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I grew up with a Kenwood Chef, so my destiny on Team Kenwood vs Team KitchenAid was decided before I was born. Kerry loves her KitchenAid. I love my Kenwood. I’ve also used a few other brands, so this post walks through cost, features and the pros and cons of each.
Whichever brand you pick, a stand mixer is something I use a lot when I’m batch cooking, and most of what it does has nothing to do with baking.
Saves: arm work, standing at a bowl, and the washing up of a lot of extra bowls.
Jump to: The short version · Team Kenwood · Team KitchenAid · Side by side · What to check before you buy · 12 things besides baking · Attachments · Keep going
The short version
Pick the one whose bowl you can lift, whose controls you can reach and whose price you can live with. Be honest about weight and size, because a heavy mixer you have to haul out of a cupboard is a mixer you’ll use less.
- A big bowl and a mixer that lasts: look at the Kenwood Chef XL. It’s what I grew up with, and it’s a workhorse.
- Short on space or on a budget: look at something compact like the Kenwood Go, but check the bowl size first. That was the one thing that annoyed me.
- You bake a lot and like features: the Kenwood Cooking Chef is what I own now. It’s lovely, but it’s heavy and it isn’t for everyone.
Team Kenwood: what I’ve used and what I own now
What I grew up with
I grew up using a model like the Kenwood Chef XL KVL4100W. Per the listing it has a 6.7 L dishwasher-safe stainless steel bowl, a 1200 W motor, and a beater, whisk and dough hook. It’s more than functional and realistically perfect for a home kitchen, with a decent bowl and all the attachments you actually use. They’re workhorses. I’m pretty sure my sister has the one we learned to cook on.
See the Kenwood Chef XL on Amazon
My first one I bought
When I first moved out of home I had a Kenwood Triblade hand blender, with a whisk, a mini chopper and a beaker. It’s not a stand mixer, but I used the immersion blender and the whisk for over 15 years, which is an impressive life for anything in my kitchen. I dropped and cracked the mini chopper many moons ago, and they don’t love the dishwasher long term. And yes, I was clumsy before CRPS. Now I just have a better excuse.
See the Kenwood Triblade on Amazon
The compact one
I upgraded from a Kenwood hand mixer to the Kenwood Go KZM35, which was the equivalent in specs and size. Per the listing it has a 4L bowl, an 800W motor and 6 speeds. I chose it partly for the budget and mostly for its size. Ironically, the bowl size was the thing that annoyed me most. I also prefer machines with bigger motors. I’m impatient, and I know this about myself. It comes in much cooler colours now than it did then.
The bougie one I own now
I said it so you don’t have to: my Kenwood Cooking Chef KCC9040S is bougie. I was baking a significant amount when I bought it, and I used its fancier features a lot more then than I do now. Per the retailer’s specs, it has a 6.7L bowl, a 1500W motor, induction heating from 20°C to 180°C, 20 preset cooking programs and a 10-year warranty. Yes my friends, she is sexy. And does pretty much everything but sings and dances. She’s quiet for the gusty motor and steady on the bench even with a full bowl.
The downside is weight and size. It’s heavy at nearly 13 kg, and it’s big. That means it isn’t always practical to keep on the bench, so I have to get it out. That also means I use it for specific jobs. My Thermomix is the one that lives on the bench.
Team KitchenAid: Kerry’s
Kerry has a KitchenAid. I don’t think they called it a “classic” when she bought it, but that’s what the model is called now. I think she’ll be the first person to tell you she doesn’t bake as much anymore, and keto baking often doesn’t need the guts of a stand mixer. We make a point of keeping our baking recipes to simple equipment, minimal effort and maximum taste.
The nearest current model is Kerry’s KitchenAid equivalent. She’s had a lot of life out of hers, and it’s still going strong.
