What Mixers Do They Use On Bake Off?

On the 5th August 2015 a shockwave reverberated around the middle class Twittersphere as The Great British Bake Off Series 6 kicked off without the ever-present KitchenAid mixers. In place of the stalwart American was the apparently inferior, but proudly British Kenwood kMix stand mixer (although Kenwood is now owned by the Italian company De’Longhi).

I was a little shocked by the ferociousness of the attack on the BBC for daring to change the brand of mixers that the contestants use. Particularly when the kMix is such a great choice for the home baker. We recently reviewed this mixer (you can find the review here), so I’m not going to repeat myself in this post. However I’ll tell you that overall we loved this machine for the class-leading handsome looks, combined with classic Kenwood quality and longevity. It’s not the most powerful on the market, but it’s got more than enough for whatever the Bake Off contestants could throw at it, or that next showstopper you’ve been planning.

What also contributed to my surprise about this particular furore was that the KitchenAid mixers really aren’t that great! You can check out our review of the K45SS, but the most obvious negative point is that they are unbelievably heavy. If you thought your Le Creuset griddle was heavy, it doesn’t even compare to the anvil-like qualities of KitchenAid mixers. Secondly, despite their much-vaunted ‘direct drive’ motor, I feel the kMix is more powerful, having a 500W motor, as opposed to 275W. The kMix is also cheaper (at the time of writing).

What sets the Bake Off Mixers apart from the rest of the kMix range is the gorgeous glass mixing bowls, which feature a large glass handle. Aside from looking attractive, a glass mixing bowl is much quieter than a stainless steel one. The good news is that while the stainless steel variety is more common, the glass bowl kMix is available at this well known shop.

Happy baking!