Another Kenwood Killer In The Kitchen! (Kenwood FP120)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Kenwood FP120
Date:	27/09/09 (170 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good accessories here, good speed delivery, inoffensive looking, easy to keep clean.

Disadvantages: Noise, noise and noise!! Iffy plastic quality, expensive prices, top rack only dishwasher safe tools

Never ever give away any kitchen appliances to friends unless you know they are going to treat them with respect! That's my latest moto because when I lent out my little food processor out for a cooking charity event what I got back was something that was short of a couple of attachments and a crack on the lid that Kenwood wanted to charge £22-95 for! Whilst I may have hurt my friends' feelings, she could only supply me with a new food processor and this is how the Kenwood FP120 has come to pass. This is a long review!


Dressed in a mix of white and grey, the Kenwood FP 120 is a direct replacement for the long standing Kenwood FP 110 series, both as a Cookworks version from Argos and of course under Kenwood's long standing model number. An additional model, the FP 126 is the same but decked out in plastic chrome and priced at £30 to £35 just for that luxury. As a replacement to my own FP 110 I was expecting huge strides even though the look is slightly different, my old FP110 felt smaller and this newer design seems to be bulkier than before; clearly Kenwood may be copying other rivals but for compact kitchens, this food processor does take up a little more room than the last Kenwood I had but it still retains the same 0.8 litre liquid/0.8 litre dry food capacity. Smoothened over in grey and white contrasts, the FP 120 is the base starter of the food processor range in Kenwood's family for food prep and at £27-99 (Argos) it seems that the price has also risen since the last model only cost £24-95.


However for the £30 it cost my friend to renew and sustain our friendship the Kenwood FP 120 has a few surprises in store. For a start due to a new diet I'm on I need a food slicer/shredder daily and my Kenwood has a lot to do even though for me, it's only going to be used by me and me only. Of course it will also be put through more stages when guests call round for dinner! As a replacement to the FP 110 both by its market presence and for my own machine I wasn't surprised to find it has the same "budget" attachments as my old machine and as a result I've managed to swap around the parts I use and the ones that can't be used; not much in terms of the parts you get have seen much change to be honest and still comes with a slicer plate, a shredder plate, the obligatory juice squeezer that Kenwood seem to pass off with every food processor they make (and it's still a hand work out having to hold an orange whilst the spindle flies around removing the zest and pith into a plastic sieve before it hits the open bowl at the bottom) a stainless steel knife blade, a milk whisk attachment and lastly, the piece de resistance a maxi canopy disc that fits over the knife/chopping blade that acts as a double liquid capacity enabled tool which doubles the volume of liquids up to 1.4 litres.


Certainly for a bigger machine over the "Delia," inspired Kenwood mini-chopper, the FP 120 remains a good idea for those looking for extra food prep tasks over the basic skill of what the mini chopper offers and despite its smaller dry food capacity, the FP 120 looks like it could well be a winner for people looking for a machine that can do a bit more than just chop.


For a start, the build quality of the FP 120 is slightly disappointing; a fact and a surprise that I found when taking the machine out of the box and feeling the actual design in my hands. Slightly taller and heavier than what I had before, Kenwood have put on block decals and labelling with little thought here, even though the colour scheme is nothing to shout about. Over my old FP 110 the plastic on the FP 120 doesn't feel better; the tactile finishes may feel grainy and soft although this doesn't do injustice to the actual performance, some edges feel like they could break off and I find keeping the top of the Kenwood FP 120 that little bit more difficult to keep clean because of the grey surface. It also suffers from wobbling slightly which could be put down to its wider shape. The main power control only has one fixed speed on offer and then turned anti-clockwise you'll get a Pulse function. This couldn't emulate the single control knob from Kenwood's Chef anymore if it tried. For the most part I prefer a Pulse action anyway and whilst it is welcomed, the large control knob can be difficult to grasp because it doesn't have much of a grippy texture surrounding its circumference despite a few notches set into its design. It also has a weak action to it and doesn't feel particularly well made, almost as if it's a hollow shell. You can guess what I'm going to say next; my old Kenwood had acres more quality than this matt coloured food processor and it wasn't half as difficult to keep clean after food use. Kenwood however have retained the handy cord storage wrap at the rear of the food processor and you get 0.5 metres of power cord and fitted plug to get you started.


