| Product: |
Kenwood HM320 Hand Mixer |
| Date: |
27/05/07 (767 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Clean, compact and very easy to use; powerful and good performance. Lightweight-ish to use.
Disadvantages: Could have better insulated handle; slightly noisy.
Way back in April 2004 I bought a second hand mixer for my mum. What appealed to me despite its lack of Brand cache was the fact that it also came with a motor at the back so that an additional hand blender shaft foot could be screwed in and the machine had the capability of being used as a liquidiser as well as a general kitchen mixer. One day it fell off mid reach, crashing to the floor and breaking a crack right across the handle which revealed the motor and it's casing in bits. Onto purchase 2, to find the nearest shop who could sell me a kitchen hand mixer.
At first my mum wasn't bothered what she wanted; but she wanted something that she could rely on and with our new tin opener, food processor and water jug all carrying the Kenwood name, and being in our household for a couple of years since all were purchased new it made sense to consider a hand mixer by Kenwood.
** Kenwood As A Brand **
Kenwood have been making kitchen food preparation machines for about 40 years when their first Chef design came onto the market in the 1950's and followed by the "Cheffette," which was a smaller, compact kitchen hand mixer on a stand with a geared moving bowl. This model, though absent by the geared bowl and stand is in someway a sister to the old Cheffette.
These days hand mixers in terms of availability are also becoming scarce and before I put my money down I was very tempted to buy a new family of hand stick blender, since some models by Kenwood also come with a balloon whisk, but as the sales lady (a good friend) at my local Scottish Power shop informed me, the cheaper Kenwood although 100 watts down from this more uniform and more traditional "hand blender," this Kenwood would cope better with heavier cake mixes in general. And I can see where she was coming from, as the hand blender only supports one balloon whisk tool, whereas this older style of kitchen "hand" mixer comes with two whisks, regardless of the non balloon style, you get more uniform results with 2 beaters as opposed to just one.
** Many Models - But Go White If The Price Is Right **
In terms of models, the HM series from Kenwood sometimes lead to motor wattage but don't go thinking that the HM320 comes with 320 watts. The maximum wattage that this kitchen mixer is equipped with is 250 watts maximum. Other models in Kenwood's range differ from wattage and some power options.
My model however appears to be the top of the range, only made cheaper because it's white and not the more expensive same model in a chrome body.
Kenwood have a habit of doing this; they do it with their food processors and their can openers - you pay more for the plasticky chrome version, whereas I find their white models tend to actually hide the dirt better unlike finger marked chrome. Why bother paying any more than you have to unless there's an abundance of added features?
** Quick Skip Review Product Features **
250 Max wattage.
Hand held only, no stand equipped.
2 Types of beaters supplied, stainless steel and both dishwasher safe.
Storage insert supplied for tools.
Neat, compact design with added handle bend for cord wrap.
Can stand on its own.
Thermal cut out (10-15 minute waiting time)
BEAB Approved.
Just under 1kg weight for the main machine body.
3 speeds of power.
Priced around £14-99 and upwards.
** Using It **
Firstly compared to the Bush hand mixer we had, I can say that the first and second speeds of power are a lot more noticeable, particularly if making a heavy cake mix. The whisks and dough beaters are individually made from stainless steel which is better than silver coated beaters which flake after a couple of years, but from the start the dough beaters have an unusual design to them - one beater in particular has a metal ring set half way up its spindle, whereas the other one doesn't - this means that there is only way the beaters can enter the channels on the motor. Luckily the steel whisks don't have this additional ring, and you can add any of the whisk beaters into any of the two holes on the machine below the motor.
Using speeds 2 and 3 are the best selections for cake mix, whereas speed 1 is ideal for whisking eggs. Kneading is very easy even with the strange twisted dough hooks, speed 1 being the best for slow, continuous progress. Speed 3 was too high simply for whisking and beating up egg yolks, but this was probably the way I was holding the bowl.
In any event the beating and whisking action is a lot better than the motor geared whisk attachment on my mum's Kenwood Gourmet food processor.
Heat wise, after continual whisking for about 10 to 15 minutes, the machine starts to get warm but not enough to put the mixer down. The handle isn't rubber coated at all, but it curves into the machine which allows it to be held comfortably and thanks to the controls being set in the middle, you can use this on either hand, if you are left or right handed - whereas the Bush model had a left to right speed selector, the Kenwood has a horizontal slider and the numbers for each speed is clearly marked.
