KitchenAid Artisan 5KSM125

KitchenAid Artisan models explained

There are three Artisan 5KSMs in KitchenAid’s mid-priced, medium-sized offerings. This 5KSM125 comes with the accessories listed above, while the 5KSM185 comes with a pouring shield and additional three-litre bowl, plus the accessories are all stainless steel.

The 5KSM175 comes with the same accessories as the 185 as well as a flex beater and, like the 125, all the accessories come in white enamel. All accessories can be bought separately, and they all fit every KitchenAid stand mixer.

The actual stand mixer you receive is exactly the same, whichever model number you choose. If you buy from the KitchenAid website directly, the 175 and 185 are available in a larger range of colours than the 125. But you’ll be able to find the 125 in a good range of shades elsewhere.

What is the KitchenAid Artisan like to use?

This model is quite heavy, though not overwhelmingly so. The KitchenAid Artisan was designed to have pride of place on the kitchen counter so, if you’ve the space to spare, you really won’t need to move it around too much.

There are 10 speed settings on a sliding scale. They’re pretty intuitive to use, just pull the lever towards you to increase the speed. On the opposite side of the mixer is the locking/unlocking switch that’s used to release the tilt head. When fully extended, this locks into place so there’s no risk of the head dropping down.

All of the accessories are attached using a distinct twist and lock system. The accessories all stayed securely in place, even when mixing on high speeds. The bowl also employs the same twist and lock system to attach it to the base of the mixer.

The bowl, beater and dough hook are all dishwasher-safe, but the balloon whisk is not. Although no accessory storage is provided, the attachments all fit inside the bowl when not in use. We’d suggest lining the bowl with a tea towel to avoid scratching the bowl or attachments.

Results

We tested out all three accessories by making Chelsea buns to test out the dough hook, a chocolate and peanut butter pavlova to whisk egg whites for meringue, and a simple lemon and orange cake to put the beater to the test.

We started by creaming together butter and sugar for the cake. The beater made light work of the ingredients, beating it into a light, smooth and fluffy mixture in a few minutes. We had to scrape the bowl down once and noticed that a small layer of unmixed butter and sugar sat at the bottom of the bowl. This told us that the beater didn’t quite reach the base. We added in the rest of the ingredients following the instructions. Adding in eggs one at a time was easy to do over the side of the bowl, but if you want to add in larger quantities, you’ll need to stop the mixer and lift the head. The speed was easy to control and we really liked that you can slowly pulse the beater by gently moving the lever.

Next, we used the dough hook to knead our Chelsea bun dough. This enriched dough is more dense than your standard pizza dough, but the hook, mixer and motor didn’t struggle with the thickness at all. After a few minutes of kneading, it formed a cohesive ball of dough that was totally smooth and ready to rest. After resting, filling and baking, each Chelsea bun was super soft and bouncy in texture. The dough was tender and not chewy at all.

We wiped the inside of the bowl with a little white wine vinegar before making our meringue. We used just three egg whites, but this was no problem for the KitchenAid. It whisked our whites up into stiff peaks and there was enough space at the side of the bowl to slowly add our sugar in. After mixing, the meringue was light, airy and well mixed. After baking it was crisp, with some chewier parts where the mix was thicker.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a decent sized stand mixer that can tackle small or large baking tasks, this KitchenAid Artisan is a great choice. The results were perfect when making a bread dough and whisking meringue, as was the cake batter. You’ll need to scrape the bowl down a couple of times when making cakes and do make a conscious effort to reach all the way down to the bottom of the bowl as ingredients can go unmixed.

KitchenAid offers a wealth of attachments, allowing you to get the most out of this already versatile mixer. We’ve previously tested the KitchenAid ice cream maker accessory and the three-piece pasta roller set for our best pasta maker round-up. This model really does tick all the boxes: a workhorse, high-quality and attractive.

Specifications

Serial number: 5KSM125, 175, 185
Wattage: 300W
Speeds: electronic speed control
Functions: beating, creaming, kneading, whisking
Capacity of bowl: 4.8 litres

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