9 Tips To Reinvent Your Stand Mixers And Win
Mixer review
WHAT IS THE KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND
MIXER?
With this year's The Great British Bake Off in full swing, there's no excuse Required to get
baking. While last year the show caused a furore over replacing its traditional
KitchenAid stand mixers with Kenwood kMix KMX5 mixers -- a move that was quickly
Labelled as a cost-cutting measure on the BBC's part -- this season sees the return of the
While the KitchenAid Artisan mixer has found its way to many British bakers' hearts, it
Still comes with a somewhat hefty price tag. So is it all it's cracked up to be, or will it
For a baking enthusiast, it definitely hits the spot.
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
DESIGN
KitchenAid's usual smooth curves and enamelled die-cast zinc make this a joy to look
at. This 4.8L model (officially named the 5KSM150) also comes in a whopping 28
colours, from Frosted Pearl to Onyx Black, including on-trend pastel and several
Metallic options.
When it comes to the weight of the beast -- 11.17kg, to be precise -- the extensive range
Of colours starts to make sense: this mixer will have to be the centrepiece of your
kitchen. It'll be difficult to fit its bulky shape in any of your cupboards, even if You're
Inclined to attempt to lift it.
Keen baker, this shouldn't be a problem.
This edition of the mixer comes with a stainless steel bowl as opposed to glass. While I'm
Fairly used to stainless steel bowls and don't expect to see every movement my stand
mixer makes, I can understand the appeal of the glass bowl on previous versions.
sticky dough. Its lightness and comfortable handle -- as well as the ability to keep its
kitchen bowl. The bowl can also take Loads of contents -- up to 1kg of all-purpose flour
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
FEATURES
Compared with many of the cheaper multi-functional blender-chopper-mixers, the
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L mixer only comes with three attachments. But it's quality over
Quantity, since the machine beats, whips and kneads with speed and efficiency, equally
pleasing the time-poor and noise-sensitive.
The ceramic flat beater is meant for normal to heavy mixtures, such as cake batter and
mashed potatoes. The wire whip works equally well for egg whites and whipping cream,
While the ceramic dough hook is ideal for mixing and kneading yeasty doughs.
There's also the option to purchase additional attachments, including food grinders and
Pasta makers, which can be connected to the attachment hub at the front of the machine.
They're not cheap, though.
While the mixer is advertised as having 10 speeds, only six of these are highlighted on
The machine as well as in the instructions: 1 for stirring, 2 for slow mixing, 4 for mixing
and beating, 6 for beating and creaming, 8 for fast beating and whipping, and 10 for fast
whipping.
When adjusting the speed, the lever clicks into the gaps between the numbers indicated
on the mixer. Speeds 3, 5, 7 and 9 are said to be possible for a finer adjustment, but it's
More difficult to gauge the difference in rate level.
However, all the rates have a soft-start attribute, meaning that the stand mixer
Automatically starts on a lower speed to help avoid turning you into a floury snowman.
The mixer then seamlessly increases to the selected speed.
Having a pouring shield is a big advantage when comparing this model to its bigger and
smaller cousins. The KitchenAid Artisan 6L and the KitchenAid Mini we previously
Reviewed both suffered from the lack of a splashguard.
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO USE?
Putting the mixer together is simple. Fo
r beginners, the only thing to remember is that
The mixer head is always in Lock mode by default, while it's up or down. To move the
Mixer head, the locking lever has to be held in the Unlock position.
The bowl twists and locks into its designated position without difficulty. When attaching the
Accessories, there's a slight knack to pushing the attachment into the beater shaft and
twisting it to lock. Keep at it and it'll come naturally.
While the instructions come with mixing tips, including which attachment and speed
Level to use for particular tasks, there are no basic recipes. Still, KitchenAid boasts a
PDF cookbook, downloadable from its website, as well as an app for iPhone and iPad
users, with recommendations from starters to desserts, complete with illustrations of the
suggested attachments and speed levels.
I started with croissants, using speed 1 to slightly mix the ingredients before going on
Speed 2 for the appropriate kneading. The mixer stayed stable with only a small wobble.
The recipe itself is perhaps overly optimistic, not requiring to chill the croissant dough
overnight. As for the results, Paul would say they were too close-textured and Mary
Would probably have called them "a small informal", but they were definitely edible.
Next up was lemon and earl grey chiffon cake, which included copious amounts of
beating and whipping. The mixer held its own during the whipping on speed 8, to the
extent that a spoon balanced on top of it didn't move. The egg whites came out stiff in
no time and my chiffon cake was light and fluffy.
The last test was macarons, for which I made up my own recipe. This time I went rogue
And threw in the sugar with liquid egg whites straight from the fridge. In 9 minutes at
Increasing speeds, I achieved a gorgeous, stiff meringue I could easily hold upside down
above my head.
At this stage it's worth pointing out the mixer does all of that with minimal noise, which is
especially handy, as my best baking usually happens at quarter past midnight. While
venturing into the more dangerous (officially not recommended) territory of speed 4 with
A dough hook contributes to more wobbliness, the overall vibration and sound levels are
Fairly low compared with a lot of different mixers out there.
SHOULD I BUY THE KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L
STAND MIXER?
Despite the hefty price tag, many of those equally capable rivals in the market are similarly
Priced, meaning quality and stability continue to be expensive commodities. This classic
Machine may do fewer things compared with a lot of its cheaper all-in-one
counterparts, but it does them very well. The splashguard and the sizeable bowl make
This a fantastic investment for a baking enthusiast at any level of experience.
VERDICT
Not too big, not too small, this mixer has Star Baker written all over it -- if you can afford
it.
