Stand mixers and food processors: how do they compare?
Whether you’re making fresh food on a tight schedule, or creating amazing bakes, a good stand mixer or food processor can be invaluable. There’s no right or wrong way to prepare and cook food, but it’s important to make sure you invest in the right kitchen helper. Here’s an introduction to some of the great features available – and how they could work with the way you cook, eat and live.
What is the difference between a stand mixer and a food processor?
A stand mixer is the ultimate machine for bakers; giving you the freedom and versatility to create all kinds of beautiful bakes whenever you want – with far more precision and much less effort than doing it by hand. There are plenty of attachments for other jobs too, while we even make mixers that allow you to cook food in the bowl. A food processor is the perfect everyday kitchen helper, saving you time and effort on your regular food preparation.
But which one is right for you? To help you decide, we’ve taken a look at the things that matter to different cooks.
Love baking?
A stand mixer can help you make more of your baking time, and create food that others will love. The many options and features across our range include variable speed, in-bowl illumination, built in weighing and warming plus five bowl tools – a creaming beater, fold tool, whisk, dough hook and our K-Beater to ensure everything from a feather-light soufflé to your favourite loaf is within your grasp.
While stand mixers are a must-have if you love baking, a food processor will also offer tools and features such as digital weighing (unique to Kenwood), to give you a great mix for more straightforward bakes.
Need to save time?
Food processors take the effort out of chopping, grating and slicing. Ideal if you’re fixing a family meal when time is short, but you still want to know that all the ingredients are fresh. Our MultiPro food processors are designed with the original all in one system meaning you can easily switch your main bowl for a blender and can prepare everything from crudites to juice, all on one base. And when you’re done, our food processors are easy to clean and store. Stand mixers can also save you serious time in the kitchen; with tools and attachments to handle kneading, weighing as you go, pastry making and a host of other jobs.
Want to make tougher baking jobs easy?
Stand mixers can easily handle the baking jobs that would give you arm-ache if had to do them manually - from kneading your next loaf, to large batches of cookie dough. We also design bowls with up to 7-litre capacity, so there’s plenty of space to mix more in one go. Meanwhile, to make life even easier, the SimpleTouch™ present programmes on some of our mixers allow you to set baking tasks – such as kneading or chocolate melting – with just a tap of a touchscreen.
Want no-hassle homemade food?
A food processor will make preparation painless when you’re making a homemade meal. Chop veggies and salads in seconds, or blend yourself something tasty. If you choose a pack with a ThermoResist™ glass blender, you can blend hot ingredients straight from the pan to make soup, or keep your smoothie ingredients ice cold. Prefer a stand mixer? There’s a huge choice of attachments, including pasta makers, mincers and more to help you easily create fresh dishes from scratch.
Love to experiment?
A stand mixer is a great way to try new baking challenges; with specialist bowl tools for whisking, kneading and mixing – plus folding and creaming beaters are also available. You can also grow your cooking skills with over 25 attachments to experiment with; including pasta rollers and shapers, food mincers and frozen dessert makers. Food processors also come with a range of tools enabling you to stretch your culinary skills. Depending on the model, they include a precise knife blade, reversible slicing and grating discs, blender and multi mill. Not to mention dough tools, juicers, dual metal whisk and the Express Serve™ attachment, which slices and dices directly onto the plate or pan, meaning limitless capacity and less washing up.
Daily use or weekend treat?
A food processor is the perfect go-to if you like preparing fresh food for most meals. A stand mixer is great if you need something for regular use, as well as those special occasions when you want to bake something more creative or prepare a big family meal.
So, which Kenwood would suit you?
A stand mixer is the go-to if you are a keen baker and has the attachments and capabilities to help you create a huge range of dishes. Meanwhile, a food processor is a perfect all-rounder, saving you time and effort day after day. Whichever you choose, it’s always a great investment in your kitchen.
