Ever wonder which KitchenAid Stand Mixer you should buy – the Artisan or Professional? In this article, we take a closer look at these two mixers to find out which one will suit your needs in more detail. For a full review of each mixer, check out the article. Thank you for taking time to read our blog!
A new KitchenAid Stand Mixer can be daunting decision. Do I want artisan or professional? What will it do for me? There’s always an answer, and there are tons of websites that give their own biases and opinions on how one is better than another. Truth is in the eye of the beholder, and for all you know, there’s someone out there that prefers a handle on their stand mixer.
This article here is just one opinion. There are others out there and I encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusion. Stand mixers are worth the time it takes to spend a weekend researching which one best suits your needs; they are life tools worth enough money it puts them in the same conversation as buying a car!
HISTORY OF THE KITCHENAID STAND MIXER
Late 1800s – First US electric companies are built by Thomas Edison.
1914 – Proprietary Leisure Appliances Company, now known as the Hobart Company makes the first stand mixer. It’s driven by electricity and is designed to mix dough.
1915 – Hobart patents the stand mixer and incorporates it into their list of products.
1934 – The KitchenAid brand is created when Hobart is purchased by the Sunbeam Corporation (a typewriter manufacturer).
1935 – The K5A batch mixer is released. It’s shaped like a cylinder and comes with a glass bowl and whirler attachment (used for whipping cream). It could “be operated with one hand while [the] operator was busy with something else”. This model lasted until 1955.
1956 – The K5B stand mixer is released. It’s a much bigger model and has a flat pastry attachment, making it easier to handle.
There are many different KitchenAid products on the market, but the ones that are the easiest to describe are the stand mixers (the one’s with the long handles that have sets of beaters). There’s also a KitchenAid food processor and attachments, as well as attachments all over the place for other appliances and tools. The mixer is far more expensive than other models, but you get value for your money. They’re extremely durable and can last for decades.
ARTISAN VS PROFESSIONAL STAND MIXER
So what’s the difference between the artisan and professional? They’re both made by KitchenAid, but the professional is a much larger machine. The first thing you’ll notice when comparing them is that the professional is 40 pounds heavier. It has a 5-quart stainless steel mixing bowl as well as a 6-quart stainless steel bowl for extra mixing capabilities (this bowl fits on top of the 5-quart bowl to make it an 11 quart mixer). It’s also bigger than other mixers out there with a 4 inch opening versus the standard 3 inch opening found on other mixers.
Other things that set the professional apart from the artisan: It has two mixing attachments, a flat beater and dough hook. Other mixers only have one mixer attachment. The flat beater is used for kneading bread and dough, whereas the dough hook is used to increase mixing speed.
Another thing to note is that professional mixers feature a detachable power cord, but line powered models are also available (Professional Mixer Line Powered). This could be helpful if you don’t have an outlet near your work space. I believe line powered models are only available in the US at this time (I have not seen them on Amazon or other retailers yet). This could be a hindrance, but at least it’s an option.
The professional comes with a motorized work bowl, which can be rotated completely around the bowl to make it easier to reach the bottom of the bowl. This is a handy feature, but it also means that you’re now using up space that can be used for kneading dough or attaching other attachments. If you have limited space in your kitchen (as I do), you might not want to use this feature.
I honestly don’t think there’s much difference between these two models as far as performance is concerned, but if you watch the commercials on TV and see people doing amazing things with one of them, I might want to go that direction. It just depends on what you’re going to use it for.
WHAT CAN YOU USE A STAND MIXER FOR?
A stand mixer is used for virtually any situation where you need a machine to do the work for you. Yes, you can beat eggs by hand, but why waste the time if you have a machine that can do it for you? That’s what mixers are all about! All that being said, here are some great things to use your KitchenAid mixer for:
1. Baking Bread – Whether it’s French bread, bagels or a holiday loaf of pumpkin bread, having fresh baked bread in your home is one of life’s simple pleasures. This requires a paddle attachment and a long mixing time, but it’s worth it! Check out some recipes here.
2. Making Dough – Anytime you’re making pizza dough, pie crust or tortillas, the KitchenAid is an excellent machine to use. Check out my pizza dough recipe here!
3. Kneading Dough – Kneading dough is what any KitchenAid is really made for. You can use the flat beater and dough hook, or you can use the dough hook for kneading and the flat beater for kneading (with a rubber spatula). If you’re going to hand mix your bread instead of using your mixer, then don’t worry about whether I’ve said it’s best used for that. It’s great for all things bread! Check out my bread recipe here!
4. Making Holiday Cookies – Yes, you can use a regular kitchen mixer to make cookies. But using a stand mixer makes prep much easier. You can put even the most intricate cookie recipes on your mixer. See my recipe for my favorite holiday (and year round) cookie here!
5. Making Desserts – Whether it’s frosting or a cupcake, the KitchenAid is a machine that’s very versatile. You can make them with or without the paddle and beater attachments, as well as use other different attachments! Check out some of my recipes here like Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cinnamon Rolls!
