Bench top mixer and food processor

[Emma09]

I've started really experimenting with baking- love it!
Made my very first cheesecake last night- crumbling the biscuits in the blender is not an experience I want to have again.
I'd like a bench mixer, but I also need a food processor for cheesecake base and for dough- or do I use my mixer for dough?
Help me please!

Ps I think I've decided on the KW chef mixer if that makes a difference.

[~Hestia~]

I've got a KW Chef, the Major model, it's fantastic It comes with a dough hook which works well. I know what you mean about using a blender in that way, I desperately need a food processor too! The top of the line KW, think it might be called Titanium, has a food processor attachment you can purchase seperately.

[OceanPrincess]

Thermomix

[~Kim~]

I have a Kitchenaid and a Thermomix. I realise that they are not in everyone's price range, but they are excellent. Before them I had a Sunbeam Compact Kitchen Pro mixer. Useful enough, but not powerful enough for doughs and large quantities. As a processor I have and still use my Kenwood stick blender with multiple attachments. It has a large jug that has processed many biscuit bases. I still use it almost every day (the other attachments - I blew up the large jugs gears lol). I also had the Sunbeam processor they sell at Target, but my KW stick processor had the same amount of power and less fiddling, so I sold it.

My Mum has a Kenwood, and it is just as awesome as my KA, but she has a top of the line model. A GF of mine bought one of their smaller newer models last year and loves it. She bakes lots.

ETA depends what type of dough you're making as to what machine you'd use.

[LimeSlice]

You know you don't need a machine to make cheesebake base, right? LOL

Good choice on the KW. Spend the money and get a top model. It will serve you well.

I have a KA food processor and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The machine itself is good, but the bowl is terrible. The quality of the plastics is atrocious - I have had to have it replaced 3 times now in 2 years (all at their expense because of the crap product! LOL)

My dough hook for my KW has gone to god long ago, it is 40 years old, so I do dough in the FP when I am feeling lazy. Otherwise, is it mostly by hand as I prefer to make doughs and pastes that way.

If you have no real need for a FP aside from the dough, then I wouldn't bother getting a super exxy one, if at all. Get a KW, there are plenty of attachments like there are with the KA, and you may find you never need a FP at all!

Good luck

[Emma09]

LS- how do you do cheesecake base without a machine?
The gold old rolling pin? Too much hard work for me.....

[~me~]

Just talking to DH about getting a decent mixer. blender, slicer and all in one machine. Almost sold him on a Thermomix Great thread!

Don't you just crumb biscuits or use cornflake crumbs and add butter, stir and pat into a cheesecake flan for a base

ETA: Ahhh, gotcha! I sometimes use my blender to crumb up the biscuits

[Taurean]

I've got a Moulinex food processor which is brilliant despite being 13 years old now and I got a new Breville mixer for Christmas which also came with the freezer bowl and it's brilliant! The difference it's made to my baking (and waistline, lol!) is incredible.