Kenwood KM336 Chef Classic Stand Mixer with Blender, Gloss White

With both of having got hooked on baking because of The Great British Bake-off, me on bread, she on cakes, we decided we needed a decent mixer and a Kenwood Chef seemed the obvious choice. We chose this particular model because it was a great deal at under £150 and the white finish was more in keeping with it's origins and suited our kitchen better.I'm a fan of engineering and frequently disappointed by shoddy design, but even the basic Chef is an impressive piece of kit. The 50+ years of continuous development have produced a machine that is solidly built where needed, using metal for all the key components, and which really does work extremely well. A number of folks have complained about needing to spend a few moments to get the tools adjusted properly, but to be honest, the tools would then need adjusting individually for each machine to get them as close to the bowl as they can and should be. Given that they are obviously made separately, doing this would cost time and money and frankly, I'd sooner spend 3 mins with a spanner and get the Chef for £150 that have it done for me and pay more.....Every bit of the machine is well made, fits and works perfectly. The speed control has an excellent range of adjustment and having seen the way this 800 watt model deals with a batch of dough made using 1kg of flour, I'm not sure what you would be mixing to need the 1400 watt version. The tools are seriously robust and well up to the task in-hand, though the K-shaped 'flexi-beater' would probably be a wise investment for dedicated cake-makers as it's silicone edge actually scrapes the sides of the bowl, and would do a better job of making frosting and creaming butter and sugar. Oh and a final word for the splatter guard, which does actually keep everything, including flour and icing sugar in the bowl.It's not often these days that you buy something that looks, feels and works like a product that is worth every penny of it's asking price, but even if it was full price, I'd say the Chef Classic is worth it. For £150, well it's a steal!If I had to be REALLY picky, I'd say it would be nice if it was a bit quieter, but with all the gearing needed for that fantastic planetary mixing action, it's no wonder it's a bit noisey, and you rarely need it on full speed for very long.

This is my second Kenwood Chef. My previous one I had for over 35 years, it had never needed a repair, still worked well and was past on to my daughter-in-law and I'm sure it will survive another few years.The new model is absolutely brilliant. It is a lot quieter than the old one, has pulse facility, a lighter bowl and splashguard, which I have found to be important refinements. The results I'm getting seem to be even better than before.As mentioned in other reviews, it is very important to set up the beaters correctly, to ensure that all ingredients are mixed thoroughly and not left coating the bowl. It will only take a couple of minutes and necessary to ensure you are happy with the results.The controls are straightforward and need little explanation.I have used the liquidiser on a number of occasions. It can be a bit tricky fitting it, as there it a bit of resistance when trying to lock it onto the mixer. It is excellent for making thick creamy soups, making breadcrumbs, chopping meat, etc. It does what a liquidiser is meant to do.The only adverse comment I have, is that not everything is dishwasher proof. This makes it a bit confusing as to what can and can't be put in the machine, so I tend to wash everything up by hand, which is no real hardship. It would however be handy to have a quick glance guide which lists the various parts and whether they are dishwasher friendly.

I'm getting a bit older and my hands aren't as strong as they used to be, and I wanted to start making my own bread. Bread making machines take too long to produce the goods and I wanted a bit more control over the dough. I needed a strong mixer and Kenwood's reputation is second to none. Amazon had this mixer at an excellent price, so I bought one.Wish I'd bought one sooner. It's a great mixer, easy to use, powerful enough to cope with 2kg of wholemeal bread dough with additions without any problems. My bread making is much improved.At the other end of the scale, my egg whites, egg yolks with sugar or cream all whisk quickly with great control over consistency - this was another task that was beginning to get the better of me as I used to whisk manually.The machine is easy to use, easy to clean and a joy to use. If you get one, don't leave it in the cupboard, use it every day - it's a workhorse that needs a regular outing to get the most from it.It's not the most robust machine on the market, but any family cook couldn't ask for more.