United States · Whirlpool
The stand mixer the attachment hub was built around — and a range sold by color as much as by motor
KitchenAid appears on this site in two families — stand mixers and food processors — and, more than any other maker, in the accessory shelves that go with them: replacement beaters, pastry beaters, a slicer and shredder, a food grinder, a pasta roller and an ice cream bowl, all for the same hub.
The hub is the product. Every KitchenAid stand mixer here shares the attachment hub at the front of the head, and that is what keeps a mixer useful for a decade: the KSMVSA slicer and shredder, the KSMMGA food grinder and the KSMPRA pasta set all fit it.
Tilt-head or bowl-lift decides the beaters. The Classic K45SS is a 4.5-quart tilt-head; the Artisan a 5-quart tilt-head; the bowl-lift KSM55 a 5.5-quart model with eleven speeds plus a half speed for folding. Beaters and bowls do not interchange between the two designs — check before buying a spare.
The same Artisan, many prices. Five colors of the KSM150 Artisan are reviewed here, and their Amazon.com prices differ by around a hundred dollars for the same machine. The contents list differs too: only some listings name a pouring shield. Read the listing for the color you choose.
Outside the mixers, the KFC3516 3.5-cup chopper is a small, locking-blade chopper with a drizzle basin — a different proposition from a full processor.
The stand mixers page compares every mixer on this site, and the stand mixer attachments page the hub attachments.
Classic Series tilt-head · 59 bowl touchpoints · metal construction
A 4.5-quart tilt-head stand mixer in metal, with ten speeds, 59 touchpoints, three coated attachments and access to the KitchenAid attachment hub.
Best for: Anyone who wants the hub and the metal without paying Artisan money
≈ $323
3.5-cup chopper · 2 speeds plus pulse · locking stainless blade · drizzle basin · pour spout · no wattage published
A 3.5-cup chopper with a locking blade, a pour spout, a drizzle basin, two speeds and a cord wrap.
Best for: Baby food, salsa and dressings, where pouring the bowl out cleanly matters
≈ $55
Artisan 5 qt tilt-head, almond · 59 bowl touchpoints · metal construction
The 5-quart Artisan tilt-head mixer in four bullets: metal construction, 59 touchpoints, a handled bowl rated 9 dozen cookies, a locking tilt-head and ten speeds.
Best for: The Artisan in this color, bought on the badge and the bowl handle
≈ $499
Artisan 5 qt tilt-head · 59 bowl touchpoints · metal construction
The 5-quart Artisan tilt-head mixer in black matte, with ten speeds, 59 touchpoints, a handled bowl rated 9 dozen cookies and over twenty colors in the range.
Best for: Anyone who has chosen the Artisan and is choosing the finish
≈ $492
Artisan KSM150PS, 5 qt tilt-head · 10 speeds · 36 in cord · 9 dozen cookies per batch · 59 bowl touchpoints · its own listing publishes only the speed range and the cord length
The 5-quart Artisan tilt-head mixer, published here in a single bullet giving a 10-speed slide control and a 36-inch cord.
Best for: Anyone buying the Artisan on reputation rather than on the page
≈ $499
Artisan 5 qt tilt-head, pistachio · 59 bowl touchpoints · metal construction
The 5-quart Artisan tilt-head mixer in pistachio, with ten speeds, 59 touchpoints, a handled bowl rated 9 dozen cookies and over twenty colors in the range.
Best for: Anyone for whom the color is the point and the mechanism is settled
≈ $500
Artisan 5 qt tilt-head, velvet finish · 59 bowl touchpoints · metal construction
The 5-quart Artisan tilt-head mixer in blue velvet, shipping a bowl, a coated flat beater, a coated dough hook, a 6-wire whip and a pouring shield.
Best for: The Artisan, bought from the one listing that tells you what arrives
≈ $400
Bowl-lift stand mixer · twice the in-bowl power of the KSM150 tilt-head, per KitchenAid
A 5.5-quart bowl-lift stand mixer with eleven speeds plus a half speed for folding, a 3-point locking bowl and twice the bowl power of the tilt-head Artisan.
Best for: Bread in quantity, under a wall cupboard, with the hub in reach