Noise wise, this mixer is a smidge noisier than our Bush but the Bush was latterly less powerful, so it's no surprise with an added oomph of power, this mixer is slightly more noisy, but not disruptive or whiney like some mixers I have tried (My Hinari springs to mind here and it only sports 120 watts)
** Controls **
Simplicity is the key here, and as I've mentioned already, the main speed control is a slider located at the top of the handle, which has a window just above the main slide button to indicate which speeds are obtainable. Speed 1 is quite slow, speed 2 fast and speed 3 quite brisk. These speeds importantly are different from one another and are precise whenever each power level is selected.
It's just a shame that it takes a hefty push of the finger to select the next speed and it does it with a nasty sounding "click" which is something I don't personally like on any kitchen mixer. The last thing you need is to forget what you are doing when you're mixing and folding in a cake mix. There is no instant pulse button however which limits instant whisking and mixing when required.
One other button is located at the top of the machine above the slider power button and this is the lock to release the beaters. Now I must stress here that this lock is quite ingenious, because it fits flush seated within the plastic of the main handle when the beaters are taken out, and pops up a little when the beaters are installed. If however you switch on the machine without the beaters, the mixer cannot be used unless the beaters have been installed. This button completely locks up the mixer incase it falls into younger inexperienced hands!
** Safety **
This leads me onto the next aspect of the mixer. Whereas our Bush mixer (and when I come to think about it, my own cheap Hinari kitchen mixer, going on 8 years this year!) has motor ventilation holes on either side of the models we've had, the Kenwood only has a circular design of motor ventilation at the front. Past experience has shown that cake mix and other food particles can gunge up the rear, but on this model this will not be a problem - the holes at the rear of this Kenwood have been suitably designed to be put away from the least eventuality that food could gunge up the ventilation, thus lessening the chance of burning out the motor. The holes are located on the base of the mixer where it can stand up on its side, rather like the design of many a dry or steam iron.
This product is also BEAB approved and it comes with a fitted fused plug.
** General Design **
There is only one aspect which I don't like about this mixer and that is the additional storage insert which holds the beaters together. Whilst this is a good idea in general, the insert is made of white rubber and fits into the channels where the beaters go into the machine. More often than not, the beaters won't actually sit on the rubber connections unless you press firmly into the rubber. And, just like the dough beaters, this rubber insert which can helpfully be prised off the base gently, has nibs which can only take one part of each beater at a time. Already we have discarded the use of putting the beaters into this storage insert, and use the storage insert to cover up the channels so that dirt can't enter.
The power cord, all 1.5 metres of it is enough for me or any other family member using the appliance and the excess cord can wrap itself around the base of the handle when not required. At least the cord is a lot longer than our Bush model ever was!!
Kenwood have also included a small clip onto the cord where the plug can be clipped - again like many a dry or steam iron. Again past experience has shown me that these clips can get brittle with age and snap off. Still as this mixer is new, we are taking every part of care with it incase it falls off the worktop just like the Bush did!
The weight of the main machine (I weighed it) is just below a single kilogram. Although this sounds heavy, I prefer the slightly heavier weight as it ensures that the beaters don't escape with intended food mixing and it means that as a cook, you are in control of the power in your hands.
** General Fit & Finish **
The Kenwood is very soft and smooth, even if it is still a month old but at the same time, what is more appealing is that it actually does what it says on the tin. The manual for the mixer is informative too, with basic key points to let consumers know which part goes where and general maintenance. Kenwood also include a parts guide for any future purchase if anything gets lost. The buttons aren't particularly smooth but they do move with precision and if that's all that matters to the main cook in the house, who am I to argue?
** Dishwasher Safe or Not? **
A word to the wise; other reviews of this product online seems to indicate that the plastic beaters on this model cracks in the dishwasher. The beaters on this model do not have any plastic contained on the stainless steel beaters or dough hooks. However the connections to the main beater bars have a rubber insert which by my reckoning since been put in the dishwasher many times, have yet to crack. The manual for the product does state that the beaters and dough hooks are dishwasher safe. Anything else which gets onto the motor (which obviously isn't dishwasher safe) must be wiped down with a damp clean cloth.
** Conclusion **
Aside from the silly rubber storage insert which acts as a good cover for the internals of the machine (but takes time to install the beaters correctly in storage, so that they don't fall off) and a general sense of good design, here's one mixer that won't break the bank when it comes to buying. It has lasted three years since 2004 and still sparks into life whenever any food prep is needed.
The chrome versions of this product are too highly priced (aside from Tesco's price quote) to consider when the white body of this cleaner looks just as good. Kenwood have a wealth of experience when it comes to kitchen preparation machines, not essentially always providing the easiest and most versatile answer, but for the price, general power and good design here on this appliance, this gets a thumbs up from me and from my family who use it. Thanks for reading. ©Nar2 2007.
www.kenwoodworld.com
Summary: Looking for a cheap but qualitable hand mixer? Kenwood wins again!
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