[SallyintNorth]

I'm not really even sure if I want a 'food processor' or a 'food mixer' or a liquidiser and a grinder and a mincer, or what.  And even if I knew what, which?

I've read the advice on the Kenwood site and am not much further forwards.

Please help me!

I have a very old 2-beater hand-held mixer that's absolutely fine for cakes.  The beaters are each 4 wire loops (actually 2 wire loops making 4 wire blades.)  I have a grater, a lemon juicer, a pestle and mortar, a masher and a few chef's knives. 

My mother is not a keen nor talented cook and I have never really seen anyone use a food processor / mixer, so am not sure if I want or need one.  I don't have very much worktop space so don't want to get something unless I would use it a lot.

I make cheese and want to see if I can make butter without a time machine (to make more hours in the day).  I would mince if I had a mincer.  I make a lot of soups, currently using a knife and a masher.  Sometimes I would like it a bit more liquidised.  I spend a lot of time chopping and slicing things. 

[JulieS]

I have a Kenwood and a Bosch, both with lots of attachments.  Most of which stay in the cupboards all the time!

I love my hand held food mixer, similar to the one you described with 2 beaters.  I much prefer my cakes made with this than with either food processor.

For grating I use my hand held grater... it's a lot of faff getting the processors out just for a little cheese to grate....The same for juicing and mashing.

The processors get to see the light of day if I need to do a lot of grating of veggies eg coleslaw, or if we are having a party.

For soups I use a stick blender, mine is Braun.  You put it into the saucepan and whizz it up and down and it does a fantastic job.  Saves washing up the liquidisers.

I did use the mincer on the processors a lot before we built the butchery, now the mincers have joined the ranks of the not used processor bits.

Not sure this has been of any help at all!! 

[Fleecewife]

I have a big Kenwood which I use mostly for cakes, although I did buy a bean slicer for it for freezing beans - it more hacks them to pieces than slices but they freeze well like that and taste good when cooked, better than all the millions I have previously laboriously hand sliced for freezing. If I still made bread by hand I would use the Kenwood for that too (I used to) but now I have a bread maker which I use every second day. I rarely use all the slicers and dicers as they are such a faff to clean afterwards that it always seems quicker to chop and slice by hand unless it's for chutney. There is more waste with using the attachments than if you slice by hand.    I have a very sharp cooks knife for slicing things, which makes it quick and easy, but I am still trying to find the perfect small hand knife.    I also have a stick liquidiser for soups which is perfect, and the other things you have apart from the cake whisk thing.
I too have limited surface space and the Kenwood does take up a lot of space.  It sounds to me as if you don't need a big thing like mine but you could use a smaller blender/slicer/dicer type machine plus a stick blender.

[SallyintNorth]

Good on yer gals - I knew I would get practical tells-it-like-it-is on here!

It sounds to me as if you don't need a big thing like mine but you could use a smaller blender/slicer/dicer type machine plus a stick blender.

That sounds good to me to - anyone want to recommend brands / models?  (Please!)

[Greenerlife]

I think it depends on what you want or need to do with it!  I have a Kenwood that is now over 20 years old and I use it regularly now, but it wasted away doing very little for years.  I have a liquidiser attachment for it that I use at least twice a week for soups, making curry paste, pesto, making mayo and hollandaise etc. The pasta attachment gets used once a week now that I have my own eggs! I never use the grater attachment - I use an old fashioned box grater and I use one of those V slicers absolutely every day for chopping onions, making coleslaw etc it is absolutely the best gadget in my kitchen (and I collect!). I also have a mincer attachment which I use twice a year when I make sausages and when I make chicken burgers, but it essential to me (and a sausage stuffer!) I do use the cake mixer, but I agree with others when they say that the hand held beater is much better.  I occasionally use the bread hook on the mixer when my arthritis plays me up!  I love the Kenwood, but I am also looking at having a hand blender so am also interested to hear what brands others have.

[SallyintNorth]

I use one of those V slicers absolutely every day for chopping onions, making coleslaw etc it is absolutely the best gadget in my kitchen (and I collect!).

V slicers?

[Greenerlife]

Yep!   

Www.vslicer.co.uk.

Brilliant - can't recommend it highly enough.  Thought it was just a piece of plastic rubbish until I saw a documentary on one of the Michelin starred chefs and he used one in his kitchen!

[Norfolk Newby]

The Vslicer is great but be very careful as the blades chop the ends off fingers quicker than you can say - er? - knife.

The plastic food holder/finger guard is essential but doesn't always hold the food well. It is then tempting to hold the food without it and then you start losing fingers.

[Bionic]

I agree with Norfolk Newby about the V slicer. Its good but you do need to be very careful with it.

I have a Kenwood food processor which I hardly use, unless making chutney as it will chop a lot much quicker than I can but other than that find it too much faffing about, getting it out of the cupboard each time. and the cleaning.

For soups and saunces I also agree with what several others have said. My Braun stick blender does the job perfectly.  I can use it a little for soups with chunks or a lot for nice smooth soup and sauces and it isn't too expensive

Sally.

[Padge]

I have EVERY blinking gadget there is going........where's the blush emoticon
I have to say tho the one i use regularly is the kitchenaid mixer....tho they do all get use....if we do a party or other quantity catering or processing the magimix gets used.....just for chopping for family meal i do by hand.....or i used a braun hand blender that had the chopping bowl and blade with it   bowl cracked and wore out tho and never replaced it

[Eve]

Don't worry, Padge, we have every attachment for the Kenwood Chef imaginable

Our Kenwood Chef is used regularly for mixing bread dough and blending soup, grinding meat and stuffing salami's & sausages, and equally often used are the handheld mixer with the egg beaters and a Braun stick blender for small amounts of liquidising or used with the chopper thingie that comes with it.

The never-used ones are: a mandolin (or Vslicer, and yes I took a bit of finger off a few months ago, auch!! ), an ice cream machine (always crystals in the ice cream), and for some times there was a breadmaker which was buried in a cupboard after a few times.

Plus we have a proper waffle iron. But then I grew up in Belgium so I have to have that

[SallyintNorth]

Well you are unanimous that a Braun stick blender is the one thing to have, so I think I'll try to get one of those (see ^* below) and then see if I think I need anything more. 

Mostly you all think a V-slicer is useful too but my grater has a slicey thing which is ok for small quantities, and I am the type of person who would not use the holder and end up losing all my fingerprints.    So I think I'll hold off getting a one of those...

^* There is a law... called something quite rude... and it's kicked in.  I can't find a Braun stick blender to buy for love nor money.  (On t'internet, that is - haven't scraped the dung off, dug out and aired the non-pooey clothes and ventured into the big City to look yet...)

Anyone got a one they don't want?  Will also post this in Marketplace!

[ellisr]

I don't have a hand blender anymore I blew it up but I couldn't be without my kenwood it is always on doing different tasks maybe as I love to bake. You can buy as many or as few attachments as you like.

Maybe because my grandma gave me hers when I was married and after that one died (47 years on) I bought my own and carried on I just find them so easy and will deal with any task.

[SallyintNorth]

Oh dear now I am in trouble.  T'internet is now full of 'em, all different model numbers and wattages - please people help me! 

http://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=16146.msg154779#msg154779

[OhLaLa]

I'm a huge Kitchenaid fan but the price tag is huge too.

The mixer works well, and the attachments are good - my only 'complaint' would be I can't get enough sausage skin on the nozzle when filling sausages, but that said, it sounds like you are looking for a food processer.

Kitchenaid make a nice (expensive) food processer, or you could go for a hand held unit. Depends how much you think you will use it ( and if you are a brand name gadget snob!    ).