Who doesn’t love a good stand mixer? From making cookies and pastries to all sorts of recipes, these mixers are ideal for getting those dry and wet ingredients properly incorporated for baking. KitchenAid is a huge name in the world of stand mixers, and today we are looking at two different units that are similar in some ways, but very different in others. Both the Classic and Artisan Design are two respectable stand mixers that would make lovely additions to your kitchen.
So let’s take a look and compare KitchenAid Artisan vs. Classic mixers to see which one really deserves a spot on your counter!
KitchenAid Classic Design
The Classic stand mixer is one of the more affordable options in the KitchenAid line, but don’t confuse affordable with weak. You get a lot of power here, along with numerous options and many of the KitchenAid extra that make this such a special brand. Let’s start with the basic specs.
The Classic comes equipped with a 4.5-quart stainless steel bowl. This bowl can take a lot of damage and is ideal for a number of recipes and mixing. Not only that, but the steel remains cool during mixing, making it better for temperamental ingredients. It has a tilt-head design that makes it easy both to load ingredients and to remove the bowl. With just a push of a button, the head will lift so that you don’t have to struggle with the bowl.
Along with the bowl, a few other attachments come standard with the Classic. You get a flat bearer, wire whip and coated dough hook. Both the dough hook and flat bearer are nylon coated, ensuring that little sticks to them after mixing. Even though these are the standard accessories, you can add any other accessories that you have to give your stand mixer even more capabilities.
Cookie yield is around 6.75 dozen at full capacity, and the stand mixer runs at 250 watts, meaning that it has a fair amount of power. You can choose between onyx black or standard white for the body. The Classic also comes with the KitchenAid Power Hub, which allows you to connect 15 different optional attachments.
You can choose between 10 different speeds, and the 59-point planetary mixing gives this mixer incredibly coverage, ensuring that no spot goes untouched. While this mixer is a little basic compared to others in the KitchenAid line, it hits all the right spots and it’s great for new chefs or those who are looking to experiment with baking.
Pros: The large 4.5-quart stainless steel bowl gives you a lot of space for ingredients, and the tilt-head design makes it easy to load and remove the bowl. You can easily attach many optional tools to either the Power Hub or the mixing area. Steel bowls are more often used by professionals because it gives you a little more control and durability.
Cons: Despite all of its benefits and features, these are all fairly standard for the KitchenAid line, so this may not be good for professionals or those who want something really special. It lacks the power of bigger stand mixers, and it only comes in two different colors.
KitchenAid Artisan Design
The Artisan Design offers more in terms of power, size and available colors. Many of the basic specs are similar to the Classic, so let’s run those real quick before moving on to the differences. This stand mixer has a tilt-head design to make loading and removing ingredients a breeze.
There are 10 speed options and various included tools to help you mix. You also gain access to the Power Hub for optional KitchenAid accessories. A 59-point planetary mixing feature ensures that every area of the bowl is hit, so nothing goes untouched and there are no corners with dry flour after you’re finished mixing.
Like the Classic, The Artisan Design comes with a bowl, but the size and material are different. You get a 5-quart glass bowl with a handle. The handle makes it even easier to remove the bowl, and the glass is nice and durable. At full capacity, this allows you to make 9 dozen cookies, which should be perfect for any occasion.
Even though this has the same number of speeds, there is a good amount of extra power here. You get 325 watts, which ensures that even stubborn ingredients are properly incorporated into the mix.
Along with the bowl, you also get a flat beater and dough hook with the mixer. The flat beater and dough book are both made from burnished aluminum, giving them some great durability and a little extra oomph when digging through ingredients.
There are 10+ colors to choose from, ensuring that it matches your preference (and other appliances if you want everything to match). There are several blues, candy red, metallics, black and several others. While a few KitchenAid mixers come with more colors, this is among the top for color choices.
Pros: The Artisan Design has a lot of amazing features. From a lot of power and control to great standard accessories, you get everything you need. There are many colors options as well, ensuring that you can decorate your kitchen properly, or that you just get a color that you really love.
Cons: The extra power comes at a cost. This stand mixer is significantly more expensive than the Classic. If you don’t need the extra capacity or power, then the Classic might be a better fit for your budget.
Conclusion
KitchenAid makes many wonderful blenders, and both the Classic and Artisan Design give you a lot of great features. Overall, it comes down to whether you prioritize affordability or power. The Artisan Design is the better overall stand mixer. It’s stronger, has better capacity, gives you plenty of color choices and its standard accessories are slightly better.
However, the Classic comes at a better price and a very acceptable level of performance. Professionals or experienced cooks will gravitate more towards the Artisan Design, but the Classic is perfect if you’re just starting out or prefer price over power.