Kenwood FP 920 Multipro > Reviews (6)

I bought the Multipro FP920 approximately four years ago to replace an older, more basic Kenwood food processor. At the time it was on sale for a very good price compared to other current models and I liked the overall stylish simplicity of design.

~ ~ Description ~ ~
The processor base has a brushed stainless steel finish, is squarish in shape and stands 13cm high, 22 cm by 22cm, it is of a good weight (3.3kg) and feels very solid without being too heavy. Suction pads at the base ensure it remains absolutely steady at all times. At the front is a large circular control dial for power on /off, speed settings and pulse. In my mind the design of this unit is sleek, straightforward and easy to keep clean. The main bowl and lid with feed tube are made from a tough transparent plastic with a slight violet tinge, the large sturdy side handle has a grey rubber soft grip non slip coating. The width of the bowl and handle measures 27cm. The processor stands in the corner of an extra deep surface area in my kitchen so I can comfortably use the surface in front of it at all times but when I decide to use the processor I have to pull it forward due to wall cabinets. The total height of the base and bowl with feed tube is 39 cm. The cable is a good length of 110cm and can be stored neatly within the base.

The Kenwood multipro has a powerful 1000w motor and it comes with a whole host of attachments:

1.5 litre glass liquidiser jug
Grinding mill
Flexible spatula (clear plastic)
Stainless steel blades and covers
Dough tool (white plastic)
Twin geared metal whisk
Citrus press (white plastic)
Centrifugal juicer (white plastic)
Mini bowl with mini stainless steel blades
Stainless steel coarse slice/shred disc
Stainless steel fine slice/shred disc
Stainless steel julienne disc
Stainless steel rasping/parmesan disc
Maxi-blend canopy cover (white plastic)

Altogether the various parts for all the attachments can take up quite a considerable amount of space, in my kitchen it meant the entire top shelf of a base cabinet. Over the years unused accessories have eventually ended up in the recycling bin. The centrifugal juicer appeared to me to look rather useless and the plastic juicer looked oversized and cheaply made. I simply wasn't using these attachments or ever feeling inclined towards using them. I found the dough tool a waste of time as the blades work equally well for mixing bread dough. During the first few months of use I religiously used the canopy cover when blending soups but soon found it unnecessary and use the processor for blending liquids perfectly well without it. The items I have kept and use are listed and detailed below.

~ ~Use and Efficiency ~ ~
A tiny red light on the control dial illuminates when you plug into a socket. To fit the bowl you have to position the bowl with the handle at the back and then turn clockwise until it locks into place. The lid can then be fitted in the same way until it clips into position at the top of the bowl handle. As a safety feature the machine will not operate unless the bowl and lid are correctly positioned.

I regularly use the processor for gluten free cake mixture as blending at such a high speed creates a wonderfully creamy and light mixture. For blending the stainless steel blades are attached to a central shaft fitted into the base unit. The blades are extremely sharp so care is required and after use they can be stored in the little protective covers. The machine is not unreasonably loud, it sounds powerful and smooth in operation. Cake mixture is whipped within minutes. The flexible spatula is an ideal tool for scooping every last bit of mixture neatly out of the bowl and into a cake tin.
I mainly use the processor simply like this with the blades and adjusting speed to suit different tasks. It will quickly turn pastry mixture into a breadcrumb consistency and then if you add water through the feed tube, a soft ball of pastry dough. It will whip egg whites to stiff peak consistency and almost purée soft fruit.

I find the pulser is excellent to use for finely chopping nuts, dried fruit, onions and turning slices of bread into breadcrumbs.

Glass Jug, 1.5 litre.
I love this liquidiser jug, it made out of thick glass, feels quite heavy and definitely in my mind a quality item. It is 25cm tall and 18 wide including the glass handle and it comes with a rubberised white plastic lid. Easy to attach to the processor base and positions very securely. The metal whisks fit and detach easily.

Grinding Mill.
Useful for very fine grinding of small amounts of seeds and nuts. I use this occasionally and again it fits easily and securely straight onto the processor base.

Flexible spatula.
A very useful thin and pliable spatula, extremely effective for scrapping any bowl or vessel almost completely clean of mixture. It is strong enough to manipulate easily and will bend just as you need it to.

Four stainless steel discs.
I use the fine shredding disc mostly as I find this ideal for grating carrot and hard cheese. The coarse shredding disc produces a very thick shred which can be useful for grating foods such as softer cheeses or cucumbers. I occasionally use the fine slice for vegetables but haven't ever used the rather chunky looking coarse slice and julienne disc.

~ ~ Cleaning ~ ~
Unfortunately apart from the spatula, discs and blades none of the processor attachments are suitable for the dishwasher. I find the washing up aspect can become a nuisance when attempting to save time, it isn't any quicker for me to whip egg whites by using a hand whisk and then bundle equipment into the dishwasher than to set up the processor, whip whites, wash and dry up.
The unit base due to its simple design is very easy to keep clean by wiping over with a damp cloth.

~ ~ Conclusion ~ ~
A well designed and powerful food processor with an array of attachments, some of which are not necessarily so well designed or useful. After approximately four years of use the motor is still running strongly and smoothly. The plastic main bowl has lasted very well, no cracks or scratches and only a slight dulling of the transparency, the condition of the glass liquidiser jug is as good as new and the blades have remained sharp and efficient. Generally I've been very pleased with the Kenwood FP920 but would have liked to have paid a little less and omitted the centrifugal juicer and citrus press at the very least. This model is currently available at Amazon for £93.99. Although I do recommend the FP920 I have to be honest and say I wouldn't pay this much money for it today.

Powerful, well designed food processor and main use attachments.
4/5 stars.

Thank you for reading this review x
© Lunaria 2012