Side by side
| Kenwood Chef XL (KVL4100W) | Kenwood Cooking Chef (KCC9040S) | Kenwood Go (KZM35) | KitchenAid Classic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How we know it | Grew up with this one | What I own now | Owned it | Kerry’s |
| Bowl size | 6.7 L Stainless steel | 6.7 L Stainless steel | 4 L Stainless steel | 4.3 L Stainless steel |
| Motor | 1200 W | 1500 W | 800 W | 275 W |
| Weight | 6.3 kg | 12.88 kg | 6.3 kg | 10.5 kg |
| Speeds | Variable speed dial (Min, 1–6, Max) plus pulse | Electronic Variable Speed Control Dial plus a dedicated Pulse function. | 6 speeds | 10 speed |
| Comes with | K-Beater Whisk Dough hook Splash guard | K-Beater Power Whisk Dough Hook Cooking Chef Stir Tool Creaming Beater / Flexible Beater Steamer Basket Splash Guard and Heat Guard Cooking Chef Heat Mat Induction heating 20 preset programs 24 optional attachments | K-Beater Whisk Dough tool Splash guard Measuring spoon | Flat beater Dough hook Wire whisk. Single multipurpose attachment hub compatible with over 15+ optional attachments (such as pasta makers, food grinders, and ice shavers) |
| Good for | A big bowl and everyday batches | Heavy bakers who want features. Bougie AF. | Small kitchens | Everyday baking. Cakes, biscuits, a loaf of bread. It just gets on with it. Small enough to put away, tough enough to last forever. |
| Cost | RRP $749, often $400–500 on sale | High ($2,000 range) No longer sold | RRP $399 often $300-350 on sale | $749–799, often $500–650 on sale |
Costs change, so I’ve put ballparks here (as at October 2026). Check the current price on the listing.
What to check before you buy
These matter more than the brand on days when your energy is low.
- Weight. Can you get it onto the bench, and does it live there? A mixer in a cupboard is a mixer you won’t use.
- The bowl. Can you lift it out when it’s full? Does it have a handle?
- The head. Does it tilt back or lift, and can you reach and lock it without fighting it?
- The controls. Can you see and reach the speed dial from where you sit?
- The noise. If noise is hard for you, hear it in a shop first.
- Cleaning. Check the care instructions for the bowl and each attachment before anything goes in the dishwasher.
12 things I use a stand mixer for besides baking
The paddle on low does most of these. Start slow, then step up.
Meat and batch prep
- Shredding cooked chicken, pork or beef. Put the warm cooked meat in the bowl, run the paddle on low and it shreds itself. No forks, no sore hands.
- Mixing meatballs, rissoles and burger patties. It mixes the lot evenly in a minute or two, and you only touch the mince when you shape it.
- Filling for sausage rolls, dumplings and meatloaf. The same trick with bigger batches.
Veg and dips
- Mashing cauliflower or pumpkin. Steam it or microwave it, then let the paddle mash it.
- Guacamole and mashed avocado. I mash it with the paddle on low. Stop before it turns to paste.
- Creamy dips. Cream cheese, sour cream and herbs whip up smooth in a couple of minutes.
Butter, cream and sweet things
- Whipped butter. Garlic butter, herb butter or just whipped butter for the freezer.
- Whipped cream. Use the whisk and watch it, because it goes from nearly there to butter fast.
- Cream cheese frosting, cheesecake filling and mousse. Great for keto desserts, because you aren’t mixing thick, cold cream cheese by hand.
Doughs and eggs
- Almond flour cookie dough and low-carb pastry. The mixer rubs the butter in and brings the dough together.
- Egg whites for meringues and pavlova. The whisk does ten minutes of work while you sit down.
- Mincing, grating and slicing (only if you have the attachment). Grating a block of cheese or shredding zucchini for fritters is a big saving. I use my Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender + Processor Pro for grating and slicing and my Thermomix for mincing and milling, so I haven’t bought the attachments for the Kenwood.
If you’re mixing raw meat, wash the bowl and tools in hot soapy water straight after, before anything else goes near them.
Attachments worth having
Most mixers come with a paddle, a whisk and a dough hook, and you can do almost everything above with those. I don’t have all the extra attachments for my Kenwood. I grew up with them and think they’re awesome, but they take up space. Because I also have a Thermomix and a Ninja Detect Kitchen System Power Blender + Processor Pro, I struggle to justify the cost and the cupboard space for attachments I’d use a few times while I play with them and then lose interest. Add attachments one at a time, when a job keeps annoying you.
Keep going
This is one of the appliances on my Low-Spoon Cooking Essentials page, along with everything else on my bench and what each item saves me. If you’re stocking the freezer, my batch cooking recipes are a good place to start.
