Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: melam76 on November 08, 2014, 12:23:23 am
-
Has anyone used or does anyone own a Kenwood Cooking Chef? I had the tm5 and didn't really like it so I sold it and want to get the cooking chef.... I wondering if anyone on here had any experience with one?
-
There are some reviews here (http://www.productreview.com.au/p/kenwood-km070-cooking-chef.html) melam76 but I've not read where any of our Thermomix members have actually bought one.
What was it that you didn't like about the T5?
-
Hi Judydawn thanks for replying I didn't like the way it cut onions some big some small and some mush right near the blades, I didn't like that it didn't get hot enough to really cook the onions and could really smell the raw onion, I wasn't keen on the blades stirring even on reverse it had the ability to shred chicken, I used the butterfly with something and even though I checked it was locked in it still came off mid way through cooking, I cooked a curry and had to add cream at the end with some almond meal and because of the gentle stir to avoid mush it didn't take the cream or almond meal into the mix so I had to stir it in by hand to get it incorporated ... BUT it did beautiful custard :-) I understand the love people have for it but it just wasn't suited to me ..... from what I have seen I can do the curries and bolognese in the Kenwood without fear of the consistency being compromised as it has the stirring arm and the onions can either be chopped with the slicer or the continuous slicer or cubing attachments I want to get for it but I just wanted to know what other people thought before I took the plunge AGAIN lol
-
Do you mean the TM5 or TM31 Melamine? I find my TM31 blades chop evenly but do prefer to sauté my onions off in frypan. Find the stirring works well and evenly. I love my TM:1 and sorry to hear that you are not happy with yours.
-
Nah it was the tm5 mama fergie I only had it a month and only followed recipes and I'm afraid it got a thumbs down from me and yet my friend bought one at the same time and loves it horses for courses I guess ... and from what I can see the recipes will be easily converted from the thermo ones ... that's the thing all the recipes people post looked divine so hopefully I would be able to replicate them in the Kenwood
-
It's a pity if you didn't try some of our tried and trusted recipes melam. So many with great reviews that you couldn't have gone wrong with.
-
Melam I seriously considered the Kenwood Cooking Chef before buying my TM31 two and a half years ago. A few of the reasons I chose the TM31 were:
*lots of extra attachments necessary (extra space and $$)
*if converting tmx recipes for the KCC, atachments/bowls needed to be changed for the same result (more dishes)
*not as many dedicated cookbooks
*not as much online support, this friendly and active forum was a big selling feature for me.
I do think a mixer does some things better than a tm31 (eg meringue, friands) but I use my kitchen aid for those when I'm being really fussy (maybe once per month).
I think the KCC is a very interesting product but I chose the TM31 as it suited my needs. I respect your decision either way, each to their own :)
-
Melam, sorry the 5 didn't suit you. But I have to say you should have tried some on the recipes on the Forum. They are well tested and written about. I also don't like the ones that come with the machine. There are only 8 that I use and all of these I have changed slightly to suit our needs. If you use the TMX recipes with a different machine, they may not be any better. Also the same applies for the Forum recipes as these are written for the 31 and 5.
Good luck and let us know how you go.
-
I agree with Chookie. This is my go to place for recipes for the TM, either 31 or 5.
-
I appreciate that the thermomix doesn't suit everyone. Good on you for what you are doing. Please come back and let us know how things go with the Kenwood.
-
Sorry to hear you didn't like the Thermomix way of cooking melam76. A shame you didn't ask for help here from seasoned users maybe we could have guided you through the problems you encountered.Never mind.I wish you well in your future cooking adventures.
-
Thanks for all of your replies this really is a great forum and I hope I can stay being a now Kenwood owner lol yes I took the plunge and went and bought it today ... my mum is coming over from the UK soon so I am going to get her to bring a couple of attachments which are cheaper and currently unavailable here :-) with regard to the extra attachments I think I will prefer that to have specific things to do specific tasks and I don't think there would be any more washing up because of the attachments as quite a few of the thermo recipes you had to chop something then take out and put aside to be able to do the next part of the recipe so I reckon the dishes would be the same :-) as soon as I cook something in it I will write what I thought and obviously I am rather a tough critic lol :-)
-
what ever suits you, does the trick. :D
I have 2 different thermie machines, and am always looking for something else to buy.
You would think they would have all the attachments so you could buy them here. Crazy to have them in one country and not another.
