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Kitchen Appliances Which? Best Buys

Ranked #7,582 in Food & Cooking, #138,881 overall

Thinking of buying a kitchen appliance? Advice you can trust!

The Which? Research Centre puts consumer products through stringent laboratory tests to ascertain which represent the best value for money. They don't just test strollers in the lab, they send real mums and dads out in the park with them. They don't just check for a washing machine's price, performance, cleaning power, running costs, reliability and energy consumption, etc., they let a smelly, dirty dog roll in the laundry first to ensure that it also removes pet odours (see ad below)!

Which? provide independent advice which you can trust, but they additionally campaign on consumer rights and devise consumer protection policy. . Highest scoring products are awarded 'Which? Best Buy' status. Weaknesses and limitations will equally be flagged.

Below are 2011s star-performing kitchen products which they are confident stand out from the crowd.

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Independent Consumer Protection and Advice

Which? has been going for over 50 years. Here are some things you might not know.

Which? is Europe's largest consumer rights organisation, with over 700,000 members.

Independent of Government and industry, Which? is funded through the sale of magazines, books and online services.

Which? accepts no advertising, payment or samples from any of the companies whose products or services we test, so you can trust us to be completely impartial.

In the 1950s you could buy a kettle that could kill you and people needed to know what products were safe. Which? was founded by Michael Young in October 1957, and we test thousands of products every year to give people the information they need to choose the right product for them, from toasters to supermarket salads and cashback credit cards.

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Taken from: http://www.which.co.uk/about-which/press/facts-figures-and-faces/key-facts
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Best Food Processor

Bosch MCM4100GB - Test score 75%


Bosch MCM4100 Compact Food Processor, White/ Anthracite Finish



Plenty of features (e.g. citrus press) and slices and grates without sticking. Quickly and easily grinds nuts to a powder, kneeds dough, purees cooked meat, juices and blends soups, and can even liquidise ginger.

Best Microwave

Whirlpool MAX 35/B - Test score 77%


Whirlpool Max 35 Solo & Steam Microwave White



Aesthetically pleasing and compact with rounded corners. Excellent reheating and defrosting, plus steaming options.

Best Range Cooker

Rangemaster Professional Plus 90 FSD Duel Fuel - Test score 78%


100cm Dual Fuel Rangecooker Black
(AP10FRKP_BK)



I have this rangemaster and I would buy another. My lodger who was a chef, loves it, too. Clients coming to the house often comment on the fantastic cooker. Cannot imagine living without the fifth ring, wok holder and griddle, and how did I ever cope without the two convection ovens and impressive, wide and evenly browning grill?

The picture and link are not for the Best Buy model, but for 100cm which shares the same features. For the Profesional Plus 90 version see the link below:

Stockists and price comparison

Best Toaster

Breville VTT210 - Test score 69%


Breville VTT210 Polished Stainless Steel 2 Slice Toaster



Great 'preview' function to check browning. Quick and even toasting, plus defrost option.

Best Fryer

Tefal Oleoclean Deluxe Fryer - Test score 71%


Tefal Oleoclean Deluxe FR701015 Fryer, 1.3kg Capacity, White



Fab for chips and scampi. Slowish heating but cooks fast. Brilliant filter system to ease emptying and cleaning, and intuitive controls.

Best Mini Chopper

Kenwood CH250 - Test score 76%


Kenwood CH250 Chopper Quad Blade



This model chops nuts ten times faster than any other model Which? have tested. It has four different blades and is great for baby food!

Best Food Steamer

Lakeland EXQ Food Steamer 14214 - Test score 72%

There is no Amazon link for this, so I have provided the Lakeland one instead:

Lakeland Link

Easy to set up and use with excellent results. Which? cooked salmon and vegetables without flavours transferring. Dishwasher safe baskets, too.

Best Coffee Machine

Rancilio Silvia -Test score 72%


Rancilio Silvia V3



Sturdy, strong machine which makes both decent espresso and cappuccino. Clearly not cheap and it needs a lot of shining to keep it looking smart, but it is easy to use (the prime minister must thinks so, because he has one in his kitchen!). The steam pipe is a little slow heating, but once up and running is quick to heat milk.

Best Kettle

Bosch TWK8633GB - Test score 82%


Bosch Styline Collection Kettle Twk8633gb, Four Temperature Control Settings, Black And Stainless Steel



Elegant design which can boil a litre of water in just two minutes twenty-four seconds and then quickly switches itself off, so it wins on energy efficiency, but it is not the easiest to clean.

Best Steam Iron

Philips GC8323/20 - Test score 86%


Philips GC8323/02 Pressurised Steam Generator



Which? believe this to be one of the best steam-generator irons they have tested. Ready to go in two and a half minutes and masses of constant steam at all three temperature settings, even the 'eco' one. Non-stick coating and tapered front makes for easy glide and reaching intricate parts such as around buttons. Easy filling and operation.

Best Vacuum Cleaner

Miele S6290 Silence -Test score 80%


Miele S2111 Which Magazine best buy red vacuum cleaner



Five star performance on carpets, wooden and laminate flooring, and quiet as its name suggests.

Best Freestanding Cooker

Zanussi ZCV661MWC -Test score 79%

Impressed the researchers with its easy to use and clean design and self-cleaning oven walls.
Compare prices

Best Bread Maker

Panasonic SD-2501 Test score - 73%


Panasonic SD-2501WXC Automatic Breadmaker with Nut & Raisin Dispenser & Gluten Free Program



The most important feature is it makes great bread! Useful automatic fruit and nut dispenser, but the kneading paddle does quite often stick in the bottom of the bread.

Best Washer-Dryer

Bosch WKD28350GB -Test score 62%

No Amazon link for this, so check out this comparison site:

Compare prices

Which? say this dries clothes evenly and has quick washing and drying. It is easy to use and maintain with loads of programs and low energy consumption.

Best Dishwasher

Miele G 5720 SC -Test score 78%

Amazon do not stock this, but Which? and Kelkoo list John Lewis as offering the best rpice:

John Lewis

Freestanding model which can hold more than 140 items of crockery ad cutlery. Watermark free washing with fairly low energy consumption.

Hope these recommendations from Which? help

Do you have any product recommendations ?

  • madigan Feb 7, 2012 @ 3:35 pm | delete
    It is good to have a well-researched and objective opinion before buying.
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