KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Your Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right One

Few kitchen appliances have reached icon status like the KitchenAid stand mixer. Not merely a tool used for culinary purposes, the KitchenAid signifies a mastery of the kitchen and is often the centrepiece of a kitchen. It is a universal aspirational piece of equipment. People want one because it looks sleek, lasts long and it is truly versatile, welcomed by home bakers, professional chefs and everybody in between. With so many models, however, the world of KitchenAid stand mixers can be daunting.

From comparing model lines to knowing which bowl size is right for whipping up cakes at home, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about KitchenAid stand mixers. Read on for details on everything from models and features to where to find the best deal and how to make the most of your stand mixer investment. Whether you’re a seasoned baker venturing into new culinary territory or a curious novice dipping your toe into the baking waters for the very first time, this guide aims to give you all the information you need to choose the right KitchenAid stand mixer for your kitchen.

A Look at KitchenAid's Stand Mixer Lineup: Finding Your Perfect Match

While KitchenAid’s stand mixers have so many model lines available, it’s totally understandable if you have no clue what separates them from one another. So, I’m providing my thoughts about today’s popular model lines to give you a better idea of each one’s features, unique qualities and who it’s made for. I’ve arranged them roughly from low price to high; keep in mind all price points are approximate.

The Classic: KitchenAid Artisan Series – A Timeless Choice

The KitchenAid Artisan series, the OG of Stand mixers, sets a benchmark for all stand mixers, so much so that it’s been the go-to for decades kitchen to kitchen and from baker to baker. Here’s the rundown:

• KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer: the quintessential American KitchenAid model in a crowd-pleasing range of colours’Everybody knows the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer. Available in an exponentially multiplying range of colours – including the pink KitchenAid mixer – it’s nearly as recognisable as a brand as a statement piece. Available with 5-quart capacity (perfect for most domestic baking needs), it comes with the standard attachments – flat beater, dough hook, wire whisk. As beautifully designed as it is reliable, the Artisan looks sturdy and works smoothly. It’s ubiquitous.
• KitchenAid Artisan Mini Plus: If space is a consideration (smaller kitchen, has to double as a makeshift desk for your recipes and screen) and/or you tend to bake in smaller batches, consider the Artisan Mini Plus with a 3.5-quart capacity. Like the regular Artisan, it has the same awesome power, just in a smaller footprint. A fantastic choice for the single or a couple or small family, an apartment or a retirement home, and can serve as a secondary mixer to a larger Artisan if you already have one.

The Powerhouse: KitchenAid Professional Series – Built for Serious Bakers

For serious bakers and anyone who does a lot of work with heavy doughs, KitchenAid’s Professional series is gleefully brute-force: if it won’t make a mountain of dough into something that looks suspiciously like a baked boulder, it’s because the boulder is too heavy. It wins on brute force – and power-production.

• KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus: Slightly bigger with a 5.5-quart bowl, this is a favorite among experienced bakers, who tend to work with larger batches of cookies, bread or even cakes, where too much splashing in a smaller bowl would be an issue. It’s also more powerful and stronger than the Artisan, so it will do the heavy-duty work, like mixing a heavy yeast dough, well.
• KitchenAid Professional 600: The biggest and strongest of them all The 600-watt-motor, 6-quart KitchenAid Professional 600 model is the heavy-duty, high-capacity workhorse of kitchen stand mixers. It can knead both a stiff no-knead dough and doughs with wholemal flour; it can easily prepare both a heavy sourdough and an airy sponge cake; it can make enough whipped cream to top 150 cupcakes. No baking project is too big if you are prepared and willing to put in the time and effort it takes to complete it. For many bakers, but especially professional bakers, families who bake every week and people with a passion for a DIY mentality and a love of large-scale baking projects, this mixer is the one to get. Invest in it once, and you will have it for life.

The Budget-Friendly Choice: KitchenAid Classic Series – Quality at a Great Price

The KitchenAid Classic series. Lower cost, but the works. Here’s a quick rundown.The KitchenAid Classic series offers a lot of bang for your buck without skimping on performance. She’ll get her KitchenAid experiences right from the start!

KitchenAid Classic Stand MixerFrom $249.95This series comes in 4.5-quarts, a size large enough to meet most basic home kitchen baking needs. The Classic is best for a family who bakes occasionally or for a person who enjoys baking, but not necessarily professionally. This mixer has excellent value for an item of this quality, and it comes in many colors, making it easy to find shades to fit any decor.

Beyond Mixing: Exploring the World of KitchenAid Attachments – Expand Your Culinary Horizons

It’s a mixer, but it likes to be known as a culinary versatility powerhouse Did you know that your KitchenAid stand mixer is more than just a mixer? Like that old Zima commercial used to say: Right tool? Right room? Your KA mixer comes with more than 13 attachments that turn your KA into something else – a vegetable slicer, a meat grinder, and a sausage stuffer being the most commonly purchased.

