KitchenAid artisan stand mixer review; I tested the top-quality baking appliance
IN THE market for a new mixer? Don’t miss our KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L stand mixer review.
In the world of kitchen appliances, KitchenAid’s Artisan stand mixer is an iconic bit of kit you can use to whip, beat, stir, shred, knead or mash your culinary creations – all while looking super stylish on your kitchen counter.
Renowned for its timeless design and versatile functionality, this stand mixer has garnered a loyal following among home cooks and professional chefs alike, with KitchenAid even named the number-one mixer brand in the world.
It’s fair to say it has a lot to live up to, so I put it to the test to see how it performed.
- KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS mixer, £479 up from Amazon – buy here
KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L: overview
One of the best things about KitchenAid’s stand mixers is that they come in a range of sizes – small (3.3L), medium (4.3L or 4.8L) and large (4.8L or 6.9L) – and colours to suit your kitchen.
I tried the 5KSM175PS 4.8L model in Honey – the 2021 colour of the year for the brand. It’s a vibrant orange that will add a pop of colour to your kitchen.
You can also get this medium-sized machine in classic shades such as Empire Red and Onyx Black, which tend to have a bit more availability in stores.
As well as the 4.8L mixing bowl, six wire whisk, flat beater, and dough hook you get in the slightly cheaper 5KSM125 model, you also get a 3L mixing bowl, a pouring shield and a flex edge beater as part of the 5KSM175PS model.
For home cooks, the different-sized bowls will be especially handy for working with smaller quantities of ingredients while the pouring shield will help reduce the amount of spillage and therefore the clean-up.
Aside from the stainless steel whisk, all the other attachments are made from aluminium covered with a non-stick nylon coating so they’re designed to last and are dishwasher safe.
Pros:
- Fast and efficient
- Well-made machine that’s built to last
- Comes in a range of colours
Cons:
- It’s very heavy
- Expensive
Rating: 4/5
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: what accessories does it come with?
- 4.8L mixing bowl
- 3L mixing bowl
- Pouring shield
- 6-wire whisk
- Flat beater
- Flex edge beater
- Dough hook
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KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: is it easy to use?
The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is very sturdy, and in this case, that means very heavy too.
It’s certainly not a machine you want to constantly lug around your kitchen – so it’s just as well that it’s stylish enough to have on display if you have enough room on your kitchen counter.
Once you have the stand mixer in place, everything else is effortless to put together.
The arm of the machine, where you attach the beaters, hooks and whisks, tilts back with a lever on the right so you can install your choice of mixing bowl.
The two bowls – the larger one with a handle and the smaller one without – are both secured with a clockwise twist. You won’t hear the satisfying click that you get when the bowl of a food processor slots into place, so you just have to tighten until you can’t turn it any more.
On the other side of the arm, there’s another lever that goes from zero to 10 so you can toggle the speed you want with ease.
The attachments are secured with a twist and are easy to install and remove so you can swap them halfway through use if needed.
- KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS mixer, £479 up from Amazon – buy here
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: is it good for kneading dough?
The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer did a great job of kneading bread dough.
The dough hook mimicked the movement you make when doing it by hand and produced a nice, smooth dough within minutes.
For softer, wetter dough, you’ll have to slow the machine right down and scrape a couple of times as I found that it had a habit of knocking through the dough without picking it up otherwise.
Or if you’re working with something really soft like cookie dough, you can also switch to one of the beater attachments.
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: is it good for whisking?
I tested the whisk with egg whites and found that the KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS stand mixer was very quick at beating them into stiff peaks.
In just a couple of seconds, the egg whites were foamy and in a couple of minutes they were ready.
Because the process is so quick compared to hand-held whisks, you’ll want to stand by the machine to make sure that the egg whites aren’t overbeaten.
- KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS mixer, £479 up from Amazon – buy here
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: is it good for mixing?
The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer comes with two attachments for mixing: a flat beater and a flex edge beater.
Both were really efficient at mixing and combining ingredients together.
While they can be used interchangeably, I found that the flat beater was better for breaking things up, such as potatoes for mash.
As the flex edge beater had a silicone scraper on one side, it was much better for cake mixes so you don’t have to stop to scrape down the sides.
KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L stand mixer: what else can it do?
While the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer might be a machine for bakers first and foremost, the brand has produced a range of accessories to expand its use.
These will need to be bought separately but add-ons include a pasta maker, food grinder and spiraliser.
- KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS mixer, £479 up from Amazon – buy here
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L stand mixer review: final verdict
The KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L stand mixer was fast and efficient in all the tasks I used it for.
It will take you longer to measure out the ingredients than the machine will take to mix it all together.
Having two different-sized bowls was handy as you can use them for different tasks – but if this isn’t important for you, then I’d recommend trading down to the cheaper 5KSM125, which is the same set-up but with fewer accessories.
Price-wise, KitchenAid is quite a bit more expensive than some of the other stand mixers on the market but if you’re looking for a kitchen gadget that’s practical and you can show off to friends and family, this is perfect.
Where can I buy KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L?
KitchenAid’s Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L stand mixer is available to shop from the KitchenAid website where it’s currently available in nine shades including pistachio, almond cream, ice blue and dried rose.
It’s also sold by a number of other stockists and retailers. We’ve listed our top spots below for you:
Is there an alternative to the KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L?
If you’re looking for an alternative to the KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM175PS 4.8L stand mixer, there are several good options available to shop instead.
One notable contender is the Cuisinart SM-50R 5.5-Quart Stand Mixer, which is praised for its robust performance and versatility. Featuring a powerful 500-watt motor and a sizable 5.5-quart mixing bowl, the Cuisinart stand mixer excels in handling various culinary tasks with ease – plus it looks just as good as the KitchenAid Artisan mixer.
Elsewhere, the Kenwood KMX750 kMix Stand Mixer comes in at just under £260, making it a far cheaper option. One shopper raves: “The design is great, lovely large stainless steel bowl and very smooth mixing without too much noise.”
Or for something even more budget-friendly, you could try the Russell Hobbs Go Create White Kitchen Stand Mixer 25930 which at £133, comes with three different attachments and 10 speeds.
What’s the difference between a regular KitchenAid and an Artisan?
The KitchenAid Classic and standard Artisan Series stand mixers may look similar at first glance, but key differences ‘in colour, capacity and accessories’ distinguish them apart, according to the brand.
While both offer durability and reliability, the Artisan series comes in more than 20 colours compared to the Classic range’s choice of two, allowing for greater personalization in your kitchen.
Its 325-watt motor exceeds the Classic range’s 275 watts, while the Quart Stainless Bowl features a handle – unlike the Classic which is handleless and has a brushed stainless steel finish.
Additionally, the Artisan mixer’s bowl offers extra capacity. In its guide to the differences between the ranges, KitchenAid notes: ‘The Artisan mixer’s 5-quart bowl can mix up to 9 dozen cookies in a single batch. The 4.5-quart bowl on the Classic mixer can mix up to 8 dozen cookies in a single batch.’
Overall, while both models embody KitchenAid’s famed quality, the Artisan stands out for its enhanced aesthetics and enhanced functionality.