Kenwood Cooking Chef XL Review for Home Cooks and Bakers

Is the powerful Kenwood Cooking Chef XL the ultimate appliance missing from your countertop? This comprehensive buyer’s guide breaks down all the stand mixer’s unique features (from integrated weighing to induction heating) to help you decide if it is truly worth the investment. Plus don’t miss my exclusive reader’s offer!

As a new Kenwood UK Cooking Chef Ambassador, I am thrilled to share my first-hand experience with the latest Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96, a powerful hybrid appliance designed to transform the way you cook and bake at home. Over the past few weeks, I have been putting this impressive machine through its paces, from mixing heavy doughs to preparing hands-off meals, and I am excited to show you exactly what it can do.

Whether you’re a passionate baker, a busy home cook, or someone who simply loves clever kitchen technology, this guide will help you decide whether the Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is the right long-term addition to your kitchen, and as an extra bonus, I also get to share an exclusive offer with you. Let’s dive in!

A Hybrid Kitchen Appliance

The Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 stands out as a premium appliance designed for cooking and baking enthusiasts. It operates as two machines in one: a high-performance stand mixer built for the toughest baking tasks and a versatile, intelligent pot for hands-off cooking.

It comes with an integrated EasyWeigh Scale, an induction pad, and an EasyView Touch Screen that displays both pre-programmed recipes and manual settings. The machine connects with the “Kenwood & Me” app, which has 100s of recipes to choose from.

Over the past few weeks, I have put the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 to the test, cooking both some of the pre-programmed recipes as well as some of my own.

This guide is there to help you decide if the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is the right long-term investment for your kitchen.

Watch Me Unboxing The Kenwood Cooking Chef XL

A Baker’s Dream Meets A Cook’s Assistant

Designed to excel in two distinct areas of the kitchen, the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is a little kitchen wonder that you can use both as a powerful stand mixer and a hands-off cooking assistant.

It comes as standard with diverse tools and hooks, and then you can customise it by adding over 25 other attachments (such as a pasta making, spiraliser, blender, food processor, juicer, grinder etc..).

Powerful Kneading and Mixing Power

At its heart, the Kenwood Cooking Chef KCL96 is a powerful stand mixer. When it comes to baking, its most important features are:

• Powerful 1500 W Motor: The motor (10-year warranty) handles heavy, dense doughs (like whole-wheat or high-hydration doughs) easily, providing consistent results.
• Induction Plate The induction plate is ideal to prove doughs at low temperatures.
• Integrated Scale: The precision EasyWeigh Scale fitted at the bottom of the machine is great for weighing ingredients directly into the mixing bowl.
• Large 6.7-Litre Mixing Bowl: The generous capacity is ideal for large families or batch baking, capable of handling up to 2.6 kg of bread dough or whipping as many as 16 egg whites at once.
• Robust Construction: The machine’s body is made of die-cast metal, and the included tools (K-beater, creaming beater, whisk, dough hook) are high-quality durable stainless steel.

I put my Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 to the test to make different sort of breads and doughs. The stainless steel dough hook is one of the best I have ever come across. I also love the integrated scale, whether I am making my own recipes or am following a step-by-step instructions for a recipe from the “Kenwood & Me” app.

A real bonus for me was the ability to prove doughs at a low temperature directly into the bowl. I often struggle to find a spot in the house that provides heat consistency and the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 definitely solves that issue. Check out the yummy Christmas Cinnamon Rolls with Cranberry I made with my Kenwood Cooking Chef XL. They are the fluffiest ever!