The good news is that this food processor has 100 watts more power than my last and at 400 watts it is of good benefit to have this if, say, chopping up difficult vegetables like carrots or potatoes. The slicer and shredder discs however are much better designed now; Kenwood have finally got rid of the little red catch that had to be fixed at the bottom of the slicer/shredder holding plate on the FP 101 and 110 series that annoyed most owners if it ever got lost, resulting in poorer quality cut food prep, burnt out motors and warped discs. Here you simply align the slicer carrier and drop it in before picking the plate you need and pushing it down into the carrier before locking down. When you're finished all you do is push the slicer/shredder plates out to remove.


When it comes to slicing and shredding then, the Kenwood FP 120 has no worries; it does this task very well, with each particle of food cut precisely and evenly although it suffers at the end piece of food often getting stuck at the top, a problem that seems to happen with most food processors especially with cheese. The knife/chopping blade is also generally excellent at whipping up liquids and with the use of the additional canopy disc jammed on before putting the lid on to twist and lock to double liquids, the knife blade is an excellent design generally and has an easy to pick up top on it when all is finished. Despite all the user manual advice however I found that whilst the knife blade could deal with onions, I had to keep a watchful eye so that they didn't become blurred up into a paste - whilst the power is there, one lower speed would be welcomed here and certainly it is not the kind of food processor you can rely on and walk away from despite the noise because of the ferocious speed on offer, unless you are a very experienced cook. Even then I would be careful here!


Where it struggles is with the whisking disc which can't whisk anything other than milk and why Kenwood persist in putting such as a limited tool in as a free tool has often puzzled me; if Kenwood want to remain as a team player in the market for food processors, they really need to rethink some of the tools they give away. Even as it whisks the milk it makes a fine mess when taking the tool out! Full marks though for a clearer gradient in litres/millilitres scale on the bottom bowl and has an easier fitting lid with a food pusher that doesn't rattled about in its holder. Again like my old food processor it only takes milliseconds to drop the bowl on and twist in to lock.


Sadly although the power is there, noise absorption and vibration seems to have been left out when it came to signing off the final design! The FP 120 is a noisy food processor only somewhat alleviated in the noise stakes if you keep your hand on the control knob in Pulse mode than relying on the fixed speed on the other side of the dial. I find the noise is really trying and as a result use the Kenwood as little as possible or just take that little bit longer using the preferred Pulse function. The FP 120 seems to uprate the power instantly from Pulse to the fixed speed resulting in a lot of whine, grating food and all the while despite the four suction feet on the base, makes the unit wobble a fair bit. All that in my mind doesn't put the Kenwood FP 120 in a terribly good light although granted some buyers may put up with this.


For accessibility at least the bowl is slightly wider than before, lending a slight soup bowl shape to it. When scooping out food prep I find that the bowl's wider design makes it easier to scoop food out, not just with Kenwood's excellent flexible spatula (of which you get one free with the food processor) but with normal wooden spoons and other cutlery there's no longer a feeling of implements getting trapped to spoon food out. Once the bowl is taken off wiping down the actual machine is also easier than my old Kenwood which is at least a plus point due its' newer softer design here. The lid however takes some time getting used to as it won't always lock and can be pernickety to fit on if you are in a hurry. That means the Kenwood won't start unless the lid locks in properly.


All the parts bar the milk whisk disk (since it is completely made of thin plastic) are dishwasher safe proof but of disappointment according to the user manual on a top rack only and with a short programme selected! It is just as well the bowl is compact as I had worries it wouldn't fit. The stainless steel chopper knife blades are not serrated either - another downside to Kenwood's cost cutting exercise here. The user manual is basic too only giving a few hints like cutting up food to reasonable sizes and not too small so that the food processor can at least manage what you put into it. No shi* Sherlock there!



In all intents and purposes Kenwood have done very little to improve on what has gone on before and the new FP 120 isn't much of an improvement to my old cherished FP 110. The fact that it is based on an old drive belt design means there could be problems long term against more expensive "induction" direct drive motors that offer extra strength and less noise. Over the mini chopper if you must stick to brand loyalty, the Kenwood FP 120 will slice and shred to your hearts content and it will give excellent results for a small family not used to baking. But it could have been so much better, Kenwood! Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2009

http://www.kenwoodworld.com/uk/

Summary: A replacement for the Kenwood FP 110 but not as effective or as compact.

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