KitchenAid Artisan Plus Stand Mixer Review: Tiny Additions, Big Difference

KitchenAid Artisan Plus 厨师机评测：细微升级，巨大改变

KitchenAid’s beloved tilt-head stand mixer is generationally renowned for its durability, efficiency, and often, longevity—making it a staple in wedding registries and among new homeowners since 1919. KitchenAid 备受喜爱的抬头式厨师机以其耐用性、高效性以及超长的使用寿命而闻名于世，自 1919 年以来，它一直是结婚登记礼品清单和新房主厨房中的必备品。

My family has an heirloom collection of four KitchenAid stand mixers that spans generations: a 1963 model from when KitchenAid was a subsidiary of the larger Hobart; a 1990s model; and a more recent 2017 KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart tilt-head stand mixer. They all keep trucking along with careful usage and upkeep. There have been subtle design changes over the years, with newer models offering extensive colorways and upgraded attachments, such as the wooden bowl included with 2024’s Evergreen Design Series stand mixer. But on March 30 of this year, the news broke that for the first time in over 70 years, KitchenAid is revisiting its stand mixer blueprint with a new Artisan Plus tilt-head stand mixer model. 我家收藏了四台跨越几代人的 KitchenAid 厨师机：一台 1963 年的型号（当时 KitchenAid 还是 Hobart 旗下的子公司）、一台 1990 年代的型号，以及一台 2017 年购买的 KitchenAid Artisan 5 夸脱抬头式厨师机。只要使用和保养得当，它们至今仍能正常工作。多年来，产品设计有过细微的调整，新款机型提供了更丰富的配色和升级的配件，例如 2024 年“常青设计系列”（Evergreen Design Series）中配备的木制搅拌碗。但今年 3 月 30 日，消息传出：KitchenAid 在 70 多年来首次重新审视其厨师机蓝图，推出了全新的 Artisan Plus 抬头式厨师机。

I tested my family’s lineup of original KitchenAid stand mixers head-to-head with the new Artisan Plus to see if the upgrade is worth it. 我将家中收藏的历代 KitchenAid 厨师机与全新的 Artisan Plus 进行了对比测试，看看这次升级是否值得。

KitchenAid mixers have always been a focal point atop many counters. Now, with the Artisan Plus, there are new color options and a new “crinkle finish” textured coating. This offering comes in two new colors, Wild Blueberry and Sun-Dried Tomato, as well as traditional satin-metallic Iron Ore Bronze and Oat options. My test unit was the crinkle-finish Wild Blueberry; its matte appearance reminded me of stucco siding. The finish doesn’t hide sprinkles of flour or ingredients that splash out of the bowl, but cleanup was no worse than with my metallic 2017-era stand mixer. Both are easy to wipe down. KitchenAid 厨师机一直是许多厨房台面上的焦点。现在，Artisan Plus 带来了新的配色方案和一种全新的“褶皱纹理”涂层。该系列提供了两种新颜色：野生蓝莓色（Wild Blueberry）和日晒番茄色（Sun-Dried Tomato），以及传统的缎面金属铁矿青铜色（Iron Ore Bronze）和燕麦色（Oat）。我测试的机型是褶皱纹理的野生蓝莓色；其哑光外观让我想起了灰泥墙面。这种涂层并不能掩盖飞溅出的面粉或食材，但清洁起来并不比我 2017 年的金属机身款更麻烦，两者都很容易擦拭干净。

There is a $100 price difference between the Artisan Plus and Artisan models. However, the Artisan Plus’s features are small but mighty, and make the cost difference seem like a bargain, especially in higher-stakes recipe scenarios. This upgraded model has a more powerful 350-watt motor compared to the Artisan series model’s 325 watts. With the Artisan Plus’s increased intensity also comes the new precision speed control. Twist the knob of the Artisan Plus and you engage half-speed settings, so you can move between two and 2.5, all the way up to 11. Previous generations capped out at 10 speeds. Artisan Plus 与 Artisan 型号之间有 100 美元的差价。然而，Artisan Plus 的功能虽小但作用巨大，这使得差价显得非常划算，尤其是在处理高难度食谱时。这款升级机型配备了功率更强的 350 瓦电机，而 Artisan 系列则为 325 瓦。随着动力增强，Artisan Plus 还引入了全新的精准速度控制。旋转 Artisan Plus 的旋钮，你可以开启半档速度设置，因此可以在 2 档和 2.5 档之间切换，最高可达 11 档。而前几代机型最高仅有 10 个档位。

