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A Quick Look at the KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Believe it or not, KitchenAid has been making stand mixers since 1919 when they introduced the Model H-5, the first stand mixer for the home. It’s hard to imagine that stand mixers have been around for so long. I only bring this up as a indication of how long they’ve been working on improving their products. And, by the way, just to be clear, I have no pony in this race. My website, www.thekitchentool.com, offers multiple brands of stand mixers and I have no interest in one over the other. My only interest is to offer objective information so that you can make the best decision for yourself.
In this article, I’m going to take a closer look at the KitchenAid Artisan 5 Quart Stand Mixer. Let’s begin with the basic features. KitchenAid isn’t stingy with colors as this mixer is available in 27, so there’s a color to match just about any kitchen color scheme out there. In terms of size, the mixer measures 14 1/8″ deep, 8 3/4″ wide, and 13 15/16″ high when the mixer’s motor head is down.
During my review, I had this stand mixer sitting on my kitchen countertop. Even when the mixer’s motor head was tilted up, the mixer still fit on the countertop beneath the upper cabinets though coming a close 1/4″ from the lower cabinet moulding. In my kitchen, the space between the top of the countertop and the bottom of the upper cabinets measures 18″ or 17 3/4″ from the countertop to the lower cabinet moulding. I believe this is a standard installation but it should give you some idea as to how the mixer would fit on your countertop.
In terms of weight, KitchenAid specs this mixer’s weight at 25 lbs. KitchenAid makes mixers that weigh up to 30 lbs, so relative to some of their other mixers, this is a light one. But, practically speaking, however, 25 lbs is not exactly light. Now, if weight is an indication of durability then this mixer should last a good many years. In fact, my sister-in-law was given a KitchenAid stand mixer in early 1994 and that mixer was just replaced last year. So that’s certainly a good testament to the durability of the product. On the other hand, if you will be using this mixer fairly frequently and will be moving it in and out of storage, you may want to consider a lighter mixer. I was surprised at how heavy the mixer was when I first picked it up. In fact, many of the other brand stand mixers actually weigh less than the KitchenAid mixers. Cuisinart, for example, makes a larger capacity stand mixer, the Cuisinart SM-70, with a 7 quart mixing bowl that weighs 20 1/2 lbs, according to Cuisinart’s specs. So definitely consider all your options before you buy.
This mixer comes packaged with five pieces including a 5-quart stainless steel bowl designed with an ergonomic handle to fit the hand. A nylon coated flat beater that is included will be used for mixing cakes, cookies, biscuits, frostings, mashed potatoes, and meat loaf, for example. This is the beater that will, most likely, be used most often. A 6-Wire Whisk is also included for making meringues, whipping cream, beating eggs, mayonnaise, and mixing angel food cakes. Basically, when you need to impose air into a mix, you’ll use the wire whisk. And, a nylon coated dough hook used for kneading breads, buns, and rolls is also included. This Artisan mixer comes equipped with a 325 watt motor which is certainly strong enough to handle repeated and heavy kneading. Also included is a convenient Pouring Shield so that you can more easily add ingredients to a mix while preventing splash from the mix.
Let me mention another accessory that is NOT included with this mixer but can be purchased in addition. A friend of mine bought one of these Artisan stand mixers this past Christmas. She has two small children who love to watch her cook. When she used the mixer with the included stainless steel bowl they would get as close as they could possibly get to the mixer in order to look down into the bowl. This made it difficult for her to then be able to add ingredients into the bowl as the mixer was operating. So, as a solution, she purchased the glass bowl so that they could see in without having to get so close. Presto! According to her, it worked magically! If you have small sous-chef’s in the making, you may want to consider this item, the KitchenAid 5-quart glass bowl along with the mixer. Just make sure that whatever stand mixer brand you choose, the glass bowl mixer is offered as well.
Operation of the Stand Mixer
This mixer is a tilt-head style mixer rather than bowl-lift style. You move the tilt head lever to the unlock position and tilt the head back. This makes it fairly easy to attach and remove the bowl without hitting the beater. Even though the motor head is heavy enough to remain in place when in operation, it certainly needs to be locked in place any time the mixer is to be moved – and, in any case, KitchenAid recommends locking the head whenever the mixer is in operation.
Obviously, it’s a single beater style mixer; in other words, the beater, whisk, or dough hook rotates in one direction and moves around the bowl in the other direction. This is in comparison with the two-beater style mixers, the bowl rotates around the beaters similar to a hand-mixer. This mixer does not detach, as in some stand mixers, to also act as a detachable hand mixer.
The mixer comes with a “beater height adjustment screw”, KitchenAid’s description, which can be turned with a screwdriver to lower or raise the beater. It’s use is a little awkward in the sense that in order to get to the screw it is best to remove the beater from the shaft. So, in my testing and adjustment of the height, it took several iterations of removing the beater, tilting the head back, turning the screw, re-attaching the beater, placing the head back down and turning on the mixer in order to determine if the height was just right. Not as convenient as it could be, but the good news is that this process should only have to be done once.
How do you know when the beater should be lowered or raised? KitchenAid refers to this as the “beater to bowl clearance”. KitchenAid recommends placing a dime at the bottom of the mixing bowl. Attach the flat beater and turn the mixer to stir speed. If the dime remains in its place, this is an indication that you need to make an adjustment. Locate the adjustment screw, make a slight turn to the right, then test it again. When the dime moves slightly every time the beater turns around the bowl, the adjustment is correct. I used this method to adjust the beater height, and though it took a few adjustments in order for me to “get it right”, this does seem to be a relatively fool-proof method.
Prior to getting my hands on the mixer and operating it, I noticed that some customer reviews commented on the loudness of the operation of the mixer when at high speed. I tested this myself and while I probably wouldn’t try to carry on a phone conversation while the mixer is running on high, I didn’t find this noise too much louder than the noise generated by a hand-mixer at its highest speed.
Optional Attachments
Along with the mixer, KitchenAid offers several attachments which can be purchased separately from the mixer. At the front of the mixer head you will find the hub where you can attach these utility attachments. What kind of attachments are available for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer?
- Ravioli Maker – With this attachment, you can fill pasta with meat, cheese, or any other filling and roll out rows of ravioli.
- Pasta Cutter – process dough into egg noodle or angel hair pasta
- Ice Cream Maker – It prepares up to 2 quarts of ice cream, sorbet, gelato and other frozen desserts.
- Food Grinder – will grind not only meats but fruits, vegetables, bread and cheese.
- Citrus Juicer – used to extract juice
- Roto Slicer/Shredder – comes with four settings to control the thickness and texture of your slicing and shredding of fruits, vegetables, and cheeses.
- Sausage Stuffer – can be used to create smaller or larger links
- Food Tray – attaches to the food grinder, pasta maker, sausage stuffer, and fruit/vegetable strainer to provide an additional surface
- Fruit and Vegetable Strainer and Grinder – used in conjunction with the Food Grinder, this is used to prepare apple or tomato sauce, baby food, jams, and chutneys. You can also use this attachment to grind fresh or cooked meat
The KitchenAid Stand mixer is a seemingly durable and versatile as well as, if I must say so, attractive utility to have in the kitchen. I hope this article has provided you with at least a little more information about this kitchen tool than you had before.
About the Author
Also the creator of The Kitchen Tool, www.thekitchentool.com, the author is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of cakes, cupcakes, and almost anything sweet!
