Kenwood vs Kitchen Aid: which one is best?
A very frequent question I get is not about cake!
“Patricia, can you tell me, should I buy a Kenwood or a Kitchen Aid?”.
When I first started baking, around and about 4000 cakes ago, I spent weeks looking into this. I must have read every forum post and article that I could find on the topic. The result was clear... no one agreed that one was better than the other! At that time, my research showed a slight swing in favour of Kenwood mainly down to the fact that most people’s grandmas still had one that had been working for 50 years. Equally those in the Kitchen Aid camp were totally in love with the stunning design and colours.
So, in the end I did my own research and borrowed one of each. I wanted to look into this question from the angle of a cake maker. Which one would give me fabulous cakes every time? Which would be best to use in my workshop and during my classes?
I didn’t hurl them off the top of the Atomium to see which one broke into more pieces but I used them with extreme concentration or effort, very thoroughly or vigorously and for many hours!
To stay fair, I looked at two machines that had similar price tags, around 600 euros in high street stores.
Looking at the very colourful Kitchen Aid robots in a shop window, I thought it would be an easy choice. On looks alone, the Kitchen Aid wins hands down. After all, look how many colours it comes in! It is like having a whole sweet shop in your kitchen and those who know me know I am just a teensy winsy bit of a sweets addict! Well, I should not say that...
On the other hand the Kenwood Chef looks so sturdy and robust. It has a lot of additional parts included for the price: a mixer, a blender, a food processor, a bread hook, loads of beaters, and most importantly, a beater that scrapes the sides of the bowl down as you are mixing so no need to keep stopping and starting to do this manually. I also love the lighting inside the bowl, it is really useful and make the robot a little bit more attractive.
For me, the hands down winner was, and still is to this day, the Kenwood Mixer. It was quick, efficient and super sturdy. There were no cumbersome mechanisms and it felt like a cake maker had tried and tested features during the design process. The Kitchen Aid looked fantastic but part of that look comes from seeing all the colours together. When you just have one colour unpacked in your kitchen, it is less “wow”. I am not saying a Kitchen Aid is bad but it is a question of personal preference and the small details and ease of use that made me choose the Kenwood.
It was when I used both mixers side by side and when my students used them in cake decorating classes that the differences became abundantly clear. The Kenwood just gets on with it. You throw all ingredients in the bowl and turn it on, that is pretty much it. The Kitchen Aid needs far more attention. The levers are fiddly and it is easy to get confused about which does which as they all look the same (when you have employees this costs you money!) . If you need to give the cake mixture a stir or add ingredients you literally have to remove the entire bowl rather than lift the head up which slows you down.
If the mixers were cars, the Kitchen Aid is like a manual drive car. It will get you from A to B perfectly but, just like a manual car, you need two hands to drive it and have to put in a bit more effort and concentration. The Kenwood is like an automatic car on cruise control, it drives you all the way to perfect cakes with very little effort on your part and just makes it feel easy!
Both mixers have some amazing features especially for cake makers and both have some serious power. Undoubtedly, whichever you brought, you would be happy with it. The difference comes down to small things and personal preferences. So what if you have a Kitchen Aid and have read this page? Well I am definitely not saying Kitchen Aids are bad. If you have a Kitchen Aid it is likely you think it is fabulous as you will be used to it. But if you are yet to choose and sitting on the fence about which one is best, in my opinion that has to be the Kenwood.
Kind regards,
I deal with a lot of high profile clients.
Many firms count on me for their corporate events.
Important things I wish to share with you
Please note that we are not a pastry shop! Too many visitors still think that they can pop up to our place and buy ready-made cakes... That's just not the way it works! I design personalized and custom-made cakes on special order for all your private and corporate events. All my cakes are personalized so cakes must be ordered a minimum of 5 days in advance. Don't call me if you need a cake for today or tomorrow!
There is no need to visit our office to order a cake. Everything can be done online (even from overseas) using email, chat or even WhatsApp. Payments are securely processed online if you have a Bancontact, Visa, Mastercard or Maestro card. On special request we may accept payments by Paypal, Revolut or Skrill. We also accept bank transfers into our ING corporate account. No cash payment is accepted. I am not confirming any order until full payment is received (no exception even for government or European agencies).
We can meet together for large events or weddings but it will be organized by appointment only at the The Belgian Chocolate Makers store.
I am not accepting orders placed at the last minute so you will need to contact me a minimum of five working days before your event. The sooner you can order your cake, the better it is. Some months are particularly busy and clearly August is one of the busiest months! So make sure you book your cake as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Pick up of your cake can be arranged at our store located 11 Rue Lebeau 1000 Brussels (between Grand'Place et Sablon) from Monday to Sunday, 11h-17h. Deliveries can be arranged all days including week ends and bank holidays.
Finally, let's be clear about the prices. I am offering discounts for cakes serving 20 or more. No need to ask me for discounted prices for smaller cakes, you will be disappointed. No need also to tell me that you can find cheaper prices elsewhere. Of course, you can. But please ask yourself the right questions: Will you get the same cake? What ingredients will be put in the composition of the pastry? How many hours will they work on your cake? Will you deal with a reputable registered company or someone working illegally from his/her home? Is the cake designer licensed to sell cakes or not? Is the workshop authorized by AFSCA? Can the cake designer make an invoice? Can you contact the cake designer anytime? Will you be sure to be delivered on time? Etc... Once you have answered all these questions then I am sure that you will understand that a custom-made cake baked and designed especially for you cannot be priced like an industrial cake... I am an artisan and I am rather proud of being a woman-owned business. I deal with high profile clients most of the time and I am a professional cake designer. Please consider my work and dedication and do not ask me to make cheaper prices, you would certainly upset me.
Cynthia James
Andrew Lewis
Barbara Patterson
William Richardson
