KitchenAid Artisan Mini Review
Pros: Compact, ample power, good kneading action
Cons: Limited volume, so-so whipping action
Manufacturer: KitchenAid
Our Verdict
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 This Product
KitchenAid Artisan Mini | |||||
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| Awards |  | |  | ||
| Price | $350 List | $500 List | $400 List | $260 List | $400 List |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Compact, ample power, good kneading action | Powerful motor, simplistic design, large capacity bowl, planetary mixing | Powerful motor, simplistic design, sturdy platform | Powerful, affordable, easy to use | Large open-top bowl, lightweight, powerful |
| Cons | Limited volume, so-so whipping action | Bulky, heavy, expensive | Tilt-head impedes bowl access, mediocre whipping action | Poor whipping action, requires bowl scraping | Limited speed settings, lots of plastic parts, secondary motor |
| Bottom Line | This standing mixer is a miniature of the classic KitchenAid tilt-head design though the decrease in size does not come with much of decrease in cost | A powerful, effective, easy-to-use, do-it-all stand mixer that looks sharp, too | A versatile stand mixer that will exceed most cook’s requirements at a manageable price | A stand mixer that will meet most people’s needs and budget | A unique mixer that offers features for a wide range of culinary applications |
| Rating Categories | KitchenAid Artisan... | 6-Qt. Professional... | Artisan | Classic Plus KSM75WH | Universal Plus... |
| Mixing (30%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (30%) | |||||
| Whipping (25%) | |||||
| Kneading (15%) | |||||
| Specs | KitchenAid Artisan... | 6-Qt. Professional... | Artisan | Classic Plus KSM75WH | Universal Plus... |
| Head Type | Tilt | Fixed | Tilt | Tilt | N/A |
| Bowl Capacity | 3.5 quart | 6 quart | 5 quart | 4.5 quart | 6.5 quart |
| Standard Attachments | Wire whip, flat beater, dough hook | Wire whip, flat beater, spiral dough hook | Wire whip, dough hook, flat beater | Wire whip, dough hook, flat beater, | Wire whips and dough hook |
| Motor (watts) | 250-watt | 575-watt | 325-watt | 275-watt | 800-watt |
| Mixing Action | Planetary | Planetary | Planetary | Planetary | Kneading and triplicate whip |
| Number of Speeds | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 (plus pulse) |
| Attachment Port | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Timer | no | no | no | no | no |
| Measured Dimensions (L x W x H) | 12.25" x 7.75" x 12" | 14.5" x 11.25" x 16" | 13.25" x 8.75" x 13.5" | 14.5" x 10.75" x 14.25" | 12" x 15" x 10.5" |
| Measured Weight | 17lbs. 1oz. | 26lbs. 1oz. | 22lbs. 13oz. | 22lbs. 13oz. | 13lbs. 8oz. |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year | 1-year | limited 1-year |
| Color Options | 10 | 22 | 46 | 2 | 2 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The KitchenAid Artisan Mini is the runt in a family of very capable stand mixers. Don't let this machine's small size fool you; it can do the work of much larger mixers. The only significant down-side is that the machine's 3.5-quart bowl limits the size of the recipes it can handle. This, and the increase in cost, is the price one pays to have a performance mixer that will fit into smaller kitchens.
Performance Comparison
Likes
Our favorite thing about the Artisan Mini standing mixer is that it performs at a very high level despite being a smaller, low capacity machine. It has all the standard attachments — flat paddle, dough hook, whisk — and it maintains the attachment port that is so popular among KitchenAid enthusiasts. Most importantly, it has a powerful 250-watt motor that can handle the contents of its 3.5-quart bowl.
Surprisingly, the Artisan Mini excelled in the kneading metric tests. This undertaking was assumed to be the province of much larger mixers. However, this little burro proved us wrong. As such, we find this machine to be a viable solution for serious cooks and bakers with limited space to store a bigger machine.
Dislikes
Our critique of this machine is limited to a few minor points. Primarily, the small bowl poses problems for production cooking and baking, but this is a compromise that should be obvious and the result of limited kitchen real estate. Also, the machine's beater attachment tends to dig a bit of a hole in the bowl contents, requiring the user to get involved with the spatula from time to time. Also, this deficit can result in the grating of ingredients like chocolate chips.
Finally, the narrow diameter of the bowl exacerbates the bowl-access issue common to all mixers with the motor mounted in the head of the machine. The consequence at clean-up time is relatively minor but worth mentioning.
Value
Like so many electronic devices that maintain their original functionality but are made compact, the KitchenAid Artisan Mini comes at a premium. If you need a high-quality mixer in a small size, we think that this product is worth the price of admission. However, if you are not limited in this way, one can get a larger mixer of equal quality for less money.
Conclusion
The KitchenAid Artisan Mini offers users a lot of power and performance in a relatively small package. This machine boasts all the features that KitchenAid is known for, such as the standard dough hook, whisk, and flat beater, as well as the aftermarket attachment port. Moreover, it has ample power in its 250-watt motor. While the compact size of this machine comes at a bit of a premium, it is well worth the cost if you're a productive cook with a compact kitchen.
— Nick Miley and Michelle Powell