I have had my Kenwood Titanium Chef for 6 months now and people still arrive at things{we}make searching for Kenwood Vs KitchenAid information, so I thought I would offer an update.
Note: Any underlined phrases link to where I have used the Kenwood Chef in a post.
So, me and Ken are getting along just dandy. It sounds over the top to say that he has changed the way I cook but I guess it has changed the way I bake. So far Ken the Chef has dealt with all that I ask of him and still looks good on it.
I regularly make enough bread dough for a couple of loaves using the dough hook and it doesn’t labour the motor at all. I find that the bread I make is much lighter now and I think this is partly because I can leave the machine kneading whilst I do other things so the dough gets a longer knead. Using a mixer also allows me to make a really wet dough, without getting the kitchen into a real mess. I think that a wetter dough makes for better bread as it allows the gluten to stretch and the yeast bubbles to rise more easily.
Because Ken is busy kneading I can be a little more inventive with my recipes too. I can wander around the kitchen in my pinny and consider new things to add to the mix.
I find the deep bowl really good for allowing bread to rise. I put a plate, or cling film on top of it and there is plenty of room in an enclosed atmosphere for the dough to do its thing. I even sit the bowl in the bottom of a recently emptied dishwasher as the damp warmth is perfect for bread proving.
Now I have adjusted all the attachments so that they are at the right level to nearly touch the metal bowl they all work very well, plus they are easy to attach and easy to clean. Don’t kid yourself though, no matter how well you adjust the blades you will always need to scrape the sides of the bowl after each new ingredient is added if you want to make sure everything is mixed in well.
After the dough hook, the K beater gets the most use. I prefer it to the rubberised version which is designed to stop the mix sticking to the side of the bowl. Somehow I feel the rubber one doesn’t have quite so much ‘welly’. The K beater is K for KAKE as that is what it gets used for the most. It tackles a hefty ‘whole pack of butter and 5 eggs‘ cake like the Pear Cake or this Peach Cake with ease, and that is the cake that killed my last hand mixer.
Ken also helped me to knock out 120 cupcakes with various flavours of frosting for my friend Katie’s birthday party; something that would have been a trial to have achieved by hand.
I have used the ‘food processor’ attachment several times for chopping nuts or making breadcrumbs, pesto or curry paste and it works pretty well, although for anything major I would still haul out the Magimix. The only problem that I have is attaching it to the machine and getting the lid on correctly. I can sometimes be heard cursing it when I can’t work out what should be lined up with what, and it has a safety mechanism that won’t let it work unless it is correctly aligned. Perhaps reading the instructions would help.
The balloon whisk has been employed for the occasional meringue or pavlova and it performed very well. I often put the metal bowl through a hot dishwasher cycle to get it spotlessly clean, so there are no worries about grease contaminating the egg whites.
The liquidiser is a real heavy beast of a thing. It feels right for the job, but I must admit I don’t have many of the jobs that it is right for. I made hollandaise in it, which worked well, as you can leave the motor running whilst you pour in the hot butter, but I had a miserable couple of attempts trying to make mayonnaise. I think the volume was too small as too much of the mix ended up sat underneath the blades.
I had a similar problem making milk shake with a frozen berry mix I just couldn’t seem to get them to mix through and they just spun around at the bottom of the jug. After a lot of jiffling and extra milk I eventually made it work. The next time the boy wanted a drink we just decided to go for an ice cream float.
I remember my Mum using her Kenwood liquidiser mostly for soup, but I find a stick blender plunged straight into the soup pan is a much quicker option and creates much less washing up
All in all I am very pleased with Ken Wood the Chef. I might even go so far as to treat him to a mincer attachment sometime soon. He is a great addition to the kitchen and although he’s already looking a bit grubby round the dials, I can see us having many happy cakes years together.
If you do decide to buy a Kenwood Chef Titanium and click through to it on any of the links or photos above to get to it….Amazon will send me a little something to say thank you. So if this post (or the other two) below have helped you please click through on the link to give me a little birthday present. It won’t cost you any more but it means Amazon share the joy! Thank you.
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Related Posts
Post 1 Deciding
Post 2 Comparing
Post 3 Kenwood Review
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide
June 16, 2011
My KitchenAid is still going strong, but when I finally break it (this will happen, my mom has destroyed appliances) I’ll look into these. I like the differences you describe. I knead many bread doughs by hand because I worry the KitchenAid isn’t up to it. Thanks for all that info.
Sally
June 17, 2011
I really enjoyed the first article when you were deciding which appliance to buy. I have a KitchenAid and agree with your comments about the dough kneading – better kneading and a wetter dough, nice deep bowl.
