Review | Kambrook PowerMix

Introducing the appliance that is helping me fake it, till I bake it, in the kitchen… the Kambrook PowerMix.

I must confess… I’m not a natural in the kitchen. Not by a long shot. Hubby might not publically (or privately) agree. He’d be too concerned where that might lead… possibly no more dessert and he loves his dessert.

Over the years I’ve tried to fake it till I make it in the kitchen (& possibly a few other rooms in the house… like the room the iron is kept in). Oh how I’ve tried (talking about the kitchen now) but in the end I opt for quick and easy failsafe family favourites that don’t push me or the envelope.

We’re talking recipes with a difficulty factor of zero to one. Zero being something you heat up, which I still occasionally manage to make a mess of. Level one being a really simple pasta dish. You could call it my signature dish.

It was the simplest of simple recipes gifted to me, by a friend who was a chef, when I first moved out of home. The first dish I cooked for hubby, before we started dating. He was impressed but I’m pretty sure he was living on frozen meals at the time and it wouldn’t have taken much to impress him. Little did he know it was all down hill from there at the time, that was the extent of my impressive cooking and baking skills.

Not that my failures stop me from trying. I occasionally go through stages of being more adventurous with mixed results. In the end though, I do take advantage of the fact hubby vowed to cook, clean and slave after me at our wedding just over 20 years ago. I also have a couple more simple dishes up my sleeves these days if I have the time and the inclination and for when hubby is away at sea.

When we moved house earlier in the year, to temporary rental accommodation while we look to build or buy our dream home, the 1950/60s Fahrenheit oven and the lack of a half decent pantry meant I completely lost the little kitchen mojo I had to begin with. Thankfully a little delivery from Kambrook by way of their PowerMix planetary bench mixer, forced me to get my baking and creating in the kitchen act together. My family could not be better fed happier.

I must confess, we don’t own that many kitchen appliances. There’s just no real room for them in this kitchen. Even still, I tend to like to keep things simple. I’ve never owned an equivalent appliance to the PowerMix but I’ve certainly used them when helping family and friends out. I’ve always been rather envious impressed. So much so, that a full blown top of the range mix master (is that what you call them these days?) has been on my wish list.

I could never justify my love the cost (in the hundreds) when my trusty hand-held Kambrook beater (a gift at our surprise wedding) was still doing a fabulous job 20 years down the track.

I completely overlooked the PowerMix at first, purely due to just how little it costs. I didn’t want a budget appliance that would last five minutes. Well wasn’t I wrong. The only budget thing about the PowerMix is the actual price ($179.95). It’s not a commercial machine by any means but it doesn’t claim to be. I’ve been putting the machine through its paces for the past two months and kicking myself that I didn’t snap one up sooner.

The PowerMix is certainly helping me bring more muscle to my kitchen endeavours. Something I’m really struggling with at the moment with health issues and swelling in my hands. Kneading bread for starters would normally be a huge struggle for me but the PowerMix makes light work of kneading and everything else.

It’s actually given me the will to live again get back in the kitchen and have a whole lot of fun creating all manner of things. Testing old recipes, creating new ones and putting a mystery twist on some of my late grandmother’s not so secret family recipes. I say family recipes but my grandmother was a bistro cook and some of her recipes cater for the masses. I’m not sure my kitchen or myself could cope with the masses right now.

What I can cope with, is creating dishes for my family. We are a small family of five. Hubby and myself and our three teen daughters (15, 16 and 18). All foodies and all chocoholics. Which brings me to my latest and possibly greatest creation… Nutella Pavlova {HERE}.

There’s also my Self-Saucing Toffee Pudding (see video below), with a toffee apple variation. The only thing is, I’ve been having a little too much fun creating, which hasn’t left much time for translating the recipes into blog posts.

KAMBROOK POWERMIX?

The PowerMix has a 700 watt motor with 8 speed settings, everything from whisking, aerating to kneading with so much more in between.

My only real grievance with the machine is the fact that it doesn’t come in a huge variety of colours. As it is though, my white and silver/grey model matches my complexion current kitchen perfectly.  It is slightly on the noisy side but what can you expert from something that gives you so much muscle and power in the kitchen.

The sturdy non-slip feet on the appliance means it has real staying power as well. It’s not going to vibrate its way off the bench any time soon which I believe aids the mixing mechanics. As does the planetary action which offers a wider mixer coverage of the bowl for better results. For me, it means a more even mix in less time. Each recipe I’ve attempted using the PowerMix has been a lot quicker and easier when it comes to prepping thanks to the appliance.

The PowerMix also comes with a massive 4.5 litre polished stainless steel mixing bowl together with three handy attachments…

DOUGH HOOK

Bread, pizza, focaccia, pastry and so much more. I’m going to sound like a broken record here but you will be amazed at how much muscle this appliance brings to the kitchen. The bread for starters. I simply chucked everything in. There was little to no scrapping down of the sides, absolutely no need for kneading with any of the recipes I tested and the results were simply impressive.

WHISK

Whip it.. whip it real good. This attachment makes light work of anything that needs a good whipping or aerating. I’m rather partial to egg white omelettes and this makes an absolute meal of them (that’s a good thing). They’re just as impressive as the super light and fluffy $20 egg white omelettes served at my local cafe and that’s saying something.

LEAF BEATER

The beat goes on and on and on…thanks to the PowerMix. There’s not much that this attachment can’t handle. Actually, I didn’t find a single thing. My self-saucing toffee pudding and my golden syrup dumplings were a whole lot easier to make and so much fluffier.

THE POWERMIX VERDICT?

It’s 4.5 worth casing stars out of 5 from me! YES… that good. Especially for the price ($179.95). Now if I could just move into my dream home, with my dream kitchen and oven… I may even take my baking endeavours further.

Are you a natural in the kitchen and what recipe should I attempt and share next with the PowerMix?  My ‘I’m no longer cross’ Hot Buns or my Sweet Chilli Bread?   YOU DECIDE!!

A huge thanks to blog sponsor Kambrook who provided a PowerMix for one of our readers to WIN this month. We are still waiting to hear back from our lucky winner so if you entered… go check your emails, we are keen to get your prize to you!  More reviews and giveaways are just around the corner.

I was gifted product for this review but like always… sponsored, gifted or not… my opinions and crazy antics are 100% my own. No family member was injured or poisoned during the review process. We are all currently in a food coma… awaiting instructions on what we should make next.