Why oh why oh why are more kitchen machines not orange? I mean, just look at this beauty. Rare-ish and as a Chef spotter, I think the only time I’ve seen another is on the kids’ TV program, Waffle the Wonder Dog on Cbeebies, here in the UK. Do you have one in another funky colour? If so, please send me a picture!
An orange Chef in the workshop: It was like Christmas had come early.
Make and model: Kenwood Chef A901 (orange)
Fault reported: No go
Cost of replacement: About £300
Cost of parts: £13.74
Hours spent on repair: 2
Tools needed: Cutters, screwdriver, soldering iron, multi-meter, cleaning tools
Sundry items: Light oil
Repair difficulty: 5/10
Cups of tea: 1
Cheesecakes: 2
The Chef had actually been working for a living since it provided daily assistance in the production of artisan cheesecakes, being sold at a local market. Recently it had decided to start a smoking habit and then go on strike leaving the owner in a bit of a muddle and customers with rumbling tummies. That simply wouldn’t do.
Anyway, on with the repair. Opening up the casing revealed the problem straightaway. One of the capacitors had failed and a resistor had burned out, leaving a failed circuit.
With a decent repair kit bought (from eBay), I replaced all components relating to the speed control circuit, which made the motor run again. I also replaced all the machine’s 5 feet, since the originals had long since gone to mush, something they all do with age. Since the motor was out of the unit, I took the trouble to adjust the motor’s end float and oil the bearings, for ultra-smooth running. Very satisfying.
With the casing all back together, I gave the machine a light T-Cut and polish to make it look as good as new and despite its 30-odd years and the odd bit of flaky paint, I think you’ll agree- it looks fab.
PS, thanks to Andrew for supplying the very yummy scrummy, lime cheescakes.
Fix It Workshop 
We have two of these beauties. One with a bowl and one without a bowl. And all the attachments to boot! I rarely bake but when I do I use my vintage white and junior blue Kenwood Chef. In Australia, these new are just under $1.000 to buy. As if when we scored our vintage ones for a few dollars from the local TIP shop. And in working order too. Well done on your fix Matt. This orange beauty was well worth your attention. Karen+Danny Ellis at Mend It, Australia
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the orange chef has been working like a dream, cheesecake production has stopped due to these strange times. used yesterday to make a dalek cake for a third birthday
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Excellent news, glad to hear it! Let’s hope that cheesecake production resumes soon.
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I’ve just bought a 901 off eBay in orange and brown. It’s going to need a repaint, can anyone recommend a paint that matches the original colour?
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The best thing to do is take it to a paint shop to analyse it.
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I have a similar one which broke just last week. The problem seems to be exactly the same as yours… The capacitor and the burnt resistor. The problem is, I can not see what resistor to replace the burnt one with (because of the burning). What resistor did you use?
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Hi Markus, thanks for getting in touch. Have a look for your specific model on eBay as they’ll be a service pack for your model.
Thanks
Matt
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Thanks Matt, unfortunately in my country eBay does not work. But I figured it out, so I will post it here for the next person that can’t find this service pack. This orange Kenwood from 1970s use a 56 Ohm resistor 2W with 5% leniency. Try not to use a metal film resistor as I think there is possibly a high pulse current going through it. The resistor cost something like EUR0.10 when I convert the currency.
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Hi, just came across your site while searching for a balloon whisk for my Kenwood A901… and yes, it is orange. Bought it secondhand years ago and still love it!!
Daphne
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Hi Daphne, love an orange 901! Have a look on eBay… should be a few on there.
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