It isn’t perfect though and seems not to have evolved much – the add-ons to make improvements (te.g. a plastic guard to stop the flour shooting up out of the bowl) seem to be tacked on and a bit Heath Robinson. With the Kenwood they have redesigned the model, integrating improvements.
Love the range of reflection pics.
Sarah Mc Gahon
August 18, 2011
My Father has given me one week to decide….. A Kitchenaid or a Kenwood Chef Major Titanium. (He heard me fawning over the Kitcheniad and said, choose it, I’m buying.) But I’ve now spent three days on the internet researching this and THANK GOD for your comparision of the two as I, Like everyone else, Love the look of the KA but want the robustness and reliability of the Kenwood. I intend to pass this one on to my son, So the Kenwood it is. Decision Made, Whoopeee !! Thanks for a great blog!
thingswemake.co.uk
August 18, 2011
So glad it helped! Let me know how you go on.
Franziska
August 22, 2011
I have been pondering for months about which machine to buy. I’ve been following a discussion on amazon about Kenwood vs. KitchenAi, I’ve spoken to people who had either or and none of them convinced me to go and buy this one or the other one… now I’ve reached the point where I think “do I buy at all?” Like you I have lived without a kitchen machine (or even an electric handheld whisk) for years and I’m still alive 😉 and my baked goods turned out well! Your blog helped me make a decision, thank you! Now all I need to do is save some more money for it!
mymezzaluna
September 19, 2011
Love the follow up. I am STILL pondering about this. Have lived without a food processor/ mixer for so long, but really miss it. Would you say that with the Kenwood you get the mixer/ kneader capability as well as the processor capability for chopping? I especially need something I can attach for making pesto for example. The liquidizer/ smoothy maker doesn’t do such a good job here and my last Kenwood processor (cheaper version, died long ago) did not handle that well.
Thanks for your generous sharing.
thingswemake.co.uk
September 21, 2011
Hi there, yes the Kenwood, if it is the offer with the processor, definitely gives you that. The little attached food processor is pretty good and has razor sharp knives.
Cookbookqueen
October 1, 2011
This is a wonderful site. Elegant and informative. I am dithering now between the Kenwood Major Titanium and the Kenwood KMix. My husband thinks the Major looks too shiny and the dial cheap looking. I realise a good machine, but we already have a food processor (that I have forgotten how to use) and a blender in retirement. Any views in KMix?
thingswemake.co.uk
October 1, 2011
Thanks for your lovely comment. When I looked into it the Kmix was more of a beginners version and had quite a low threshold for quantities and power. Great for most people but I like to bake BIG! I love my shiny Kenwood Titanium.
Cookbookqueen
October 1, 2011
Thank you for your reply, my common sense tells me the Major. When you say the dialls gave gone a bit grubby,what do you mean? Coating worn off grubby or just ucky round edges with fingerprints. Not obsessing about a purchase in anyway.
thingswemake.co.uk
October 1, 2011
It’s purely grubby as i often turn the dials with buttery/floury hands. Nothing has worn off! Happy choosing!
Zipporah
October 13, 2011
I’m confused between the KMix, Prospero and the Titanium (Chef / Major). Ironically the sales person was not of much help in pointing out the differences. I’m looking at baking breads and cakes for around 3 to 6 people on a weekly basis. Which should I pick? Appreciate any help regarding this. I would like to have the option of adding accessories latter on (mincer, ice cream maker) – in case they are not available with the standard kit. Till date I have been mixing the dough by hand and it takes up a lot of time.
thingswemake.co.uk
October 13, 2011
Hi there. I’m no expert, as I have only got the Titanium chef, but I think the Kmix and Prospero are further down the scale in power and capacity. This link is quite helpful: http://www.kenwoodworld.com/uk/Products/Kitchen-Machines/Help-me-choose/
You can certainly add all the attachments you want to the chef. The dough hook works brilliantly for making bread, it speeds up the process, is no effort and makes a very light dough. It all depends on what you can afford and have room for I guess.
Zipporah
October 21, 2011
Thank you for the suggestions. I went in for the Kenwood Titanium Major with the standard attachments. Waiting to unpack it and start using it.
Philip Cowell
October 19, 2011
I love the articles you’ve posted about this topic and we’re almost there in making the decision but just not 100% sure about whether to go for the KM010 or KM020. Which did you go for in the end and are you happy with your decision in relation to mixing bowl capacity?
thingswemake.co.uk
October 19, 2011
We went for the Kenwood Titanium Chef 010. I love it and have no complaints at all. The capacity is great for us and I can do a large batch of bread in one go (enough for 2 loaves).
Hope you find what you are after.
