LeavingLondon

Hello me again. Having handed over my TV research onto my technology-minded husband, I'm now looking into bunk beds and blenders (and Rattan/Resin wicker garden furniture - but that's proving more difficult).

So, I want an all in one appliance that'll blend/chop/mix food but that I can also make soups and ice cream (although we do have an ice cream maker but that requires more effort). They have different brands here, what do you use/recommend?

The Cuisinart SBC 1000 looks good... (sadly i can't afford the Thermomix as I'm guessing it's pretty expensive here too!)

MsElui

i love my kitchenaid mixer. I think you can purchase a freezable bowl to fit it to make ice cream in. Plus other attachments like a blender and mincer (i have the mincer attachment for my sausage making escapades lol).

Weeze

I use my kitchenaid for everything.

rebs

Do you have Kitchenaid attachments for chopping/grating/shredding etc? I love my kitchen aid, but have never bothered with any of the attachments as it looks a bit of a faff - am I wrong about that?

scrubbedexpat099

Robot Coupe R101 for chopping/shredding etc.

That is my go to, the Kitchenaid mixer does not get much use.

I also have a magic bullet for small quantities.

Weeze

I don't use the chopping one. Think we may have one. We have the mincer one and the ice cream one. Think we got others in the pack with the kitchen aid as it was a special offer pack.

Bink

I've often wondered this too. I will shamefully admit I have a meat grinder attachment for mine that I have never used.

Use the kitchenaid all the time though. I can knock out a pizza dough in less than 5 mins with it (I still let mine proof for an hour though) so that and cakes are its main uses

I use a Cuisinart blender (powerblend 600 Duet) for everything else (Margaritas, soup, smoothies etc...)

rebs

Ah now the meat grinder is one attachment that I think could be useful

You are right about pizza dough etc, I use mine for that too - and bread, very successfully .

It's a dilemma about having a separate processor as well though - for chopping, pastry etc. I would really like a magimix but don't have the space in my kitchen for 2 large items. I have compromised with a powerful stick blender (a Kenwood) that has a small(ish) capacity bowl to do the processor type stuff.

Weeze

I use the kitchenaid for pastry. Normal mixer attachment then dough hook for when I add the water.

Bink, you need a Margaritaville for margaritas. Well, according to Mr Weeze you do.

Bink

Haha, we got to try one out (taste!) at a friends recently and although the consistency was great, we weren't that impressed with the flavor. To be fair they were using the Margaritaville mixer and fairly cheap Tequila so I'd like to try it with good Tequila and frozen limeade. The issue I have with it is that my blender works just fine (it has an ice setting) and it's hard to justify the $300 (or whatever it is) for something that's only for Margaritas, plus like Rebs I'm kinda running out of room in my kitchen for all these appliances!

Weeze

And slush puppies. Honestly, think outside the box.

Lbjen

Slush puppies might have just sold me on the margaritaville...

Bob

The ice cream attachment is crap, plus it leaks quite easily.

We just use a Ninja for a blender.

rebs

I quite like the idea of the mincer - is it easy to fit onto the machine and use? Apart from sausages , do you mince your own beef, for example, rather than buying ground beef?

Is it a genuine kitchen aid thing? When I have looked at them online, they look a bit 'plasticky' so I wasn't sure if they any good...

AdobePinon

Mr. Weeze is doing it wrong.

A margarita is good 100% de agave tequila, cointreau (or similar), fresh squeezed lemon, shaken on the rocks with salt and a slice of lime on the rim. Start the ratio at 1:1:1 and adjust according to taste.

No blender. No frozen stuff. No cheap tequila. No lime juice (unless its unsweetened key lime). No cans of junk. No cheap mixers.

Consider yourself edumacated.