Kitchenaid vs Sunbeam Mixmaster vs Kenwood Chef

Ok... lay it all down for me!

We want something that beats and whisks obviously. Shel makes a lot of doughs (pizza, bread), so the dough attachment is the majoring drawing card here, and she is also wanting to get in to make pasta for us (you know what they say, once you go fresh you never want to go back!).
The mincing is another bonus that we'd be interested in!
Because of Jazzy's intolerances to flabours, preservatives and colours we pretty much have to make most things at home by hand. We've been a bit boring but are wanting to do more (like the fresh pasta) and more sauces and homemade things. (blah Friday night, lost my words, but I'm sure you know what I mean)

What's the difference between Kitchenaid, Keenwood Chef, and Mixmaster? And what are the other things that they can do? Do they do anything else?

I only know my KA, sorry leash! I love it! My brother has a kenwood and his big whinge is that mine came with the dough hook and he had to purchase his (and cost him a pretty penny too!) separately.
Depending on the attachements you get with the KA you can, whip, blend, knead, mince, puree, make sausages, pasta, (macaroni, lasgne, spaghetti, noodles etc) shredding, make icecream, and heaps more but my brain aint working either, cant find the book either...hopefully someone else will come along and help you out!

I just Layby-ed a Kitchen Aid at Browns Plains for $699, if you decide to go that way.
TBH, I didnt really do much research, I just always had my heart set on the KA LOL.
But I have heard that the Kenwood is heaps noisy-er.

Ok a questions from Shel:
Can you make juice, like apple or pear or carrot juice, with any of the attachments from any of the mixers?

yep, Im almost 100% the KA has a juicing attatchment. if you look at their website I think it lists all the different ones.

Ok well in that case I'm just about sold on the KA then... :lol:

This is a bit of an omen I think..this is the third thread on BB I have read today about Mix Masters.
All the positives are for the Kitchen Aid..I also read you can do everthing including juices.
So it's looking like I too need to get one of these!

Yep, just looked up KA and they have a citrus juicer and lots of pasta maker attachments too.

I only have a KA too, but I have all the attachments you mentioned. The dough hook came with it but the mincer and pasta attachments were extra (read a lot extra).

I'm pretty sure it's Limeslice, but someone here swears by the Kenwood. I remember them posting that it has a more powerful motor.

My mum has a Kenwood and since they're roughly the same price for the machine I would have gotten one, but the KA looks so much nicer :redface: and TBH nothing I do really requires a more powerful motor than the KA. I think when I looked the Kenwood attachments were roughly the same price as the KA.

I didn't even look at the Sunbeam. I have their basic model and the exxie one was no-where near as powerful as the other two.

Don't really know all the differences. We have a Kenwood, which is good. What I really wanted was a KA. They look better too.

Oh wow, go to KA site and they have video demos of all attachments. They have some pretty cool stuff.

Kenwood all the way!

:rofl: My feelings on this are well known - having used a KA extensively in a commercial environment and also a KW, the KW wins hands down as the most reliable, most user friendly, has the attachments you want (as does the KA) and KW is all around better quality - in my humble opinion.

Never had a KW burn out on me, gone through 3 KA motors - on a commercial machine.

So... sausages... talk to me about sausages...! Seriously, how do you make sausages? Can you do it with a KW? What do you need for the outside bit?

Yes you can with both KA and KW.

This is one aspect where motor power and the parts of the machine (plastic or metal) really make a huge difference.


Sausages are very easy if you have the right ingredients, you cna put anything just about in them - but a truly good sausage will be at LEAST 35% fat, more likely 40-45%, you can buy this from good butchers, and you use pig fat.

ETA: you should be able to get casings from the butcher too, I prefer to steer clear of them though due to the horridly wasteful way they are produced in Australia. But you can also use stomach lining - it is like a clear film with 'veins' of white fat running through it, you roll them up in it, wrap them in glad wrap and poach them before frying them in the pan.

*steps into the ring with LimeSlice*

I love my KA. Kenwood pfft. I would steer clear of a sunbeam they are not built the way they used to be. Unless you can get your hands on a refurbished 1950's model don't bother.