6. Mixing Dough – It’s not often you’ll use a stand mixer to mix ordinary dough, but it’s amazing how many things you can make this way. Check out my recipe for homemade pizza dough here!
7. Making Ice Cream – The KitchenAid ice cream maker attachment makes it possible to make ice cream right in the container you serve it in. As a result, there is no mess or transferring of your dessert from one place to another. You can make several batches of ice cream at once in the same container and use the included recipe book for creative combinations.
8. Making Butter – If you don’t have an electric mixer, manually making butter will take a long time without one. The KitchenAid mixer makes this process much quicker and easy with the included beater attachment versus trying to do this by hand with a whisk (another way you can do it). Check out my recipe here for butter!
9. Measuring Dry Ingredients – Sometimes you want to make sure that your dry ingredients are mixed well (like baking powder). These recipes are easy and quick. Whether you’re using a stand mixer or hand mixer, the KitchenAid can easily grind the mixture together, leaving no clumps.
10. Making Ice Cream – You don’t need an attachment to make ice cream with a stand mixer. The paddle attachment will do the job just fine! Check out my recipe here for ice cream!
11. Chopping Vegetables – If you use a large food processor, you’ll end up cutting yourself if you try to chop vegetables in big batches like this one. The KitchenAid is a safer alternative. The 1/3 hp motor will quickly chop fresh vegetables, fruits or anything else you need to chop up, either small or large.
12. Pulsing – One of the reasons I love my KitchenAid mixer is that I don’t have to chop everything by hand if I want small, evenly chopped bits of food in my recipes. You can pulse your foods with the paddle attachment until they’re ground up and mixed together (think meatloaf).
13. Pureeing – Pureeing is what the paddle attachment does best. You can use it to mix in ingredients and also puree your foods (like tomatoes). Remember that you’ll be using this attachment with the motor running. Be careful when pureeing hot foods, because the attachment will get very hot.
14. Grating – One of these attachments is a grater, but there are several different ones to choose from. You can grate things like cheese and vegetables, as well as fresh ginger and other foods too. Use it for shredding carrots for quick carrot cake or shredding potatoes for homemade fries!
Which mixer should you buy? It all depends on what you want to use it for. If you want an awesome machine that can do anything, then the KitchenAid stand mixer is the best choice! Is it expensive? Yes! Is it worth the money? Definitely, especially if you use it often. If you don’t bake or cook much, then a hand mixer is great, but you’ll definitely have to do more hand mixing than if you had a stand mixer. (It’s a lot of work!)
Is the KitchenAid Pro worth it?
I’ve had my KitchenAid Mixer for around 5 years. It’s still going strong and is my go-to appliance for almost everything! I use it a lot, so I got this mixer on sale to keep the cost down. Is it worth it? Timeless classic KitchenAid could be a great fit for many people.
Although the mixer is pretty basic, I love that you get three speeds in this one: slow, medium, and high. (I do wish it had a fast speed – but perhaps that was part of the deal when I bought it on sale!) The bowl size of 6 qt is just right for me too. It makes mixing dough easy and simple.
But here’s what I don’t like about it: It can be a little noisy, especially on high speed. Luckily, it has a light inside that you can turn on to see if it’s working properly. On really busy days, I don’t turn the mixer off when I’m done using it.
What is the difference between the artisan and classic KitchenAid mixers?
The Stand Mixer
There are a few differences between these two mixers. The classic has a tilt-back head so you can easily add ingredients at any time during the mixing process. The artisan, however, has a fixed bowl and doesn’t tilt back. So you might want to take this into consideration when making your own decision.
This is the biggest difference between the two. The stand mixer recipes are more “stand” than “mix”! For example, most of them require hand kneading (something that’s not required with the classic mixer). This means that you’ll have to keep the mixer running while you do the kneading. The stand mixer recipes do require more work in general, so if you don’t bake or cook often, then hand mixing is the way to go.
Is KitchenAid discontinuing the Artisan mixer?
KitchenAid is discontinuing the Artisan line of mixers. So if you want a beautiful wooden mixer, you might need to buy it on eBay. This is the same exact mixer mentioned above and comes with all the same attachments as above. It has 750 watts of power, which is also more than enough power for any recipe. Although this mixer is perfect for a casual baker, I don’t recommend it for a serious cook or chef because we like super high power in our appliances (such as the Cuisinart).
What’s the difference between KitchenAid Artisan and deluxe?
KitchenAid Artisan had the same functions of classic, but was in a beautiful mahogany finish. It was $100 less than the KitchenAid deluxe, which featured a chrome color. These mixers were discontinued many years ago and were replaced with the Artisan Professional models (both hand and stand mixers), which have basically the same functions as classic yet come in beautiful hardwood finishes.
CONCLUSION:
If you’re serious about cooking, then I would highly recommend investing in a quality stand mixer. Take your time and find the right one for you. There are plenty of great models out there, so read and research reviews on different KitchenAid mixers (and other stand mixers) to find the right one for you.
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