• Pasta Maker: The KitchenAid pasta maker attachment turns your KitchenAid into a pasta machine, letting you roll out dough and make your own fresh pasta – from simple fettuccine and lasagne sheets to more complicated shapes such as ravioli. A great way to give your pasta dishes a bit of homemade love.
• Meat Grinder: Grind your own meat and devotees of ‘real’ food will confess to using their KitchenAid meat grinder attachment (230 price, $100 with the stand) to make juicy burgers, sausages, meatloaf and even jerky. You can even buy the pride of paying your local butcher to grind a peck of good beef or plain ole pork for your homemade product. If you’ve come this far, whacking the ground meat in some dry curing blend will perk up the flavours and dry the meat out for your home-made jerky.
• Spiralizer: Vegetables have never looked so fun and creative. The KitchenAid spiralizer attachment will turn your sweet zucchini, carrots and cucumbers into gorgeous spirals for salad, pasta, or simply added to pasta as a gluten-free addition. What’s for dinner? How about zoodles with butter!
• Ice Cream Maker: Use your KItchenAid ice cream maker attachment to beat the heat this summer and enjoy healthy homemade ice cream. Using the ice cream maker provides a convenient no-hassle way of enjoying fresh homemade ice cream that is quick, easy and fun.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Your KitchenAid Stand Mixer – Making the Right Choice

Here are some things to bear in mind before pulling the trigger, so you can rest assured that you’ve chosen the KitchenAid stand mixer that best suits your family and baking habits.

• Capacity: the more you can mix at one time, the less you’ll be tinkering with the dough as you go. How much will you be mixing, anyway? Generally, most home bakers are perfectly happy with the 5-quart capacity of the Artisan series, while those feeding larger families will want at least that – or more, since such as the 7- and 10-quart capacities that the Professional series works well for larger-scale baking. If you’re an occasional bread-baker, baking only once a month or so, then a 5-quart capacity will meet your needs 99 per cent of the time. Families that indulge in more frequent baking will do well with the larger 7- or 10-quart capacity.
• Motor Power: A powerful motor is important for handling heavy doughs, typically used for bread or pizza dough. The Professional series from KitchenAid offers plenty of power, enough to deal with any mixing job. If you are going to be baking a lot, and doing it with heavy doughs, then a powerful motor is a necessity.
• Speed Control: Multiple speed settings allow for fine-tuning the control over mixing. Lighter batters do better with lower speed settings. Heavy doughs are kneaded to a good finish on higher speeds. Multiple speeds allow for this flexibility.
• II. Attachments: Think through what attachments you might need or want, now or later. A KitchenAid stand mixer doesn’t just mix batter; it can do a lot more if you decide to expand your horizons. Check out available attachments; select a mixer that fits with your future baking plans. KitchenAid stand mixers are available in a broad range of colors and finishes for matching your decor. Make the right choice and find a mixer that best fits in with your cook-inspired style. Will your kitchen become ‘really cute’ or ‘really country’ or ‘really high-tech’? Start with your goal in mind and choose a stand mixer that brings the right vibe to your kitchen.

Finding the Best Deal on a KitchenAid Stand Mixer – Maximizing Your Savings

KitchenAid stand mixers might be a hefty investment but, if you use them right, they can last a lifetime. For these mid-range luxuries, here’s how to get the best deals and ensure that you are buying at the right price.

• Shop during large sales events: Some of the largest sales every year are KitchenAid Mixer Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Keep an eye out for KitchenAid stand mixer sales throughout the year, especially around holidays. Sales days are a prime time to get a KitchenAid stand mixer at a good deal.
• Look online: You could purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer through online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart.com and Target.com which currently have the best prices as of this writing.
• Consider ‘reconditioned’ models: Refurbished KitchenAid stand mixers often go for hundreds of dollars less than his basic ones ($400-$600 on Amazon, with a warranty), and most high-end retailers carry a reconditioned model. Reconditioned is a great way to go if you want a KitchenAid stand mixer but aren’t made of money.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Baking with the KitchenAid Stand Mixer – A Culinary Investment

This beloved KitchenAid stand mixer, first introduced in 1919, is more than just a piece of kitchen equipment. It’s a partner to help you bake your own bread. It’s a statement of your commitment to a more homestead-like way of feeding your family. It’s a high-stakes investment in the success of future batches of squid ink meringues, Bhutanese honey cakes and alligator pecan pies. But, above all, it’s a personal matter, because there’s no one perfect KitchenAid. There’s one that’s perfect for you. To find it, you need to consider capacity, motor, attachments, and the sales. More than anything else, you have to be a little smarter. Then, you’ll go home with a new friend, and maybe even a batch of chocolate zucchini bread to share.