Product test

Testing the luxury kitchen machine by Kenwood

1.7.2021

The «Titanium Chef Patissier XL» not only stirs and kneads, but also weighs and heats up ingredients. Will this kitchen machine make me a Chef Pâtissière?

Butter-smeared kitchen shelves, a dusting of flour everywhere and bowls and dishes piling up in the sink. I’ve done it again: Vanessa, 37, home baker (and not just since Covid). I love baking, but the clean-up is annoying, and I want to minimise (creative) chaos while baking. When I heard about the «Titanium Chef Patissier XL» by Kenwood, I was intrigued. In theory, the kitchen machine should make baking easier for me, and therefore the clean-up. Will the test confirm the theory?

Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL (1400 W)

Kitchen machines

CHF592.95 with money-back guarantee

Kenwood Titanium Chef Patissier XL

1400 W

The «Patissier-Chef» is the optimised version of the «Chef XL Titanium». With 1,400 watts, compared to the 1,700, it has less power, but it comes with an integrated scale and heating. Thanks to the heating function, ingredients such as chocolate or butter can be melted quickly and doughs are supposed to rise faster. These features make the machine especially exciting for amateur bakers.
If you want to squeeze juices, process meat or grate vegetables, you can upgrade it with additional accessories.

First impressions: massive attack

Luckily, there’s an elevator in my apartment building. The bulky package weighs a whopping 15 kilogrammes. In addition to the «Chef», the set includes four mixing elements (a balloon whisk, a K and dough hook, and a Flexi mixing element), two mixing bowls, a two-piece splash guard, a heat-resistant spatula, and a dough scraper.

The smaller of the two bowls (left) can be stored in the large one to save space.

The machine is high quality and heavy. My old plastic Bosch (a ProfiMixx47) can’t compare. The metal design of the «Chef» looks elegant and is way too nice to be stored away. And that’s a good thing, since it needs a fixed place in my kitchen due to weight and size. The whisking elements alone seem bulky. It’s not surprising that the mixing bowl holds seven litres. If that’s too much for you, use the slightly smaller 5-litre mixing bowl, which can’t be heated, unlike the large one. It’s good for beating egg whites or when I simply need a second bowl for baking.

The balloon whisk and dough hook of my Bosch machine (each on the right) are lightweights in comparison: at 355 grammes, the dough hook by Kenwood weighs almost seven times as much as the 51-gramme hook by Bosch.

The practical test

The «Chef» has a 2.4-inch touchscreen in addition to the regular buttons. I have six automatic programmes to choose from: knead dough or let it rise, beat egg whites, sponge dough, melt chocolate and Swiss meringue. There are also manual modes, eight for mixing and nine heat settings (up to 70 degrees Celsius) and a timer.

Field test I: Swiss butter braid (functions: knead dough + proof)

To make my braid nice and airy, I usually knead the dough by hand. That’s why I’m a little sceptical if the machine can achieve the same consistency in only a third of the time. During kneading, the machine wobbles slightly. Given the amount and power required, I’m not surprised. In just under five minutes, the «Chef» kneads the braided dough into a smooth and even batter.

The yeast dough after rising. By the way, the bowl is so brightly lit because there is a light ring in the mixing arm.

The dough hook is designed to reach all the ingredients so they don’t get stuck on the edge of the bowl. Simple and straightforward. There is also a special programme with a heating function for proofing. After 60 minutes, the dough has risen threefold in the large bowl. Knead a dough laboriously by hand for 15 minutes? I’ll never do that to myself again!

My personal highlight is the integrated scale, which I use to weigh the ingredients directly in the mixing bowl. This way I avoid extra dishes that I have to wash later. A nice, but unnecessary feature: there’s a light ring that illuminates the contents of the mixing bowl.

With a swipe to the right, I get to the integrated scale on the touchscreen.

Field test II: chocolate sponge cake (functions: melt chocolate + beat egg white + automatic sponge cake programme)

While melting in the large, heated bowl, use the Flexi Stir Element to stir the ingredients until soft. My first attempt comes to a quick end: the chocolate pieces are too chunky and block the Flexi stirrer. After chopping the pieces small enough, the «Chef» needs less than two minutes to melt 150 grammes of chocolate. The stirrer, made of soft silicone, scrapes residue from the edge of the bowl to the middle. Melting butter takes some tuning, as it keeps sticking to the stirring element and spins along. Using a scraper, I make two attempts and push the butter into the bowl before it melts. Beating egg whites works a lot better and faster. With the automatic programme, the eggs show stiff peaks after two minutes.

Speaking of beating and stirring: the device has a two-part splash guard. It’s completely made of plastic, which makes it the odd one out when it comes to quality, but it proves valuable despite the rattling. Too bad the monstrous thing fits only on the large mixing bowl. When stirring sugar and egg yolks (programme: sponge cake) in the small bowl, the ingredients fly around my kitchen before they’re well incorporated. I notice that the «Chef» is designed for rather large quantities. This is also true for the K-hook: The stirring element (for preparing cakes, pastries and sugar glazes) struggles with little quantities: the ingredients will stick to the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. To mix them into a smooth batter, I have to help with a spoon. The K-hook works well for large quantities.

Thanks to the release lever, I swivel the mixing arm as needed – for example, to add more ingredients.

Last but not least: cleaning is particularly easy, as all additional parts are dishwasher safe. I wipe the «Chef» itself with a damp cloth after use. The only drawback: the large mixing bowl takes up a lot of space in the dishwasher. I have to push and squeeze to make it fit.

Verdict

Very good quality at a high price. I’m hooked and no longer want to do without the «Titanium Chef Patissier XL». Not only is the quality good and the metal design chic, but it makes my baking easier in terms of efficiency and cleanliness. The Kenwood accessories can be washed in the dishwasher and, thanks to the integrated scale, I need fewer extra dishes. In addition, the power of the «Chef» with 1,400 watts is above average and works well with big amounts of dough.

The small mixing bowl doesn’t close flush with the splash guard – the gap is around 5 centimetres. This shouldn’t happen at this price point.

The device is good, but it could be even better – considering the high retail price. The K-stirrer doesn’t bode well with small quantities and the machine melts chocolate only when I chop it extra small in advance. In addition, the large mixing bowl only fits horizontally in my dishwasher, and the plastic splash guard should have a higher quality finish and be compatible with the small mixing bowl. However, those who can overlook these shortcomings, have plenty of space in the kitchen and bake frequently and in large quantities will enjoy the machine thanks to its many features. A kitchen helper straight from the books.

Crispy on the outside, airy on the inside: the braid is a poem.

63 people like this article

Vanessa Kim

Editor

vanessa.kim@digitecgalaxus.ch

When I’m not exploring the depths of the sea as an open water diver, I enjoy plunging into the world of fashion. On the streets of Paris, Milan and New York is where I keep my eyes peeled for the latest trends. And I’ll show you how to take them from the catwalk to your everyday life.

Home + Kitchen

Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest

Cooking

Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest

Home + Kitchen

Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest

Food

Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest

Product test

Our experts test products and their applications. Independently and neutrally.

Show all

These articles might also interest you

Product test
Introducing the Ankarsrum kitchen machine – the Swede teaching me how to bake
by Luca Fontana
Product test
«Saldo» tests kitchen machines: how much bang for your buck?
by Murat Circi
Product test
Ninja Slushi: worth the hype?
by Lorenz Keller