KitchenAid Artisan Review

What the Reviewers Like:
The KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer aced creaming and whipping tests. Owners say it is easy to use and durable. The classic styling and many colors are attractive (but note that some prices may be priced higher for the alternative colors).

What the Reviewers Don’t Like:
Expert testers say the mouth of the bowl is a bit narrow, making it difficult to add ingredients neatly. In the toughest tests, the KitchenAid Artisan strained when mix-ins were added to heavy or sticky doughs.

KitchenAid Artisan review highlights

Experts say that if you don't bake bread regularly, the KitchenAid Artisan is a good choice in a stand mixer. It creams butter and sugar and whips egg whites and cream beautifully, but it hesitates when faced with heavy or sticky bread or cookie doughs. If you're going to be making your own bread regularly, you should consider a larger-capacity, heavier-duty mixer, such as the KitchenAid Professional 600 (*est. $350) or the Cuisinart 5.5 Quart Stand Mixer (*est. $350). Otherwise, the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer is a very good choice in its price range.

We read expert reviews of the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer at Cook's Illustrated and Consumer Reports, and browsed among the more than 1,000 owner-written reports posted to Amazon.com, Cooking.com and Epinions. This stand mixer has legions of fans.

Also see full report: Mixers

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Cook’s Illustrated
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Mix Masters -- Standing Mixers
Editors of Cook's Illustrated
Nov. 2005

In this review, 18 stand mixers of varying size and price (the majority of the tested models cost $350 or more) are rated on their ability to whip cream, mix cookie batter, and knead rustic bread dough, among other tasks. The KitchenAid Artisan, one of the least expensive models in this roundup, earns an overall rating of "recommended with reservations," because kneading and adding heavy ingredients to cookie dough caused the motor to strain audibly.

2. Consumer Reports
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Stand and Hand Mixers
Editors of Consumer Reports
Nov. 2005

Consumer Reports’ most recent review of stand and hand mixers included the KitchenAid Artisan. After testing more than 20 models, editors evaluate them and summarize results in a ratings chart. Convenience, noise, and value are also considered. This report is somewhat dated, but many models are still available.

3. Amazon.com
KitchenAid Artisan Reviews
Contributors to Amazon.com

Nearly 1,000 owners have posted reviews of the KitchenAid Artisan, awarding this mixer a very high average rating. Owners find this mixer powerful and solid.

4. Epinions
KitchenAid Artisan Reviews
Contributors to Epinions

Over 100 reviews of the KitchenAid Artisan have been posted to Epinions and, as at Amazon, this model gets a very high average rating. Most owners are very happy with their Artisan mixers, although some note that these machines are very heavy and difficult to move around.

5. Cooking.com
KitchenAid Artisan Reviews
Contributors to Cooking.com

The KitchenAid Artisan has been reviewed by more than 100 owners here and has earned a very high average rating. Owners say that the Artisan is well-made, reliable and easy to use.

Also see full report: Mixers

KitchenAid Artisan Review