When I was contacted to review the Kenwood Chef by Argos, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this classic kitchen device.
When I opened the box it was there in all its glory. It looked different to the ones I remember, the use of quality plastics and shiny white finish means its look and feel fits right in with the smartphone generation.
This product hasn’t just aged well, it’s gone back to school and got a degree in design and engineering!
There is a nice weight to the Chef, adding to the feel of quality. It comes with three attachments out of the box – a whisk, k-beater and dough hook. Lot’s more attachments are available separately, making your Chef even more indispensable.
Putting it together the attachments click and lock in to the machine with sturdy satisfaction. You just know the Chef will handle anything you throw at it for years to come.
So I decided to put it through its paces, and what better than…
Raspberry Pavlova
Serves 2-4
For the meringue
- Whites of 4 Medium Eggs
- 200g/7 oz Caster Sugar
- 1 Tsp Cornflour
- ½ Tsp Cider Vinegar
The fillings
- 250 ml/8.5 fl oz Double Cream
- 300g/10 oz Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
- 2 Tbsp Castor Sugar
It is simple to make, the only hard part being the huge amount of whipping required. This is something the Kenwood Chef excels at.
Set your oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2. If you are not using fresh, remove your frozen raspberries from the freezer to defrost if you are making the finished Pavlova on the same day.
Take the eggs and crack carefully, then pull apart over the bowl of the whisking bowl making sure only the white drips in, keeping the yolk in the shell. Remove the yolks to a different bowl.
Turn on your Chef and whisk on high, the motor feels powerful and the Chef has a great action. I could watch it spinning round and round inside the bowl all day! Mix until the eggs white froth and soft peaks appear. This is easy to check by turning off and lifting the whisk up.
Now whisk again on high adding your sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Just give a few seconds between spoonfuls and you will see the egg whites are becoming really white, and the texture is getting thicker.
Once your sugar is all in and mixed in well check that you have achieved firm peaks. The total whipping time is about 4-5 minutes.
Now add your cornflour and vinegar and fold in very gently, the spatula that comes with the Chef is perfect. Try not to “knock out” the air you have just whisked in.
Place a sheet of grease proof paper on a baking tray and blob the mix into 4 separate meringues. Roughing up the top of your meringues is not only fun but they will look so good when they are cooked.
Place in the middle of your preheated oven for 1 hour. Once done remove from the oven and set the baking tray down somewhere to fully cool.
Once cool the meringues can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Take half of your raspberries and put into a pan with a splash of water and the 2 Tbsp of caster sugar. On a medium to high heat smash the raspberries up and stir well breaking the berries up against the side of the pan. Keep reducing until you have a thick syrup (TIP: You can speed things up by adding a teaspoon of cornflour to the syrup to thicken it)
Strain the syrup through a sieve into a bowl and squeeze the raspberries through. You should end up with a sieve full of seeds and thick rich raspberry syrup in the bowl below. Leave to completely cool.
When you are ready to serve whip the double cream until firm. The Chef did this in just 30 seconds!
Now construct your Pavlova layering the meringue, cream and raspberries then repeat and finish with a good drizzle of your raspberry syrup. As you can see from the picture they look amazing!
This is an excellent choice around Christmas, as it’s light yet luxurious. Raspberries are the great in this dish as they add great flavour and a little sharpness to balance the sweet, creamy Pavlova. Even out of season the frozen ones are perfect and give you a little taste of the summer in the cold of winter.
The Kenwood Chef should be on your Christmas list
It’s the perfect gift for the budding chef in your life, or even as a treat for yourself! Once you use it you will understand why this product is a timeless classic and takes pride of place in kitchens across the country.
The Kenwood Chef is available along with a range of other great Kenwood products at Argos.
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Awesome machine and a tasty looking pavlova too! Are there any other versions of the Kenwood Chef available or does it just come as one model?
It is an awesome machine! Just check out the link to Argos and you will find lots of versions 🙂
Hi,
Forget the Kenwood Chef. I want a Raspberry Pavlova made by you. Does that look delicious! I love the way you wrote this post – it was inviting and fun to read.
I have used a Magic Bullet for years but it has such limited capability and now it has started leaking. Not sure if I’m ready for the Kenwood Chef but it does look like an important addition to the kitchen, especially for someone who cooks and entertains often.
Warmly,
Dr. Erica
Erica, Pleased you like the Pavlova, give it a try it really is a treat! The Kenwood Chef is a very versatile machine, it is getting me into cake and desert making (more on that soon!). Well worth having and really does make light of hard work.
Hi Michael,
OMG….this looks awesome. For a gal like me, who is trying to eat the right foods and not stray, this sure looks tempting! Well, it is the holiday season, so the recipe you gave can can come in handy lol.
The Kenwood Chef looks like it makes things so easy to do. I have used other kinds of this products before, but I can’t stand the leaking, and putting a little bit at a time into the mixture. I just may have to look into this one!
Thanks for the overview,
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..Do You Blog Strictly Within Your Niche?
Donna, Try making the meringue go further (serve less!) and instead of whipped cream use mascarpone and add lots of your favourite fresh fruits. It makes it a little healthier and is still wonderfully delicious!
Michael, your raspberry pavlova looks delish! I am not familar with the Kenwood chef but it sounds like a awesome kitchen tool. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer and it works great! Thanks for sharing how you like this mixer.
Shelley Alexander recently posted..92 Delectable Real Food Recipes Perfect for Entertaining
Glad you liked the Pavlova Shelley, it was really delish and all eaten up in under 3 minutes 😉
Very Nice Michael. It sounds like something I’d love to try making. I dont have any mixers.. I may have to look into one just so that I can make things like the deliciousness you have created here. It looks rather luscious, and quite satisfactory to the crazing sweet tooth I have right about now haha. I look forward to more food to come.
Ashton recently posted..Finish Strong!
Have a go at making it Ashton, it is a lot of hard work to hand mix the meringue (the beauty of a mixer like the Kenwood is it does that for you), but think of it as your workout before indulging in your sweet tooth cravings 😉
Hey Michael! i agree with Dr Erica For get the machine I just want some of the Yummy Looking Raspberry Pavlova made by You. Wow this sure looks GREAT! can yu package some and mail it to me PLEASE!!
Thanks for making my mouth water.. Chery :))
Chery Schmidt recently posted..8 Tips To Help You Start Living The Lifestyle Of Your Dreams
Unfortunately the Pavlova didn’t last very long after making…we ate it all immediately after the pic was taken. Next time I make it I will be sure to mail you some Chery 😉
Michael,
ok.. now I know what you do.. for almost a year I truly wanted to know and a few times I want to ask you of explanation.. well, after reading this article, I do not have to ask you any more I got it.. You are a GREAT FOOD PROMOTER haha 🙂
As I was reading through the article, about your wonderful Kenwood Chef… my love for food was uplifted and you made it very delicious.. well, till I read and seen the image of your Raspberry Pavlova…. I skipped the recipe since I see eggs first so I knew was not for me.. BUT BOY ho BOY.. it looks so tempting…
Thanks so much for doing what you do with so much enthusiasm and love ..
I am certain going to dinner with you would make a long lasting impression because you know what to order and where to go..
Thanks for sharing what you love in such a great way.
_nickc
nick catricala recently posted..Let’s Take Control of Our Life and charge towards our dreams!
Thank you Nick, I just hope to share good food and inspire people to try something new 🙂