Cooking Appliances review
KitchenAid Artisan Review: Scored 10 for Kneading, Then the Motor Stuttered
TechGearLab ranked it first of ten and gave kneading a perfect score, while noting the motor stuttering on stiff dough. Foodal says buy something bigger if you bake bread weekly.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
KitchenAid
KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
Good · researched from 3 sources
The best-scoring stand mixer in a ten-machine test, and 325 watts is still 325 watts. For cakes, cookies, meringues and the occasional loaf it is close to perfect, and if you make bread every week two of three sources point you up a size.
- Buy if
- Cakes, cookies and meringues, on two perfect category scores · Cooks who want the attachment ecosystem, at fifteen-plus options · Occasional to moderate bread baking
- Skip if
- Weekly bread production, on Foodal's explicit recommendation · Sessions longer than about twenty minutes, when the housing warms · Anyone who needs a quiet kitchen at high speed
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
A perfect kneading score, with an asterisk
TechGearLab gave kneading 10.0 out of 10. The dough hook took high-hydration focaccia and sandwich dough through the windowpane test in seven minutes and produced loaves they describe as beautifully bronzed.
In the same review, in the criticisms: the motor exhibited slight stuttering during stiff dough work.
Foodal, independently, arrives at the practical version of that observation. The dough hook works, they say, and anyone producing bread frequently should buy something more powerful. They also report the top of the machine warming up after more than twenty minutes of running.
Neither source is calling this a bad bread mixer. Both are describing 325 watts doing a job that wants more.
What it is unambiguously good at
Whipping: 10.0, stiff peaks in 1 minute 50 seconds, and a six-wire whisk that TechGearLab singles out for handling small quantities that defeat other machines.
Beating: 7.0, the weakest category, with mix-ins sometimes needing a spatula.
Ease of use: 9.6, credited to the tapered bowl and adjustable beater height.
That last one is why the overall number is what it is. TechGearLab weights ease of use at 40 percent, more than any performance test, which carries the Artisan to 92 out of 100 and first place out of ten machines.
What five quarts holds
Foodal's conversion is the most useful specification in any of the three reviews: about four and a half loaves of light bread, nine dozen cookies, or seven pounds of mashed potatoes.
That is a large domestic batch. It is not a bakery.
The gear that is meant to break
Inside is a Nylatron gear that Foodal describes as designed to protect the motor if the machine binds.
That is worth understanding before it happens. If you jam the mixer, the intended failure is a cheap plastic gear rather than an expensive motor, and it is a serviceable part.
The disagreements and the annoyances
TechGearLab lists the weight at 21.3 pounds and Foodal at 26. Most likely one is the bare machine and the other includes bowl, attachments and box. Either way it lives on the worktop.
The tilt-head impedes bowl access, which is a property of the design.
And ExtraFudge's two practical grumbles: it is noisy at higher speeds, and the pouring shield is cumbersome enough that plenty of owners leave it in a drawer.
How it scored
The overall 8.2 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Performance
TechGearLab scored whipping 10.0 and kneading 10.0, reaching stiff peaks in 1 minute 50 seconds and passing the windowpane test after seven minutes. Beating scored 7.0.
Value
TechGearLab ranked it first of ten at 92 out of 100 with an Editors' Choice award. Foodal calls it a solid entry-level machine. ExtraFudge names the price a drawback.
Build quality
Metal construction throughout except the pouring shield, with a Nylatron gear that Foodal says is designed to shear and protect the motor if the machine binds.
Ease of use
TechGearLab scored ease of use 9.6 out of 10, crediting the tapered bowl and adjustable beater height, while noting the tilt-head mechanism impedes bowl access.
Capacity
Five quarts, which Foodal puts at four and a half loaves of light bread, nine dozen cookies or seven pounds of mashed potatoes. Foodal recommends more power for regular bread baking.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab ranked it first of ten stand mixers at 92 out of 100
- Perfect 10.0 scores for both whipping and kneading
- Stiff peaks in 1 minute 50 seconds, and the six-wire whisk handled low volumes
- A power hub taking more than fifteen optional attachments
- Foodal reports a Nylatron gear that shears to protect the motor
- Twenty-nine colour options, which no rival matches
What we didn’t
- TechGearLab reports the motor stuttering slightly on stiff dough
- Foodal does not recommend it as a primary tool for serious bread production
- Foodal reports the top getting warm after more than twenty minutes of use
- TechGearLab scored beating only 7.0, with mix-ins needing manual intervention
- The tilt-head mechanism impedes bowl access
- ExtraFudge finds it noisy at higher speeds and the pouring shield cumbersome
Specifications
| Motor | 325 W |
|---|---|
| Bowl | 5 quarts, 4.73 L, stainless steel with a handle |
| Speeds | 10 |
| Weight | 21.3 lb per TechGearLab; 26 lb per Foodal |
| Dimensions | 14 5/8 x 13 15/16 x 8 3/4 in per Foodal |
| Capacity | About 4.5 loaves of light bread, 9 dozen cookies or 7 lb of mashed potatoes per Foodal |
| Head | Tilt-head, not bowl-lift |
| Included | Flat beater, wire whisk, dough hook and pouring shield |
| Attachments | Power hub taking more than fifteen optional attachments |
| Colours | 29 per TechGearLab |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
TechGearLab tested the Artisan against nine other stand mixers and supplies the category scores and weights, the whipping time, the kneading protocol and result, the motor stuttering observation, the weight and the colour count, ranking it first of ten at 92 out of 100. Foodal supplies the motor rating, the capacity conversions, the dimensions, a second weight figure, the Nylatron gear detail, the warm-housing observation and the recommendation against frequent bread baking. ExtraFudge supplies the attachment count and the noise and pouring shield criticisms; it describes no stated testing protocol and is treated as impressions rather than measurement. The two weight figures conflict and both are reported.
What we read
Common questions
Can the KitchenAid Artisan handle bread dough?
How does it perform on whipping and beating?
What does 325 watts actually get you?
Why does it score so well overall?
How much does it weigh?
The bottom line on the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer
The best-scoring stand mixer in a ten-machine test, and 325 watts is still 325 watts. For cakes, cookies, meringues and the occasional loaf it is close to perfect, and if you make bread every week two of three sources point you up a size.
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