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Question on which attachment to use when? (1 Viewer)

clerahi

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As I'm serious about learning to bake, I've invested in a Kenwood Chef. It came with three attachments, a whisk, a K beater and a dough hook

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I've made two cakes using the Chef, a Victoria Sponge and a trial Chocolate Cake. The recipe for the Victoria Sponge said use the whisk attachment, clear. For the Chocolate Cake, the recipe (different source) just said "beat" for the cake mix and buttercream so I used the K beater. I get when to use the dough hook, are there any guidelines or rules on when to use the whisk vs the beater?
 
On the Kenwood, the 'K' beater is probably the best one out of all the attachments; the reason being is that it gets into every bit of the bowl and ensures a thorough mix of your ingredients. This is essential as it will ensure you don't end with any flour pockets or missed mixing in the bowl. (Which may be causing some of your cake issues).

Obviously, you know the hook is for bread and pizza etc.

The whisk attachment would make light work of whipping egg whites needed for cakes or meringues; it may also be great for certain buttercreams as it should fluff them up beautifully.

I've had trouble in the past with a stand mixer and the whisk as it didn't reach every bit of the bowl. The only thing you can do is play about with it and see what gives you the best results.

You'll be able to tell when mixing how things bind together depending on which one you use.

As the 'K' beater is wide, it looks to be the best for mixing your batters, and it's also thicker than the whisk, so it will have more force pushing through your mixtures; you may find you end up using this one the most.

Just remember, don't always leave it up to the mixer; now and again, scrape the bowl down with a spatula and do a little manual mix to check on your batter.

Hope this helps.
 
I agree with Angie, the K beater is the one to use for most things, I had the Kenwood Chef and I also used to have a cookbook that was written just for the Chef and it would tell you which attachment to use for whatever you were baking.
Good luck with your journey into baking, you've come to the right place to learn and get help and tips when you need them. :)
 
I had the Kenwood Chef and I also used to have a cookbook that was written just for the Chef and it would tell you which attachment to use for whatever you were baking.
I read a few reviews on the Chef that said it used to come with a cookbook, i guess that was before the days of the interweb.
 
Lol! Yeah, most kitchen types of equipment come with some kind of recipe book these days. But if in doubt, search the web; you can find anything you need out there. 🤓
 
The one that came with my Chef was quite thick, but we're talking about the 1960s, which is when I bought my Kenwood.

I think it cost me just under £40, it came with the liquidiser as standard when I bought mine as well as the 3 beaters already mentioned.

I bought it from the catalogue Chorltons (sp) that I ran at the time I think that was its name. I know it eventually became Great Universal.
 
My mum had a Kenwood Chef that she bought in the 60s, she had it for over 30 years. She was a prolific baker until her health got in the way.

Great Universal catalogue! I remember my mum having a John Moores catalogue as well.
 
A bit like me, only got rid of mine a couple of years ago. It was just taking up room in the cupboard and I wasn't going to be able to use it again and my daughter didn't want it, she didn't have the room for it and had her own mixer.
I went through a series of the catalogues as each got took over by another one, Freemans, Peter Graig and finally ended up with Littlewoods, which is the one I still have, although I don't buy anything from it these days but my daughter did when she was buying for her home.
 
I had the Kenwood Chef and I also used to have a cookbook that was written just for the Chef and it would tell you which attachment to use for whatever you were baking.
Kenwood have recipes on line now, which isn't a surprise. They only feature the more expensive stand mixers though, I guess that's to get you to buy one of those rather than a standard Chef like mine.
 
Kenwood have recipes on line now, which isn't a surprise. They only feature the more expensive stand mixers though, I guess that's to get you to buy one of those rather than a standard Chef like mine.
I'm not surprised, like most things they'll put the most expensive attachments onto the more expensive machine thinking you can't possibly manage without them so of course you'll buy the more expensive machine.
 
As I'm serious about learning to bake, I've invested in a Kenwood Chef. It came with three attachments, a whisk, a K beater and a dough hook

View attachment 5809

I've made two cakes using the Chef, a Victoria Sponge and a trial Chocolate Cake. The recipe for the Victoria Sponge said use the whisk attachment, clear. For the Chocolate Cake, the recipe (different source) just said "beat" for the cake mix and buttercream so I used the K beater. I get when to use the dough hook, are there any guidelines or rules on when to use the whisk vs the beater?
 
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You will find lots of help here that will help to improve your baking and give you lots of ideas that will give you the confidence for bigger and better bakes. ☺️
 

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