WHAT IS THE KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND
MIXER?
With this year's The Great British Bake Off in full swing, there's no excuse Required to get
baking. While last year the show caused a furore over replacing its traditional
KitchenAid stand mixers with Kenwood kMix KMX5 mixers -- a move that was quickly
Labelled as a cost-cutting measure on the BBC's part -- this season sees the return of the
While the KitchenAid Artisan mixer has found its way to many British bakers' hearts, it
Still comes with a somewhat hefty price tag. So is it all it's cracked up to be, or will it
For a baking enthusiast, it definitely hits the spot.
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
DESIGN
KitchenAid's usual smooth curves and enamelled die-cast zinc make this a joy to look
at. This 4.8L model (officially named the 5KSM150) also comes in a whopping 28
colours, from Frosted Pearl to Onyx Black, including on-trend pastel and several
Metallic options.
When it comes to the weight of the beast -- 11.17kg, to be precise -- the extensive range
Of colours starts to make sense: this mixer will have to be the centrepiece of your
kitchen. It'll be difficult to fit its bulky shape in any of your cupboards, even if You're
Inclined to attempt to lift it.
Keen baker, this shouldn't be a problem.
This edition of the mixer comes with a stainless steel bowl as opposed to glass. While I'm
Fairly used to stainless steel bowls and don't expect to see every movement my stand
mixer makes, I can understand the appeal of the glass bowl on previous versions.
sticky dough. Its lightness and comfortable handle -- as well as the ability to keep its
kitchen bowl. The bowl can also take Loads of contents -- up to 1kg of all-purpose flour
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
FEATURES
Compared with many of the cheaper multi-functional blender-chopper-mixers, the
KitchenAid Artisan 4.8L mixer only comes with three attachments. But it's quality over
Quantity, since the machine beats, whips and kneads with speed and efficiency, equally
pleasing the time-poor and noise-sensitive.
The ceramic flat beater is meant for normal to heavy mixtures, such as cake batter and
mashed potatoes. The wire whip works equally well for egg whites and whipping cream,
While the ceramic dough hook is ideal for mixing and kneading yeasty doughs.
There's also the option to purchase additional attachments, including food grinders and
Pasta makers, which can be connected to the attachment hub at the front of the machine.
They're not cheap, though.
While the mixer is advertised as having 10 speeds, only six of these are highlighted on
The machine as well as in the instructions: 1 for stirring, 2 for slow mixing, 4 for mixing
and beating, 6 for beating and creaming, 8 for fast beating and whipping, and 10 for fast
whipping.
When adjusting the speed, the lever clicks into the gaps between the numbers indicated
on the mixer. Speeds 3, 5, 7 and 9 are said to be possible for a finer adjustment, but it's
More difficult to gauge the difference in rate level.
However, all the rates have a soft-start attribute, meaning that the stand mixer
Automatically starts on a lower speed to help avoid turning you into a floury snowman.
The mixer then seamlessly increases to the selected speed.
Having a pouring shield is a big advantage when comparing this model to its bigger and
smaller cousins. The KitchenAid Artisan 6L and the KitchenAid Mini we previously
Reviewed both suffered from the lack of a splashguard.
KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L STAND MIXER --
WHAT'S IT LIKE TO USE?
Putting the mixer together is simple. Fo
The mixer head is always in Lock mode by default, while it's up or down. To move the
Mixer head, the locking lever has to be held in the Unlock position.
The bowl twists and locks into its designated position without difficulty. When attaching the
Accessories, there's a slight knack to pushing the attachment into the beater shaft and
twisting it to lock. Keep at it and it'll come naturally.
While the instructions come with mixing tips, including which attachment and speed
Level to use for particular tasks, there are no basic recipes. Still, KitchenAid boasts a
PDF cookbook, downloadable from its website, as well as an app for iPhone and iPad
users, with recommendations from starters to desserts, complete with illustrations of the
suggested attachments and speed levels.
I started with croissants, using speed 1 to slightly mix the ingredients before going on
Speed 2 for the appropriate kneading. The mixer stayed stable with only a small wobble.
The recipe itself is perhaps overly optimistic, not requiring to chill the croissant dough
overnight. As for the results, Paul would say they were too close-textured and Mary
Would probably have called them "a small informal", but they were definitely edible.
Next up was lemon and earl grey chiffon cake, which included copious amounts of
beating and whipping. The mixer held its own during the whipping on speed 8, to the
extent that a spoon balanced on top of it didn't move. The egg whites came out stiff in
no time and my chiffon cake was light and fluffy.
The last test was macarons, for which I made up my own recipe. This time I went rogue
And threw in the sugar with liquid egg whites straight from the fridge. In 9 minutes at
Increasing speeds, I achieved a gorgeous, stiff meringue I could easily hold upside down
above my head.
At this stage it's worth pointing out the mixer does all of that with minimal noise, which is
especially handy, as my best baking usually happens at quarter past midnight. While
venturing into the more dangerous (officially not recommended) territory of speed 4 with
A dough hook contributes to more wobbliness, the overall vibration and sound levels are
Fairly low compared with a lot of different mixers out there.
SHOULD I BUY THE KITCHENAID ARTISAN 4.8L
STAND MIXER?
Despite the hefty price tag, many of those equally capable rivals in the market are similarly
Priced, meaning quality and stability continue to be expensive commodities. This classic
Machine may do fewer things compared with a lot of its cheaper all-in-one
counterparts, but it does them very well. The splashguard and the sizeable bowl make
This a fantastic investment for a baking enthusiast at any level of experience.
VERDICT
Not too big, not too small, this mixer has Star Baker written all over it -- if you can afford
it.
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