The Kenwood and KitchenAid food processors both offer excellent performance, but they cater to different kitchen needs. Kenwood is known for its high-powered motors, larger capacities, and durable, utilitarian build, targeting serious home cooks who prioritize performance. KitchenAid blends its iconic retro style and vibrant color options with reliable, user-friendly functionality, making it a great choice for those who value both aesthetics and everyday convenience.
Here’s a detailed comparison to help you choose the right food processor for your countertops.
Kenwood Food Processor
Kenwood is a British brand renowned for building robust, high-performance kitchen appliances designed for longevity and heavy-duty use. Their food processors are celebrated for powerful motors and generous capacities, making them a workhorse for everything from daily meal prep to ambitious batch cooking.
- What it is: A high-performance food processor designed for serious home chefs who need power and versatility.
- Key features: Powerful motors designed for continuous use, a wide range of speed settings, and large capacity bowls (typically 9 to 14 cups).
- Price: $150 - $400
- Dimensions: Tends to have a larger and bulkier footprint to accommodate bigger motors and bowls, providing excellent stability during use.
- Materials/Construction: Built with durable plastics, high-quality stainless steel blades, and sturdy motors that often feature overload protection for enhanced longevity.
- Style: Sleek, modern, and utilitarian. Focuses on functionality with neutral color palettes like silver, black, and white that fit seamlessly into contemporary kitchens.
- Pros: Exceptionally powerful motor tackles tough ingredients with ease. Large bowl capacity is perfect for large families or batch cooking. Built to last with durable construction. Highly versatile with a wide array of attachments.
- Cons: Larger size takes up more counter and storage space. Design is more functional than decorative. Premium models can be more expensive.
The Kenwood is for the home cook who sees their food processor as an essential tool and prioritizes raw power and capacity above all else.
Shop this product: kenwoodworld.com/en-us/products/food-processors
KitchenAid Food Processor
KitchenAid is a beloved American brand famous for its stylish stand mixers, and that design-forward philosophy extends to its food processors. They offer a perfect mix of reliable performance, intuitive controls, and a classic, retro-inspired aesthetic available in a spectrum of attractive colors.
- What it is: A user-friendly and stylish food processor ideal for everyday chopping, slicing, and shredding tasks.
- Key features: Intuitive, easy-to-use controls, a more compact footprint, and a variety of size options (typically 7 to 12 cups) to suit different households.
- Price: $150 - $300
- Dimensions: Generally more compact and space-efficient, making it a great fit for kitchens with limited counter space.
- Materials/Construction: Features high-quality die-cast metal or BPA-free plastic components, sharp stainless steel blades, and reliable motors. Many parts are dishwasher-safe and designed for easy cleaning.
- Style: Timeless and retro-inspired, available in a wide palette of signature colors like Empire Red and Aqua Sky. These are often treated as stylish "counter-jewelry."
- Pros: Beautiful design and colors that complement kitchen decor. Compact footprint for easier storage. Simple, intuitive operation great for daily use. Reliable and consistent performance for most tasks.
- Cons: Motors may not be as powerful as Kenwood's for very heavy-duty tasks. Bowl capacities are generally smaller. More focused on style than on industrial-strength durability.
The KitchenAid Food Processor is ideal for the style-conscious cook who needs a dependable appliance that looks great on the counter and handles daily meal prep effortlessly.
Shop this product: kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/food-processors.html
Kenwood vs. KitchenAid Food Processor Comparison
Dimensions & Capacity
The most noticeable practical difference is size. Kenwood food processors generally offer larger capacities, with bowls ranging from 9 to 14 cups. This makes them ideal for meal prepping, batch cooking, or anyone cooking for a crowd. This large capacity, however, means a bulkier base that requires more counter space and can be heavier to move around.
KitchenAid focuses on more standard sizes, typically from 7 to 12 cups. Their designs are consciously more compact and space-efficient, which is a significant advantage for those with smaller kitchens or limited storage. While not as large as Kenwood's options, a 12-cup KitchenAid is still more than sufficient for most families' daily needs.
