KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Review

Design and features

• Excellent build quality
• New control dial with precision mode
• New mixing accessory

The original KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer has maintained its popularity for several reasons: it’s powerful, it looks amazing, and it’s built to last. On that front, I’ve got an original mixer at home, and I can’t actually remember when it was bought. Suffice it to say that it must be at least 15 years old, and still looks and works like new.

Changing something so iconic is a bold move, but the KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer gets it all right, starting with the looks: this new mixer looks very similar to the old one, available in a wide array of colours to match your décor. My review sample is the fetching Iron Ore.

This new mixer is just as well made as the original. At 9.89kg, this solid metal mixer feels chunky and well made. That weight has an advantage: once placed on a counter, the KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer isn’t going anywhere.

In the box, there’s a 4.7L stainless steel mixing bowl, which locks into the base securely for mixing. Again, it’s brilliantly made and has an air of quality that cheaper mixers miss.

In the box, there are four mixing heads. The main three are the familiar ones from previous KitchenAid mixers: a dough hook, wire whisk and flat beater. New to this model is the double flex edge beater, which has silicone edges so that you don’t have to scrape the sides of the bowl down as often.

My one complaint about the original mixer was the way that the attachments connected. Once you’d got a bit of mess in there, particularly sugar, the accessories could be a nightmare to remove.

For the KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, the connector has been redesigned, so attachments clip on and off more easily.

The control to unlock the head and tilt it up has stayed the same, with simple lever that moves into the unlock position when you’re ready to go.

Once an attachment is on, there’s a pouring shield that clips over the bowl. This prevents mess from splattering out, but provides a spout, so you can add more ingredients.

The original mixer had this, but this new version has a couple of rubber clips that hold it more securely in place. Again, a neat step forward.

There’s also the same accessory connector on the front, which lets you use the mixer’s motor for a range of accessories, including a pasta roller and mincer.

The real difference and benefit of the KitchenAid Artisan Plus 4.7L Tilt-Head Stand Mixer comes when you start to use it. First, the motor power has been upgraded from 300W on the original to 325W here. That’s a small increase, but an important one, allowing the Artisan Plus to use a bit more grunt when it comes to mixing thicker ingredients, in particular.

The control system is where things have really changed. With the original, there were 10 speeds listed on the side, but the steps went 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. With the new mixer, there are 10 true speeds to choose from, plus a ½ speed selection, which is designed for folding ingredients in to a mix without losing volume and air.

In its regular mode, each speed is reached with a firm click, but there’s also a precision mode, activated by twisting the dial. This allows the slider to move freely, with tiny movements gently adjusting speed. It really works, and I can adjust my mix by feel, slowly ramping up and down to get the results that I want. It’s brilliant.

There’s also a light in the mixing head, which lights up the bowl and makes it easier to see what’s being mixed. That feels like a long overdue upgrade, and I’m pleased to have it.

All parts are dishwasher safe, although the shield should only be placed in the top rack of the dishwasher.

Performance

• Powerful
• Easy to use
• Excellent results

I started by making baguette dough, which is something that I do often. Using the dough hook, mixing until I had quite a wet, sticky dough. Comparing the result to what I usually make, I was deeply impressed, and this dough was much better mixed than normal.

After leaving the dough to prove, then rolling it out and cooking it, I had a good result: a crispy crust and soft, fluffy interior.

Next, I whisked up some meringue using the wire beater. With the motor power, it didn’t take long to get stiff peaks. I then folded in some flavouring to test this feature: that ½ speed mode is excellent, mixing the extra ingredient without deflating the mix.

Spooning the mixture out into individual servings, I cooked on a low heat to get nice finish.

Finally, I made cake batter, using the new mixer. True to KitchenAid’s word, the bowl needed barely any scraping down, giving me a well-mixed batter with less overall effort.

Should you buy it?