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There’s no doubt about it. Having manufactured top-quality kitchen essentials since 1919 KitchenAid are one of the world’s finest kitchen appliance brands to have ever existed.
From refrigerators to ovens and everything in between, they make all the wonderful contraptions that make a modern kitchen highly functional and incredibly stylish.
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We must have done thousands of ‘best of’ appliance reviews and can’t think of a single time a KitchenAid product wasn’t on the list, which is a testament to their versatility and dedication to their craft.
Although of the innumerable appliances they put their deft hand to, we’d posit there’s one contraption in particular that can be considered their specialty…the mixer. Yes, in 1919, Ohio Engineer, Herbert Johnson invented the very first mixer and KitchenAid was born.
Now, we’re going to see how far they’ve come with a review of the KitchenAid KSM150P Artisan Stand Mixer. We’ll be discussing build-quality, functionality, and ease of use, among other things, to give you a well-rounded idea of what it’s all about.
KitchenAid KSM150P Artisan Series
Into the Mix
Ease of Use
All KitchenAid mixers are made to be as intuitive as possible, giving you a natural, uninhibited workflow, and the KSM150 is no exception.
The effort and attention to detail KitchenAid have put into this design really do make it feel like an extension of your own body.
Controls
The side-mounted speed controls are clearly labeled and the movement of the metal switch is smooth and measured, so rest assured, you won’t jump from 1 to 10 by accident and destroy your delicate mixes or send them flying around the room.
You might not care about this sort of thing, but we really love it when you can feel that little moving parts are made with top-quality components. You can tell the quality of the locking function by the slightly stiffer, smoother range of movement.
This, of course, doesn’t just mean it will last a long time, but it prevents accidental unlocking due to a knock or catching on something.
Attaching
The attachment process couldn’t be easier, simply unlock the head and pull it into its reclined position, hit the release button, and the current attachment will slide out. If you’re switching it to another simple whisking or beating attachment, it will click right in, and you’re ready to go.
If you’ve purchased some of the more advanced attachments such as the mincer, or the spiralizer, they slot right into the top frontal port quickly and easily.
KitchenAid have really put a great amount of thought into making a highly efficient machine.
Size and Weight
The KSM150 weighs 12.22 kg and measures in at (H)353 mm x (W)358 mm x (D)221 mm.
Due to the solid build and weight of this thing, it’s not really a viable option to keep lugging it out of storage every time you want to use it, so it’s likely going to need some permanent counter space.
Washability
This machine is easily wiped clean and the bowl and all the attachments are dishwasher-safe, meaning it’s a breeze during and post use.
If you want to a deep clean, all you’ll need is a couple of screwdrivers to take out the bottom plate and a cleaning solution.
Motor
The KSM150 has an exceedingly powerful 300-watt motor, which, for context, is around the power of an electric bike, meaning you’re not going to be left wanting when it comes to raw speed and oomph.
Speeds
This mixer has six overall speed settings starting at 1 which will be perfect for folding those gooey brownie, melt-in-the-mouth mousse, and fluffy cake mixes without knocking out all the air.
The next speed is 2, which is still a very gentle speed but is firm enough to handle dense batters and doughs and the perfect setting for cutting butter into a mix.
From there, it starts moving in increments of two, making the third speed setting 4. This setting is perfect for mixing large amounts of cookie dough or beating eggs to perfection.
Speed 6, the fourth setting, is an ideal medium-fast setting for creaming butter and beating frostings for cakes and adventurous cookies.
The fifth, 8-speed setting is an incredibly powerful high-speed function that will take care of whipping and beating in record time. This is the setting you’ll need for thickening your creams and whisking your meringue mixes into fluffy perfection.
The final 10-speed setting will help you with difficult mixes or mixes that have gone slightly awry, by beating any lumps of flour into oblivion.
Attachments
This mixer comes with the standard high-quality stainless steel wire whisk, a flat beater perfect for heavier mixtures like frostings or mashed potatoes, and a dough hook that makes light work of kneading any kind of mixture be it for pizza, pasta, or bread.
The 150 is compatible with countless other attachments available from KitchenAid; however, you have to buy them separately. We were okay with that, but then we were a little let down when we realized that the 125 and 175 artisan models are essentially the same machine, albeit with slightly different logo design, but come with way more attachments.
Unfortunately, We also discovered you miss out on a few other neat accessories when you choose this mixer over others in the series, like an anti-spill guard that assists funnel ingredients neatly into the mix, and extra bowls.
No, it’s not the end of the world that these things don’t come with the mixer as standard. They’re all compatible, so if you do choose to purchase them separately, you’ll have all the versatility of the other models and more.
Bowl Size
Here’s the really great part about buying a large standing mixer: you can make tons and tons of stuff at once.
The mixer comes with a bowl with a maximum capacity of just under 5 liters. You can mix enough dough in a bowl that size for 4 loaves of bread, 108 cookies, and 7 pounds of mashed potato.
Basically, unless you’re cooking for an army, this thing will be able to handle it.
Build-Quality
This mixer is built like a tank. It’s designed for heavy-duty professional and home use in the busiest of environments, and although we didn’t throw one out of a window to see what would happen, we’re pretty sure it wouldn’t just still work, but the paint wouldn’t even have chipped; it’s that kind of product.
The body is made from zinc, which isn’t as strong as other metals like steel, but it is still durable, rust-proof, corrosion-resistant, and much lighter.
Everything about the KSM150 feels sturdy. Even when you lift up the mixer head and it sits on a weighty angle, the joint seems steadfast and truly unbreakable.
It’s not just the casing that can take a beating and come out shining. The electrics are specially developed to last a ridiculous amount of time. KitchenAid mixers are famous for lasting 30 + years, never needing a service.
This is the kind of thing archeologists will dig up in a thousand years and think is alien technology gifted to a primitive humankind.
There have been a couple of customer complaints about the locking function not being as sturdy as it should, but we can’t stress enough that those were extremely isolated cases, something that’s illustrated perfectly by the sheer volume of five-star reviews people give this mixer.
Style
This isn’t exactly a small mixer. It won’t fade into the background like an electric whisk. It’s going to stand out in a kitchen, especially if you choose one of the more striking and bold colors, so you may want to think about aesthetics and how your kitchen is styled before you purchase this mixer
That being said, this is a beautiful machine to look at, and the chances are you’re going to want to give it pride of place to be celebrated by all that pass through your kitchen. It’s smooth sloping lines mixed with the glint of a flawless finish make for a truly attractive profile.
We can guarantee you it’s going to get no small amount of ‘ooohs’ and ‘awwws’ from envious family members, friends, and guests.
Verdict
This mixer is a really quality appliance, and even if we knew it was going to be good before we went into this review due to our knowledge of KitchenAid, the KSM150 still managed to give us a bit of shock in regards to just how good it really is.
We just can’t believe how easy to use this is for such an expansive and versatile bit of kitchen kit. It’s capable of doing more things than you’ll ever realistically need or think to do, and it makes them utterly effortless. Honestly, it’s kind of mesmerizing to just sit and watch this mixer do its thing.
The timeless and sleek neoclassical design really draws you in and inspires that childish look-with-your-hands instinct still buried inside us somewhere. It’s one of those rare items that isn’t just a joy to use, but every time you even walk by it or see it out of the corner of your eye, you’ll smile.
No, it’s not a brand new release, and It was disappointing to see that it doesn’t come equipped with as many attachments as other mixers in the artisan series.
However, all this tells us is that you can probably find a second hand one for a fraction of the cost of some of the newer models that are essentially the same machine, and then you’ll have money left over to treat yourself to some of those amazing sold-separately attachments.