-
I found most of the KENWOOD Major accessories are available in Australia, even if the Delonghi website isn't clear about that. Just try a local rep. (There are only two in Toowoomba.) Unfortunately, we are expected to pay the 'Australia Tax', which means that even with shipping, it can work out cheaper to buy from the UK. Last thing I bought for the machine, I took in my iPad to the local Good Guys and showed them the price I could get it for, including shipping. They matched the price for me.
I toyed with the idea of replacing my 12 year old Major with the Cooking Chef, as I understand the accessories I have will fit. After much reading, I decided on the TM instead, partly because my vintage machine was made in the UK, while the new ones are Chinese. The other major factor was the very average (wimpy) blender that the Kenwood can run. LOVE the blending the TM can do, it's a beast! I'm happy to have both machines ☺️ .
Melam, I'm sure you will find all sorts of things you love about your Cooking Chef, and things you don't. I ignored the 'it does everything!' hype when I decided to get my lovely Thermie, because no machine does. Or I should say no one machine does everything well enough to satisfy me. Do report back on what you are doing with your CC, I'm sure I can't be the only person here who is curious to read a real, cook's review.
-
I have a very old Kenwood. The poor old thing hardly gets used anymore. Possibly because it is kept in the cupboard. I use a small handbeater if I need one. When DD inherits it, it will be vintage.
Please let us know how the Kenwood performs.
-
Cookie, I understand why you seldom use your mixer, they are too heavy to drag out on an impulse. If it isn't easy to access, I tend to leave most things in the cupboard. This is what I eventually coughed up for http://www.rockler.com/rev-a-shelf-heavy-duty-mixer-lift. The shipping was more than the item, but it means l use the mixer and it's accessories, often several times a week. The under bench recycling cupboard got the chop. I use so little that needs to be recycled, so I put the bins put in another room. The Thermie however has an easy access, pride of place spot on my inadequate bench space 😍
-
That looks really interesting LillyPilly, fortunately i have a lot of bench space.
-
What a great idea LillyPilly.
-
I still have my 2 Kenwoods. I keep the small one as it has a sausage attachment and once a year a friend and I make a massive amount of sausages. I also think the TMX 5 is not much better at making pavlovas than the 31. Like Cookie , mine are already antiques but still do the job and work well. Storage not really a problem here as I keep the less frequently used appliances on a long laundry bench where they have access to power, or can bring them into kitchen if I wish. The big Kenwood is in a large plastic crate in the shed. Sometimes I wish I had Michele's strength of character and could dispose of some of my appliances, but then all of a sudden I need them.
-
LillyPilly that is an excellent gadget. My DH could make me one of those easily, if he ever stops making newer and better camper trailers for us. :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-)) :-))
-
I also think the TMX 5 is not much better at making pavlovas than the 31. Like Cookie , mine are already antiques but still do the job and work well.
I'm really surprised chookie, I made a beautiful pav from the chip when my consultant came over instead of making the vege stock. It worked a treat.
-
Cookie, your husband must be handy to have around! If he can make them I'm sure he could sell them. I know I looked over here to find them, but the only one I could get was rated for something piddling like 5 kg. That might hold the actual mixer (maybe) as long as I didn't add any ingredients.
-
CP, I have also made the Pav in the 5 , but felt it was ok but not as good as in the Kenwood.
-
I'm not sure why someone would join a Thermomix forum to ask about a different cooking appliance.
-
Thanks ladies I'll keep you posted on how it performs etc.. might even post a link to a vid or 2 :-) lol .... I hope to be able to use most of the recipes that you guys use in the thermis as also I bought 2 books by Alyce Alexandra so I'll be giving some of them a go .... I just ordered today a couple of attachments 1 is where it dices fruit, veg, meat or cheese into 1cm cubes and the other just a mini mill ... I still haven't used the machine yet as we have just moved house and I need to be set up properly first :-) yeah they mostly are LillyPilly but some are a fair bit cheaper if you get them from the UK :-)
-
melam76, could you please read the rules (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3.0) regarding competitor machines, in particular rule 5 in it's entirety. A link to the video would not be allowed.
-
I know an older lady who bought the chef - mainly for meringues. Here it was over £200 more expensive than the TM but it makes better meringues (a lot to spend for meringues!) She is looking to upgrade to a TM as the cooking chef is too heavy for her to lift now but its only 2 years old.
It doesn't WEIGH!!!!!
Its been dropped by many of the major retailers in the UK. That says quite a lot to me!
(this IS a Thermomix forum!)