Watch How To Make My Christmas Cinnamon Rolls With The Kenwood Cooking Chef XL

Versatile “Hands-Off” Cooking

Beyond baking and mixing, the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 transforms into a useful cooking assistant with several key features:

• Wide-Range Induction Cooking: The induction technology provides precise temperature control from 20°C to 200°C (68°F to 392°F) as well as rapid heating. Super versatile it allows for more delicate low-heat tasks like melting chocolate or yoghurt making as well as high-heat functions like steaming, searing or frying.
• Guided Cooking and Smart Features: The EasyView Touch Screen offers pre-programmed recipes and settings. The integrated EasyWeigh scale lets you measure ingredients directly in the bowl, and the BowlBright interior light illuminates the contents for better visibility.
• Set-and-Forget Convenience: The machine’s ability to stir and maintain temperature automatically frees you from standing in front of the stovetop. This is great for recipes like crème anglaise or risotto which need stirring either continuously or frequently.

At a Glance: A Balanced Look at Pros and Cons

While its power and versatility are impressive, the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 has a distinct set of pros and cons that can influence your experience.

Key Strengths (Pros)	Key Weaknesses (Cons)
Premium Build Quality: Primarily metal construction provides stability and durability, backed by a 10-year motor warranty.	High Price: This is a significant financial investment comparable to other high-end kitchen machines.
Great Kneading Performance: The powerful motor, robust design and quality hooks make it a fantastic option for heavy doughs as well as batch baking.	Bulky Size and Weight: Weighing over 15 kg (33 lbs), it’s heavy and requires a dedicated, permanent space on your countertop.
Large Capacity: The 6.7-litre bowl is perfect for large families, batch cooking, and big baking projects.	Missing Chopper / Food Processor: You will need to chop ingredients separately or purchase the chopper or food processor separately.
Low to High-Temperature Cooking: Reaching 200°C (392°F) allows for genuine frying and searing while the low temperatures allow for slow cooking, low temperature recipes and dough proving.	EU Plug: You will need to buy a UK adaptor as the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is only fitted with a standard EU plug.
Kenwood & Me App: Over 100 step-by-step recipes than you can make by simply following the instructions on the EasyView Touch Screen.

What’s in the Box? Standard vs. Optional Extras

While the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 comes standard with a series of accessories, you will need to buy the others separately.

Standard Package Contents

Here are the core tools included when you purchase the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96:

• 6.7 L stainless steel bowl
• Splashguard with feeding chute lid
• Steaming basket
• K-Beater
• Creaming beater
• Whisk
• Dough tool
• Stir tool
• Flexible beater (for scraping sides)
• Stir assist clip
• High temperature spatula
• Dough scraper
• Spanner

Attachments you can buy separately

While you can already do quite a lot with the attachments that come as standard, here are some of the others that are available:

• Thermoresist glass blender
• Food processor
• Mini chopper / Mill
• Slicer / Grater
• Juice extractor
• Citrus juicer
• Blend-Xtract Sport
• Food mincer
• Dicing attachment
• Roto food cutter
• Fruit press
• Grinding mill
• Spiraliser
• Slow press juicer
• Pasta rollers
• Ravioli maker
• Pasta shaper
• Frozen dessert maker
• Decorating set
• Preparation set

My Verdict

The Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is a powerful and impressive hybrid machine that brings professional results to home kitchen. It’s easy to use and will delight many cooks, especially those who love baking and creating generous meals. If you are a passionate baker who frequently tackles heavy bread or pizza dough, you will appreciate its impressive kneading power. Families and batch-cookers will also enjoy the spacious 6.7-litre bowl, which makes cooking in larger quantities wonderfully easy.

The “Kenwood & Me” app that connects directly to the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96, has illustrated step-by-step instructions, which is ideal for any busy home cooks or less experienced cooks seeking convenience as it saves time and reduces guesswork.

This hybrid machine is perfect if you want a beautifully built, premium appliance to replace both a stand mixer and a cooking pot. But keep in mind that this is a sturdy, high-quality machine that does require a dedicated space on your countertop.

Best of all, the Kenwood Cooking Chef XL KCL96 is user-friendly whether you choose to rely on the accompanying app or not, so you don’t have to limit yourself to technology to get the most out of this fantastic appliance.

Kenwood Cooking Chef XL Exclusive Offer

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