Cooking for 17 people on a cattle station is a little different from cooking for a family of four, as you could imagine.

There is no such thing as “just making a cake” when you are feeding that many people. A batch of cookies disappears almost before the second cup of tea is poured. A loaf of banana bread might not make it through the afternoon. If you are making bread rolls for dinner, you are not making six…you are making enough that everyone gets at least two, with a few extras for the hungry ones.

And when you are doing all that cooking regularly, having a decent mixer is not a luxury. It is one of those pieces of equipment that can genuinely make life easier.

That is why the Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL has become the sort of kitchen appliance I can see being genuinely useful in a cattle station kitchen.

I get asked constantly what type of mixer I have and if I think it is worth the price tage and I can honestly say, YES! My Kenwood is the Titanium Chef Baker XL which features a 7-litre stainless-steel bowl, a 5-litre bowl, integrated weighing scales and a range of mixing tools. Kenwood lists a maximum cake capacity of 4kg and a dough capacity of 2.56kg, which are the sorts of numbers that start to make sense when you are cooking for 17 people. 

DOUGH, CAKES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

There is something about feeding a station crew that makes baked goods disappear at an impressive rate. A batch that looks enormous when it comes out of the oven somehow doesn't look nearly so big 20 minutes later.

The Chef Baker XL comes with a stainless-steel K-beater, whisk, dough tool and creaming beater, giving it plenty of versatility for everyday baking. 

The K-beater is useful for things like cakes, biscuits, pastry and icing, while the whisk is there for lighter mixtures and the dough tool handles bread and other yeast-based doughs.

For a station cook, that versatility is a big deal. I don't want five different appliances taking up valuable bench space when one good machine can do several jobs.

BREAD FOR A HUNGRY CREW

Bread is another area where a larger mixer starts earning its keep.

There are plenty of days when homemade bread rolls, pizza bases or scrolls make sense on a station. And when you are feeding 17 people, the quantity of dough can add up quickly.

There is something particularly satisfying about putting a substantial batch of dough on, getting on with another job while the machine works, and coming back to something ready to rise, shape and bake.

Of course, you still have to do the work. A stand mixer isn't going to magically produce dinner. But it takes one of the more repetitive jobs off your hands, and when you are cooking for 17, every bit of help counts.

We like to work smarter, not harder as cattle station cooks!

THE BUILT-IN SCALES ARE A CLEVER IDEA

Another feature that appeals to me is the integrated weighing system.

Kenwood designed the Titanium Chef Baker XL so ingredients can be weighed directly into the bowl, which means there is less need for separate scales and extra bowls cluttering up the bench. That might sound like a small convenience, but in a busy kitchen, small conveniences add up.

If I'm making a cake, I can put the bowl on the machine, weigh in the ingredients and get mixing without having to keep reaching for another appliance.

When you're cooking every day, anything that reduces unnecessary washing up is worth paying attention to.

TWO BOWLS ARE HANDY WHEN COOKING IN BULK

The machine comes with both a 7-litre and 5-litre stainless-steel bowl, and for a station kitchen, having two bowls is particularly useful.

There are plenty of times when I might want to make two different things one after another without immediately washing the first bowl. Maybe the big bowl has bread dough rising in it while I need the smaller one for a cake mixture.

When you are preparing several components of a meal or doing a big morning of baking, having options saves time.

A MACHINE THAT DOESN'T NEED CONSTANT BABYSITTING

One of the reasons I like a good stand mixer is that it gives me back a pair of hands. That's useful as a station cook because we are rarely doing just one job at a time. You have to be able to coordinate multiple cooking times and preparations that being able to leave something mixing or kneading on its own is almost a god sent. Dramatic I know, however, I might have something roasting in the oven, vegetables waiting to be prepared and a kettle boiling, while the mixer is working on the next batch of baking.

Being able to get the mixer started and then concentrate on something else is exactly what I want from it.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT FOR A STATION KITCHEN?

For my situation, feeding 17 people, yes, it makes a lot of sense.

The reason isn't that it is a fancy kitchen appliance. Quite the opposite. It is useful because it tackles the jobs that become bigger and more time consuming when you are cooking for a crowd.

The substantial dough and cake capacities, two bowls, built-in scales and range of attachments all have practical benefits when you are regularly cooking large quantities. 

For me, the real test of a kitchen appliance is whether I would still want it after the novelty had worn off. I think this one would pass that test. I have been using my Kenwood mixer for the last six months and it is still one of my favourite kitchen appliances, bar my knives of course!

On a cattle station, you need equipment that earns its spot on the bench. When you're feeding hungry ringers, a mixer that can take a decent-sized batch of dough or cake mix, saves you some preparation time and lets you get on with the next job is exactly the sort of thing I'd be happy to have in my kitchen.