(FYI for anyone who doesn't know Limey and I have friendly banter over KA vs. KW it's all in fun ;))

:rofl:


Wondered when you were going to put in an appearance...
Of course, you all know to ignore her completely :p


ETA: mmm refurbished Sunbeam...mmm

I have no experience with KA but have a KW and am pretty happy with it. If you decide to go with a KW keep an eye out for their redemption offers, they seem to have them pretty regularly. We got ours for $780 (RRP $1,000) and it came with blender and food processor attachments and mincer and juicer attachments under the redemption offer.

I have my mum's kenwood which I think is well over 35 years old and it is awesome!! It still is as good as a new one and has the dough hook, liquidiser and even a coffee grinder attachment!
I do have a KA blender though which I love cause its soooooooooo pretty LOL (and its a good blender too)
Join the kenwood club- they send discount vouchers out.

Christy works for KA as a demonstrator so she should be able to answer any KA questions.

I think we're going for a KA! We had a play with one at 'House' today (although they didn't want to know us once we asked them to price match an online store down to $632... they realised we weren't going to end in a sell). How cool! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO can't wait!!!!!

Wooohoooo!! So the most important question, what colour are you going for? LOL!

The purple, or the dark blue, or the shiney black. :D

Now... the fun bit... attachments! :lol: Definitely the fruit and vege juicing one, plus the mincer/grinder, and the grater/slicer etc.

there is a pack you can get that has 3 or so of the attatchments together, cant remember what exactly, but I was kicking myself that I bought some of it separatly.

ETA, just checked it on kitchenwares direct, its the fruit and vegetable strainer w/food grinder (so 2 ) and then the sausage stuffer is only $30 on top of that,I only bought the grinder/mincer as a separate thing.

yay congratulations!!

I've got the pasta attachments and the icecream churn as well.....hmmm might get them out today....

My parents have a Kenwood, they got it as a wedding present almost 30 years ago and it's still going strong. They only have the dough hook and whisk attachments though. I've been eyeing off the KA for a while now, the only thing that puts me off is the price of the extra attachments. But hey if it's something that you're going to use all the time they'll pay for themselves very quickly. The sausage attachment looks very cool...I think they used it in the first season of Masterchef. I've the KA online for $632 with $.6.90 postage, that's pretty freakin cheap!

See the KA mincer is mostly plastic, which is really not cool, and surprising given most of their other attachments are metal.

But good luck with your colour choice ;) You will have to get the matching blender... lol THEY are ace.

I saw on the KWD website they also do a full metal grinder, well, it looked like it anyway!

nah it is plastic, just the way the photo is taken. The disks in it are metal but nothing else.

yeah, I thought that may have been the case...

OOOOh I do so love the purple one!! That's what I'm contemplating also lol. Ya know there was another thing Andy found out when we were researching and that was that most of the other mixers DON'T touch the bottom of the bowl like the KA does! So, you can't beat/whisk like just an egg or 2 very well cos it misses it too much.

Oh and HOUSE suck with their reply to price matching. I asked the same thing about it when I found the price online (I think the same one you're talking about) and she seriously didn't believe me and told me that it couldn't be a real one and probably didn't have warranty... well PFFT to her huh cos they are real and do have warranty!

Excellent choice, i love, love, love my KA. I used a Kenwood at a friends place and it really didn't match up. It kind of felt tinny and light weight in comparison. The beater didn't feel as sturdy mixing the batter. The engine might be more powerful but to be i much prefer the KA.

Peter's of Kensington have them for $632 online, is that where you saw them?

Yep, Peters of Kensington do $632 with $11 shipping, and also a place called 'Your Home Depot' which is $632 with free delivery at the moment on orders over $200.
Both are new, not refurbished, with full 5 year warranty.

The best 'House' could do was $660 with 1 year warranty on a refurbished model or $699 on a new model with 5 year warranty.

dh bought me the KA grater accessories pack for my b'day and we love it :)
ds1 is obsessed with grating cheese now LOL

KA vs KW is a bit like Ford vs Holden, eh?

I am a KW girl ;)

:cheer: Rory! :cheer:

:rofl:

Of course you are ;) Cheeky monkeys :p

We LOVE our KA. Can't wait to buy more accessories hehe!

I just want to say I am jealous because I have been lusting after a cherry apple KA (the hot red one)!!! DH said no cause we can't afford it... But one day I will get my KA with the attachments!!! Maybe when DH gets an overseas deployment I will get my KA....
*sigh*