Materials & Durability
Both brands produce quality appliances, but their construction reflects their core philosophies. Kenwood prioritizes heavy-duty performance. Their machines are built with rugged plastics and powerful, durable motors designed to withstand frequent, intensive use over many years. They are built like true workhorses.
KitchenAid balances durability with aesthetic refinement. Their food processors use a mix of die-cast metal and high-quality BPA-free plastics, creating a sturdy machine that also looks polished. While perfectly capable of handling daily kitchen tasks with reliability, they aren't designed with the same industrial-strength focus as some of the high-end Kenwood models.
Price & Value
Both brands operate in a similar price range, but their value propositions differ. Kenwood's price, from $150 to $400, is justified by motor power and large capacity. If you need a machine that can plow through anything you throw at it, the value is in the high-performance components.
KitchenAid models, typically priced between $150 and $300, offer value through a combination of trusted performance, user-friendly design, and aesthetic appeal. You are paying for a reliable appliance that is also a decorative piece, which adds a different kind of value for many home cooks.
Style & Aesthetic
This is where the two brands diverge the most. Kenwood embodies a modern, European utilitarian design. Their machines are sleek and professional-looking, usually available in neutral tones like black, silver, or white. The design is clean and functional, meant to complement a modern kitchen without necessarily being the centerpiece.
KitchenAid is famous for its retro-inspired look and vibrant colors. An Empire Red or Aqua Sky food processor is designed to be a statement piece. For people who coordinate their appliances and want to add a pop of color to their kitchen, KitchenAid's aesthetic is a clear winner.
Which One Should You Choose?
Both food processors are excellent choices, but they are built for different types of cooks.
Choose a Kenwood if:
- You're a serious home cook who frequently takes on big, intensive recipes.
- Motor power and large capacity for batch cooking are your top priorities.
- You value industrial durability and long-term performance over aesthetics.
- You have ample counter space and need a stable, heavy-duty machine.
Choose a KitchenAid if:
- Kitchen aesthetics are important, and you want an appliance that doubles as decor.
- You're a casual or everyday cook who needs a reliable machine for daily tasks.
- You have a smaller kitchen and need a more compact, space-saving design.
- You prioritize ease of use, intuitive controls, and simple cleanup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between Kenwood and KitchenAid food processors?
The main difference is their focus. Kenwood food processors focus on raw power, larger capacity, and heavy-duty durability for serious cooks. KitchenAid balances reliable performance with iconic design, color variety, and user-friendliness for everyday home use.
Which brand is more powerful?
Generally, Kenwood is known for having more powerful motors designed for sustained, heavy-duty tasks like kneading thick doughs or processing large amounts of dense ingredients. However, high-end KitchenAid models are still very capable for most home cooking needs.
Are the bowls and attachments dishwasher safe?
For the most part, yes. Both brands typically design their bowls, lids, and blades to be dishwasher-safe on the top rack for convenience. However, you should always check the user manual for your specific model to be sure.
Which one is better for small kitchens?
KitchenAid is typically the better choice for small kitchens. Its models often have a more compact footprint and are designed with space-efficiency in mind, making them easier to store on a counter or in a cabinet.
Does Kenwood offer color options like KitchenAid?
No, this is a key differentiator. The Kenwood brand focuses on a modern, professional aesthetic with neutral colors like silver, black, and white. KitchenAid is famous for its wide array of vibrant, signature color options.
Can both brands knead dough?
Yes, many mid- to high-end models from both Kenwood and KitchenAid come with a dough blade attachment and have motors powerful enough to knead small batches of dough. Kenwood's more powerful models may handle stiffer doughs more easily.
Which food processor offers more capacity?
Kenwood typically offers larger capacity options, with some of its processors featuring bowls as large as 14 cups. This makes them ideal for preparing food in large quantities.
Is one brand more durable than the other?
Both brands are known for making durable products. Kenwood's durability comes from its focus on heavy-duty construction meant for frequent, intense use. KitchenAid's durability is built for reliable, long-term daily use in a typical home kitchen.
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