FuzzyHead
October 24, 2011
What a find! This has been a delight to read and so helpful – thank you so much! Have been hankering over 1 or t’other for yonks. My mother too has had her Kenwood for 30 years and it made me giggle to see your comment about the potato basher bowl! We had that too but the noise was something else! Soooo, had thought more about the Kenwood KM010 but was weakened by the fickleness of looks and dithered over the KitchenAid. But after reading your fab articles and similar ditherings, am dead set on the KM010. Just gotta see what offers are out there and persuade my hubby that this would be an essential bit of Christmas – but a pressie needed a month early! After all there are all those festive goody delights to get baking!
Thanks again for great advice and insights!
thingswemake.co.uk
October 24, 2011
Glad to be of help! Thanks for the nice comment.
Cookbookqueen
October 25, 2011
Yes I finally bought the Kennwood Major Titanium 010. I am so pleased, it us beautiful, elegant and stylish and very powerful, versatile and sturdy. My husband revised his view and a few of my friends comment on how stylish and near it looks. The attachments are an excellent quality. It is a joy to use. I hope this helps any undecided folks.
Madhu
October 30, 2011
Great blog! Thanks for sharing. Have had the kmix for a couple of years now and am totally happy with it! 🙂
Larry Granberg
November 27, 2011
Hi,
Have to say that for me originally KA was always the way to go. Being from the States there are or rather were models there that were not available in Europe and the price difference left me in a total state of vexation. On major sales day like this past Black Friday sales day after American Thanksgiving you can find the basic KA for $179. That’s £116 or EU 138 more or less. SO the lack of models and the much higher price pushed me over to the Kenwood Titanium: Though there are times that I really miss the crank lift of the upper tier KAs.
Canny Fung
November 28, 2011
Thanks for your sharing.
I had the same uncertainties before and after I bought my standmixer. I was spinning around Kenwood ,Kitchen Aid and Bosch. They have differences and commons. I went to the shops many times. I searched the internet.
Finally, I found that I didnot want any extra attachments. I only need the 3 basic tools. The answer is Kenwood MX 271. It is a beginner’s model but it just fulfill my needs. I still have my old handblender, meat mincer, pasta machine in the cupboard. Therefore, everything is fine.
Afterall, I found all the stand mixer are very good. Love it after you have got one. Work with it every weekend and enjoy baking.
Didi Paterno-Magpali (@didipaterno)
August 4, 2012
OOHHHHHH! I am actually planning to buy a blender (hand blender) and have been quite anal about specs because I am really on the look out for functionality and durability. I really love your post about the Kenwood Chef KM010 and now thinking this may be a good investment as an all-in-one kitchen helper. I dream of a Kitchen Aid (don’t we all?), but somehow your posts have helped change my mind! Thanks for sharing 🙂
thingswemake.co.uk
August 7, 2012
glad to be of help, let me know how you go on.
Cheryl
January 14, 2013
I have an old Kenwood Major A717 (about 37 years old) that is still working fine. Hard to believe! (My husband has done work on its brushes once.) I grind wheat and make bread quite often so it gets a workout. I tried to find one to buy several years ago and found that UK would not send one to me in the states. I read that DeLonghi bought the rights to sell it; I called them and they were not selling it so gave up. Now I learn that they sold it to Cuisinart. I just noticed that I can buy a new Kenwood Major from Amazon sold by a company in Canada. I read on this blog that it is no longer made in the UK but they told me it was, so I’m confused. I love my Kenwood and would like to get another one but I would like to know that it is still made by the same company. The Canadian company (Golda’s Kitchen) tells me they get it from UK. They want $800 for their Kenwood. The Cuisinart is only $400. So what is the difference?? The machines look very similar. Does anyone know about this progression and about these two machines?
thanks for the info
Cheryl
thingswemake.co.uk
January 15, 2013
Hi Cheryl, I’m afraid I don’t know the situation is for buying in the US, I hope your current one keeps serving you well until you find a new one.
H Taylor
April 12, 2013
Ive only just come across this blog – it’s great. To the point, well illustrated, and beautifully written. I found it because i’ve just become the proud owner of a Chef Titanium, courtesy of my son, after my 47 year old (yes, 47, that’s what I said) Kenwood , the pale blue and white one, finally lost the will to live. I make all our bread, cakes etc and have done for all my adult life, so a miser food processor is a great accessory, but hey, this isnt really about, but about this enlightening and worthwhile blog. Thankyou!
H Taylor
April 12, 2013
mixer! not miser…
Χαρίτων
July 2, 2015
The AT320B Mini Chopper/Mill Attachment is much better tool for smaller quantities and mayonaise too. It’s excellet as a mini liquidiser. We do all our bab’ys food with it. The lower two blades hug the bottom. And it’s very cleverly designed. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kenwood-AT320B-Chopper-Attachment-Additional/dp/B000C3MOCM