-
I've stayed out of this thread up until now (I did give advice by PM). As some of you know, I have a TM, a Thermochef and a Kenwood Cooking Chef. They are all good machines and all have their place. Yes the Kenwood is heavy, but it doesnt move around when kneading doughs, doesnt mush food when making stews and does a great job of whipping eggs whites. No it doesnt weigh, but given the price of scales now, whoopy do. The Kenwood is still readily available here but given the price, most suppliers dont carry floor stock....supply time would normally be less than a week (wouldn't it be nice if that was the case for the TM5).
As I've said several times, I love my TM31, hate TM HQ's selling model and ethics but would not hesitate to recommend the machine to anyone who had the money. For those who don't or who just have other requirements, there are other legitimate options. Thermomix is not the be all and end all and getting on my high horse, I'm a bit over people who feel it is....no wonder people laugh at Thermomix owners (and yes I do know this is a thermomix forum...last time I checked, its in the name)...if we can ask about other appliances here like pressure cookers, pizza ovens etc, surely someone can ask whether anyone has other thermal cookers and their opinion....I know I'm not the only one with multiple machines!
-
Here here Stacelee! The OP did have a thermi, didn't suit her needs so was asking about a different item.
We pride ourselves on being a friendly forum, Judy as a Mod did clarify the rules so do we need the remarks stating that this is a "Thermomix" website?
There are places for discussions and I hate to see a friendly forum become tainted with the feeling of being "exclusive" and non-welcoming.
-
I'm not being nasty or saying anything bad about other machines, but this is a Thermomix forum. I expect to read about the Thermomix, recipes, tips, problems etc. I don't expect to read about people who don't get on with it and want to find out about other cooking machines.
Just my 2c.
-
melam76, could you please read the rules (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=3.0) regarding competitor machines, in particular rule 5 in it's entirety. A link to the video would not be allowed.
sorry all good I won't put any up I hadn't seen that :-) with regard to this being a thermo site meganjane I did have a thermomix but I just didn't like it ... The reason that I found this site was when I was looking for the thermomix in the first place i was researching it and ended up here and I had also seen on here previous mentions of the Kenwood cooking chef that is how I knew about Stacey having one and I have also seen quite a lot of ref to the hot mix pro as well ... I just assumed that yes this site is predominantly about thermomix but I also assumed from previous threads that this forum is about people who like to cook and chat about their experiences whether it be thermo kcc or hotmix or whatever ... When I read ur comment I thought you are kinda living up to the name of it being a cult like thing rather than just enjoying it and other people's opinions as the majority of others do here and when I signed up that was how I found out about the tm5 rumors and decided to stay cos of the nice chit chat about cooking that goes on here ... I'm not knocking the thermo at all as there were great things about it and there is a reason it has sold so many, it's just that it's just not for me ... but I thought I could stay on here as I think a lot of the recipes and tips etc will be interchangeable with my kcc ... I guess if this is a closed group for only thermo owners I could probably just cancel my account can someone please let me know if I should be doing that as I don't really want to be treading on other people's toes :-)
-
melam76, I'm more than happy for you to stay and i'm sure you will have a lot to contribute once you have used your machine more. These forums have a lot of amazing contributors on lots of different topics. There are some threads on here that aren't specific to TMX or just not of interest to me and I just don't worry about looking at them.
-
Ok with me too, I think of the forum as a friendship forum as well as a Thermomix cooking forum, enjoy our recipes and conversations.
-
My old Kenwood was somewhere between 30 and 40 years old before it died in the middle of Christmas Eve baking three years ago. I had to race out and get a new machine( pre TM days). I ended up with a Breville. It is great too..and now with the icecream bowl attachment and the TM I am set. Not as pretty as a Kitchen Aid though and can't cook like the Kenwood Thermal mixer. Not sure what to do with my Breville Food Processor though. Sell or keep.?😄
-
I'm not asking you to cancel your account. It's your choice if you want to be on a Thermomix forum. If the ideas and recipes here are helpful for you, I'm glad for you. Hope you find the Kenwood suits you better than the Thermomix.
Here is a thread on another forum which looks at both. Seems most recommend the HotMixPro rather than the Kenwood. TM vs Kenwood (http://www.essentialkids.com.au/forums/index.php?/topic/986942-kenwood-cooking-chef-vs-thermomix/)
-
As this is a TM forum its not the place to talk about how good another similar thermie appliance is in comparison. In the past we have had reps of the other appliances come on here banging on how good their product is, blah blah blah and so whilst we mention what other kitchen products we use we don't openly review, recommend or stray off the TM subject as thats what this forum is based on. We have members who don't own a TM and have posted recipes as well as use the ones on the forum. Its great that we have boundaries and I think thats one of the main reason why this is a very genial forum to be on as we're all friends ;D
-
Perfectly said, CP.