Foodmixer

Have you thought of getting it fixed? Mine (wedding present in 1974!) went on the blink some years ago - we found a co. who repaired and serviced it for around £75, inc. carriage. IIRC it was in Fareham - not saying the co. is def. still there, but my old Kenwood is still going strong!

My geriatric Kenwood, secondhand from a car boot sale many years ago, eventually died and I let my husband attempt to mend it. It worked afterwards but ...it only had one speed, It was either off or superfast, throw everything out of the bowl mode. I did give in and buy a new one. This was a out 15 years ago and I am glad I bought it. It lives on my kitchen worktop and gets used regularly.

I have, however, got a Panasonic breadmaker which I use for making bread. Five minutes to put everything in and I'm sure mine has gluten free programmes. You can check online for different models.

Breadmakers make delicious gluten free bread and if you don't need a big mixer I'd suggest trying a food processor.
I have no idea what they cost as I inherited mine from my Mum but I found it an acceptable replacement for my Kenwood when it died. (Except for the Xmas cake).

If you don't mind second hand, you could advertise for one on your local Sell n Seek.

Or ask for one on Freecycle.org
That's where my mother's one went.

You could buy many gluten free loaves from the shops for the price of a new food mixer - worth considering maybe?

When my Kenwood Chef died my husband bought me a Kenwood chef titanium. It has every gadget you could possibly need ( which I never use apart from the food processor which make incredible pastry) I would strongly recommend it .

My 1970s Kenwood (£15 from a newspaper ad 30 years ago) is still going strong but my daughter has killed two; one she bought for £10 from her local charity shop and then my mother’s which I gave her when mum died. She didn’t tell me for ages as she thought I’d be upset! I mean it didn’t owe anyone anything. I think if/when mine dies I’ll replace it with either a second hand Kenwood or something similar. I can’t justify spending so much on a new machine.

I have a Ninja Food Processor… it’s brilliant!

Aldi do a stand mixer for a very fair price, not sure if they have any stock though.

The Panasonic breadmaker had a gluten cycle. I used to use one a lot but bread from shops has improved so much over 20 yrs. I tried offering it to 'recycle' but no takers - gone now.

I noticed a stand mixer in my local (French) Lidl middle yesterday. It was same size as my Kenwood Chef but only 49.99€. Lidl appliances are usually very good in my opinion. Usually the UK Lidls stock similar to French. Check their on line catalogue.

Kitchen Aid stand mixer. The one and only to beat all other mixers. Excellent for making, kneading bread.

Be prepared to spend $$$ money. My Kitchen Aid is FIFTY years old and still magnificent.

This is an investment, worthy of passing on to family if it outlasts you. It may even make you a stellar baker again because of ease.
USA Gundy

I have a Magimix food processor, 23 years old and still going strong, which is just wonderful. My breadmaker, an inexpensive one as I don’t eat much bread, is an eight year old Breville and is perfectly fine for my not very demanding needs. It does make gluten free however. My sister and her husband (who actually makes the bread) tell me that their Panasonic breadmaker is marvellous as did my late MIL. I think they are the ‘gold standard’ with a price to match! However the undoubted co-star of the kitchen (along with the aforementioned f/processor) is my Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer. I do make bread in it, mainly speciality ones which are often difficult in the breadmaker and also cakes, pastry etc. I have a few other attachments I don’t use much. It’s a real workhorse for me. I also have a Kenwood K-Mix hand mixer which is very useful and surprisingly sturdy. All handy when it comes to baking for my greedy (adult) family and grandchildren!

Mine is KitchenAid, I've had it for 30 years I guess and it is great but was expensive. I've also got a pasta attachment and I'm guessing you could have a go at gluten free pasta, though I've never tried.
Like others I'd suggest that you try to get yours repaired, but you could also look on Amazon? If you click the "used" filter on Amazon they include ones with damaged boxes etc. at much lower prices even though they are actually new or sometimes reconditioned. For example they have a "Used - like new" Kenwood chef for under £300.
I'll put a link for a basic Amazon search below so that you can see the type of thing they offer - obviously the hand mixers would not work. Apologies if this is teaching a Granny to suck eggs, different Gransnetters have different levels of ability with computers.

www.amazon.co.uk/s?rnid=3146281&ref=sr_nr_n_4&s=price-asc-rank&crid=EO8VZRTWPVG6&sprefix=food+mixer%2Caps%2C79&rh=n%3A3146281%2Cn%3A11052591%2Cn%3A11052681%2Cn%3A391784011%2Cn%3A3147441%2Cn%3A3538288031%2Cn%3A10706601%2Cn%3A10706621%2Cp_89%3AKenwood%7CKitchenAid%2Cp_n_condition-type%3A12319068031&i=kitchen&k=food+mixer&tag=gransnetforum-21&qid=1690029475&dc&ds=v1%3A3Tc1TQfkgItJfOkucqJpZzaN4ISdsoNenw0mcFa7J6c

EBay might be worth a look too, there are loads on there.

I also agree with others that a food processor could work for you, provided you don't want to mix a large batch of dough as they tend to throw themselves about on your worktop as they work with large quantities of dough.

I've had my Kenwood Chef for 60 years. Use it frequently. At 82 years old I won't need it too much longer. Hope it doesn't break down yet.

I’ve been a cake maker for years but no longer do it unless it’s for family. Kenwood are by far the best but I now have a Kitchenaid which looks beautiful and just the job for what I need x

Kitchen aid with attachments to slice, make into a processor, pasta maker, spiraliser/corer, ice cream maker,,weighing gizmo, juicer and bowl to make bread in that has a top and when mixed and prover you tern bowl upside down and put straight in the oven. Act like a Dutch oven. In my holiday home l have a magimix which is a standard processor
L had Magimix as wedding present and bought Kitchen Aid about 20 years ago - so both 20 and 30+ years old respectively
Both have been reliable and well made. Sadly l believeKitchen Aid has been sold. Still make them of course
My mum was a Kenwood supporter and hers lasted 40+ years
So l think it comes to personal choice. Plus there are innovations coming onto the market all the time eg Thermomix
My Dil is German and has one from Aldi and is very happy with that: l like my Kichen Aid and if it broke irreparably l would buy 2nd hand one of the older ones as they were alledged to be well made and over engineered

Just bought a Kenwood food processor for £40 from Argos. Used Nectar points to pay for it. Haven’t had chance to use it yet but my old one was similar and lasted years.

Have the Panasonic breadmaker but haven’t used it. Christmas present from OH! I never eat bread.

Should you decide to buy a breadmaker, I have found Panasonic to be the best machines. To my surprise they were much cheaper bought directly from Panasonic, almost half the price offered by Amazon, and the latest model too!

Catterygirl at the risk of starting a complete new thread here on rather unusual (i.e. useless) gifts, you must have felt thrilled with the breadmaker! OH once bought me a black velvet pencil skirt , size eight, which might have fitted me when I was eight.....

Thank you for comments , never thought of bread maker 😊

I had always made my own bread but when I found it difficult to stand I bought a breadmaker. A short while ago I decided to buy my bread. I was astonished at how many additives were listed so have gone back to the breadmaker.
Most people do not bother to read what is in food these days.

my small breadmaker I bought from Lakeland many yeas ago.

My one question about bread makers is the paddle used to mix and knead the dough. Doesn’t that leave a hole in the bottom of the loaf? Sorry to hijack the thread but it’s a question I’ve wanted to ask for a while.