Mixers/whisks

Kitchen aid stand mixer it was expensive but hs paid for itself over and over again. They apparently last for years so I think it’s a great investment. Try qvc as they do great payment instalments

My DH successfully mended our ancient Kenwood Chef - I think the motor was replaced. It’s still great.

I have a similar dilemma. I had a second hand cheapie mixer for years but it died eventually. And replacement (James Martin branded I think) only lasted two years.

I am thinking about splashing out on the Dualit (I particularly like the cord tidy function). A couple of grans have mentioned this one - I just wondered if it was a bit heavy? And is the slow speed properly slow? (I also had the problem of my last one splashing because the slow speed was insufficiently slow.)

M0nica

I have a 50 year old Kenwood Chef. It sits on the worktop and doesn't need to be moved. I would be lost without it. I have the liquidiser and mincer attachments over and above the standard ones.

It is not that I use it a lot, but it is ideal when I do.

I lost custody of the Kenwood Chef when my marriage broke up 25 years ago….. replaced it with a KitchenAid eventually. But still miss that Chef (although not the abusive husband) 😉

M0nica

I have a 50 year old Kenwood Chef. It sits on the worktop and doesn't need to be moved. I would be lost without it. I have the liquidiser and mincer attachments over and above the standard ones.

It is not that I use it a lot, but it is ideal when I do.

I lost my Kenwood Chef when my marriage broke up 25 years ago. (I lost everything that I couldn’t pack in my car!) I eventually replaced it with the KitchenAid stand mixer, but I never thought it was quite the same as the Chef. As far as I know it’s still going strong. I don’t miss much (and certainly not the abusive husband) but I do miss that mixer!

I had a Kenwood Chef and attachments for a number of years. Had the motor replaced once then it gave up altogether. Kenwood gave me a food processor which has met my needs 'going forward'. I also have a stick blender which is so versatile and a hand held mixer. None of these are as versatile as the Chef, but because they are lighter they are more usable

Late to the threads but would just add my Kenwood Chefette is 51 years old. Still use the blender side for soup. Best appliance I've ever had!

There’s loads for sale on FB Marketplace, I’d check for local bargains if I were you.

I have just bought a Haden stand mixer from Amazon for 59 GBP. Have made some butter ( which is why I bought it) and it has done a great job so I am sure it will do other things just as well.

DianaLouise

Allira could you use one of the paddles rather than two?

Good idea, I'll try that, DianaLouise

In fact I was just thinking of making a cake and trying to summon up some enthusiasm!

If not, I'll try the dimmer switch idea

Thank you.

For your budget there is a Morphy Richards at £99 given good reviews in the popular magazine that tests lots of equipment. Quite a few with higher scores but these are two or three time more expensive.

Allira could you use one of the paddles rather than two?

Just a thought; if your small hand mixer is too fast on slow speed, buy a plug in dimmer switch and try running it through the dimmer.

I was heartbroken when my chefette died, I kept the bowl and bought a nice hand mixer that serves a purpose, then I happened to see a Breville in Sainsburys for about £40 its like the old fashioned hand mixer but on a stand with a bowl and does me fine. I read in which the best one of the new style mixers is the one in Lakeland and sometimes they are on offer, I keep on promising myself one and then they closed the store at Lakeside so now need to go to chelmsford

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I'm bought my second Magimix after 20-years. If I needed another I'd buy the same make.

(I bought the second one as the model was being updated after 20-years and gave the first to my ironing lady. She's a professional wedding-cake baker and she's still using it. They really are marvelous)

I bought my first one just pre-marriage after reading an article in the Telegraph by the wonderful cookery writer and explorer Marika Hanbury-Tenison where she recommended them. She sadly died just a few years later in 1982 at the age of 44. I think of her whenever I use her cookbook that I bought at the same time as the first machine.

I wonder if any other Gransnetters remember her?
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I too still use my Moulinex electric mixer, an engagement present 43 years ago! Good luck

I have a Magimix food processor which is used all the time. The Magimix is more versatile than a mixer. Mine is used to make bread, cakes, soups, grating/slicing vegetables,juicing apples ,making pates, pastry etc.

I see there are many discounts available at the moment.
I also have a Dualit hand mixer I use for meringues.
I would love a Kitchenaid stand mixer but cannot justify the price as I can do most things with the Magimix.
Overall the food processor is good value for money. Check out their website with up to 40% discount and free delivery.

I bought a £5.00 hand mixer 10 years ago and its still going ... sponges, macaroons, fruit cakes etc ...

I use either a sturdy John Lewis hand held mixer or my Kenwood chef. Depending on what I'm doing and batch size.
I'm my trusty Kenwood died I honestly would replace it. Bought mine 14 years ago and still going strong; more than recovered its cost.
We can't afford diamonds either and Chef is a bloody sight more useful!

I too had the Kenwood Chefette for over 45 years and it was fine. The "liquidiser" I think it was called fitted onto the end and was useful for a few recepes. When it broke I replaced it with another Kenwood Chefette but this has a large metal bowl which I didn't like using so still use the old white bowl. There's no attachment to it either which I do miss. So really I might just have well bought a simple hand-held mixer.

I've bought a Magimix about 10yrs ago which is still going strong. Nit the cheapest but it does earn it's worktop space. Various attachments including for making dough and the soup making attachment is great. For me, it was well worth the cost which was over my intended budget and got it at sale price.

I have had two expensive stand mixers but have reverted to a hand mixer, currently a Kenwood. With a hand mixer I can feel the consistency more accurately and my cakes are more successful. The dough hook never worked properly and is no match for hand kneading. The other problems I found with stand mixers are: there was always that bit of uncombined mixture at the bottom of the bowl; too easy to overmix; took up too much room on my countertops; too heavy. Frankly, the whole palaver of moving the mixer, setting it up then dismantling and cleaning it was not worth the effort, but maybe that’s just me being lazy.
Anyway, a good hand mixer with at least three speeds would be my recommendation.

I have a 50 year old Kenwood Chef. It sits on the worktop and doesn't need to be moved. I would be lost without it. I have the liquidiser and mincer attachments over and above the standard ones.

It is not that I use it a lot, but it is ideal when I do.

For more years than I care to remember, I had a Phillips hand held mixer. It gave up the ghost in 2012 and I bought a Kenwood hand held one which is doing sterling service. I don’t have space in my kitchen for a stand mixer among all the other paraphernalia, but this does the job perfectly.

I still make cakes the old fashioned way, by hand.

Either creaming the butter and sugar together, or simply just mixing Christmas cake mixture together.

My little hand held mixer, a Kenwood, I’ve had for over 50 years, but never use it for cakes.

I’m odd, I know!