Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef Review

The Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef sits at the base of Kenwood’s excellent Classic Chef range. At the time of writing there’s well over 50% off the RRP at this shop; another example of how the price of household goods has tumbled in recent years. So rather like buying the worst house on the best street, the KM330 has all the makings of a fantastic investment. Our Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef review will see if it lives up to its billing.

Features & Accessories
Ease Of Cleaning
Noise
Size & Weight
Appearance
Durability
Price
Average

Features & Accessories

The KM330 comes with the same three non-stick K-lene coated, cast metal mixing attachments as the rest of the Classic Chef range. That includes the ‘K beater’ for mash potato and cake mixtures, a balloon whisk for batters, egg whites and creams and a dough hook. These attachments lock into place completely rock-solid through a simple push and twist motion, which is the same as you’d find on a bayonet-style light bulb.

The only slight draw-back in this area is that the KM330 doesn’t come with a flexible beater to properly scrape the sides of the bowl; although it does come with its own spatula in the box. However, this can be purchased separately but it’ll cost a good chunk of the cost of the original KM330 unit (see it here).

The quality of the mix is top-notch. The K-beater picks up ingredients from the side of the bowl very well and because the mixing head is height-adjustable you can position the attachments so that they sit fractionally above the bottom of the bowl. This means that all of the ingredients become incorporated and you very rarely find a speck of unmixed flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl after you’re done.

The 800W motor leaves you wondering why you’d ever need a stronger motor as it powers unwaveringly through heavy mixtures and doughs. There are weight limits to the amount of ingredients that can be used at any one time, which are listed below:

• Shortcrust pastry – 680g of flour
• Stiff yeast dough – 1.36g of flour, 2.18kg total weight
• Soft yeast dough – 1.3g of flour, 2.5kg total weight
• Fruit cake mix – 2.72kg total weight
• Egg whites – 12

Note that these are exactly the same as any other Kenwood Chef.

The Kenwood KM330 comes with a 4.6L bowl, which is the standard size for this sort of machine. What isn’t standard is the material the bowl is constructed of, which is plastic. I struggle to think of any other mixing bowl that is plastic rather than stainless steel. However, other than in appearance this doesn’t seem to be a drawback. It has handles on either side of the bowl to help lift it, which is a useful addition.

As you rotate the dial, the KM330 moves up smoothly between the speeds. Although it has 1-6 written on the dial there are actually many more steps in speed between these levels. There’s also a ‘pulse’ mode, that allows you to flick to top speed for brief periods. This is essential for some creaming tasks where turning the dial from ‘0’ to max and back again would be tricky to do accurately.

Other non-mixing attachments

The Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef stand mixer comes with two additional power outlets, or three if you count the bowl outlet. The slow speed, high torque outlet behind the cover on the nose can fit the following range of attachments:

• Flat and shaped pasta makers
• Roto food cutter
• Mincer/ grinder/ sausage maker
• Grain mill

The high speed outlet can fit the following:

• Citrus juicer
• Slicer/ grater
• Liquidiser
• Multi mill
• Centrifugal juicer

The bowl outlet can also be fitted with the below:

• Ice-cream maker
• Potato peeler
• Colander & sieve

While these additional attachments are expensive, they are also of excellent quality and turn a Kenwood Chef into a true ‘kitchen machine’. Rather than buy a replacement liquidiser or juicer when your stand-alone one breaks, simply get the Kenwood attachment and save on storage space and cost.

Ease Of Cleaning

Every Kenwood Classic Chef comes with a great splash guard. Not only does it wrap the whole way around the bowl, it also has a spout for ingredients with a hinged lid. This means the KM330 isn’t going to fling ingredients out of the bowl no matter how enthusiastic you or one of your young sous-chefs are with the speed dial.

Reading through the instruction manual, the splash guard doesn’t look to be dishwasher safe. However, both the plastic bowl and mixing attachments are, keeping the washing up to a minimum.

Noise

Unfortunately the KM330 is quite noisy on any speed. That powerful 800W motor and plastic shell mean it was always likely to be a bit loud. To be honest, we’re not too bothered whether a stand mixer is noisy or not, so long as it’s not obnoxiously load, which this machine isn’t.

Interestingly, the plastic mixing bowl seems to make this mixer slightly quieter than the other mixers in the Kenwood Chef range.

Size & Weight

Like all of the Kenwood Chef range, the KM330 is a sizable piece of kit. It measures 39cm long by 23.5cm deep by 29cm tall, giving it a large footprint. Keeping the KM330 out on the worktop permanently ensures that you really make the most of it as a kitchen machine. It’ll also mean that you get to keep some valuable cupboard space and saves you having to lift it out of the cupboard frequently. On the flip side it’ll demand a lot of worktop space, so make sure your kitchen is big enough if this is your plan.

The KM330 weights a reassuring 6.5kg. This is average for this type of machine, but for our readers who haven’t had a mixer before, the weight makes lifting it in and out of cupboards a slightly awkward task.

Appearance

The white plastic body shell, white plastic bowl and the boxy design mean the KM330 is one of the least attractive Kenwood mixers. It’s certainly not ugly though and better looking than other mixers in its price range that have attempted to copy the ‘Kenwood look’.

Appearance is probably the biggest drawback to the KM330 over the other Kenwood Chefs. However, this is also the main reason why it’s so much cheaper than those other models. For example, the more expensive KM336 is basically the same as the KM330, except it is silver in colour and therefore does somehow look more modern.

Durability

My mother-in-law has a Kenwood mixer that looks just like the KM330 and has been in the family for decades, so I know at first hand just how long these machines last if you treat them well. Treating them right means sticking within the published ingredient weight limits, particularly with doughs that put the most strain on the motor. It also means selecting the right mixing attachment for the job. So don’t use the whisk for a mixture that should be used with the K-beater.

Stick to these two simple rules and you’re likely to have a machine that lasts a long time. Unfortunately, Kenwood only supply a one-year warranty with most Kenwood Chef models, which is worse than most of the competition. This means that you have to put your trust in the reputation of the brand.

Price & Conclusion Of The Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef Review

The Kenwood KM330 Classic Chef is the best value of the Kenwood Chef range, the range that defines what a stand mixer is and should be. The only compromise for this value is the dated appearance, which for us is a price we would be willing to pay. Ignore the ridiculous RRPs on some of the big ecommerce websites, the KM330 is seemingly permanently on sale at this shop and will save you a small fortune.