchen Aid machine. I can tell you that I spend as much time with the Kitchen Aid machine doing this as I have with the Kenwood, so I'm not sure what she is talking about. Also with the Kitchen Aid machine I can't adjust the reach of the tool so I need to lift the bowl as it mixes ensuring the mix at the bottom of the bowl is worked. This surely goes against plenty of Health and Safety rules. But hey, the head chef does it as well,lol.

Yes, you do need to adjust the reach of the tools, but as others have said it is simple and not something to put you off, so don't worry.

The spatula that comes with it is naff so forget it as a bonus.

Another advantage over the Kithcen Aid machine I can see is that the Kenwood machine starts very gently, so if the bowl has icing sugar or flour it won't puff it up into a cloud with a kick of the beater. My Kitchen Aid machine at work does this all the time especialy when I'm mixing sweet pastry, icing sugar and flour so double trouble!

At the price Amazon were selling it at when I bought it (�150 give or take a few quid) it is less than half the price of the Kitchen Aid machine before VAT.

Cook well,
Simon

If you have a large enough kitchen to store a Kenwood then there is absolutely no doubt that this is the best machine for making cakes, bread, pastry and is second to none for whisking egg whites and many other delightful uses. This machine was a replacement for my 40 year old Kenwood Chef - yes it was 40 years old! It had been to several different countries, survived various methods of shipping and removals, had to cope with different power voltages I subjected it to, and still it carried on. No doubt it would have gone on for many more years if it hadn't been dropped on the kitchen floor by someone who shall remain nameless! My new purchase will no doubt see out the rest of my days and can even be handed on down to the next generation. I would have absolutely no hesitation is recommending the Kenwood Chef to anyone.Kenwood Chef Classic KM336 Kitchen Machine, 4.6 Litre, 800 Watts (White/Silver Trim)

I bought my first Kenwood mixer c 1980 and never had a moments trouble with it over the years ( and it had a lot of use ! ) until the sad day when it let out a huge "bang" and a lot of smoke. It was typical if feel that I'd just finished my Xmas baking....it kept going when it knew I really needed it!
I waited a while to buy another, but having used it for Xmas 08 I can say
it's as good as the old one. If you bake / make soup often, this is the
best all round machine, in my opinion. I expect it'll see me out ;-). Liz