The Artisan Plus’s “Soft Start” feature gently transitions between speeds. Coupled with the LED light situated above the mixing bowl, it makes managing the most delicate of recipes exact. While I compared the Artisan Plus and Artisan series models, I found that the addition of the bowl light and precision mixing speeds alone made it worth the slightly higher price point. I’d often stop mixing to visually check progress with my Artisan series stand mixer, while the Artisan Plus could chug right along without breaking its stride thanks to its light. Artisan Plus 的“软启动”（Soft Start）功能可以实现速度间的平滑过渡。再加上位于搅拌碗上方的 LED 灯，使得处理最精细的食谱也能做到精准无误。在对比 Artisan Plus 和 Artisan 系列机型时，我发现仅凭搅拌碗照明灯和精准调速这两项改进，就足以让它物有所值。在使用 Artisan 系列厨师机时，我经常需要停下来观察搅拌进度，而有了照明灯的 Artisan Plus 则可以持续工作，无需中断。

Taking a glance at the KitchenAid attachments of yesteryear, it’s evident that the Artisan Plus is an upgrade. Its wire whip, dough hook, flat beater, and new double-edge beater attachment are all stainless steel, sleek, and heavy. Apart from what I had on hand for the ’64 mixer (most attachments were lost to time), the older mixers had a combination of aluminum and powder-coated attachments to work with. All attachments, regardless of mixer generation, are designed to be top-rack dishwasher-safe; that’s still the case with the Artisan Plus’s extras, too. 回顾 KitchenAid 往年的配件，显而易见 Artisan Plus 是一次升级。它的钢丝搅拌器、面团钩、扁平搅拌桨以及全新的双刃搅拌桨均为不锈钢材质，外观时尚且质感厚重。除了我手头保留的 64 年款配件（大部分已遗失）外，旧款机型通常配备的是铝制和粉末涂层配件。无论属于哪一代机型，所有配件的设计都支持洗碗机顶层清洗；Artisan Plus 的配件同样如此。

I set up each mixer side by side and had them all make the same recipe at the same time. While my pseudo test kitchen was chaotic, it was insightful to see the generational differences in action and even the slight design changes over time. The Artisan Plus’s footprint did not take up any more space compared to previous generations. It also doesn’t look fundamentally different from the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer, or even the 1990s model. 我将每一台厨师机并排摆放，并让它们同时制作同一份食谱。虽然我的临时测试厨房一片混乱，但能亲眼看到不同代际产品在实际操作中的差异，甚至观察到随时间推移而产生的细微设计变化，这非常有启发性。Artisan Plus 的占地面积并没有比前几代产品更大。它在外观上与 KitchenAid Artisan 厨师机，甚至 1990 年代的型号相比，也没有本质上的区别。

During my breadmaking process, there were clear visual improvements between each generation’s newer mixer, with the Artisan Plus doing the best job of the bunch. All the wire whips were sufficiently precise for incorporating dry ingredients, but bread hooks showed incremental improvements in folding both wet and dry ingredients together. Noise and stability didn’t exceed deafening levels, unless you were to crank up speed to the max—then all the mixers’ tilt heads bounced around, battling the dough in the mixing bowl. This is to be expected, as bread is the one area where mixer engines typically burn out with overuse—a longtime issue with KitchenAid tilt-head mixers. For this reason, I wouldn’t plan on imitating a commercial bakery with the Artisan Plus on a daily basis. The brand’s bowl-lift stand mixer is a better alternative, as the bowl’s proximity to the attachment is adjustable. This can help with denser recipes, larger batches, and overall stability, since the top of the bowl-lift mixer can’t be moved. 在制作面包的过程中，每一代新款厨师机都有明显的视觉改进，其中 Artisan Plus 的表现最为出色。所有的钢丝搅拌器在混合干性配料时都足够精准，但面团钩在将湿性和干性配料混合在一起时表现出了渐进式的改进。噪音和稳定性并没有达到震耳欲聋的程度，除非你将速度调到最大——那时所有抬头式厨师机的机头都会晃动，与搅拌碗里的面团“搏斗”。这是意料之中的，因为面包制作是厨师机电机最容易因过度使用而烧毁的领域——这也是 KitchenAid 抬头式厨师机长期存在的问题。因此，我不建议每天用 Artisan Plus 进行商业烘焙式的操作。该品牌的升降碗式（bowl-lift）厨师机是更好的选择，因为碗与配件之间的距离可以调节。这有助于处理更浓稠的食谱、更大批量的食材，并提高整体稳定性，因为升降碗式厨师机的机头是固定的。

The Artisan Plus did a much more thorough mixing job than the competition, but I wouldn’t chalk that up to the attachments themselves. It was more the speed control that got the job done. The heavier attachments were no doubt sleek, but I was partially expecting them to provide more exact mixing with the added weight and torque. Turns out it was the other features hard at work. Artisan Plus 的搅拌效果比其他机型彻底得多，但我认为这不仅仅归功于配件本身。更多是因为精准的速度控制起到了关键作用。更重的配件无疑很时尚，我原本以为增加的重量和扭矩会带来更精准的搅拌，但事实证明，是其他功能在发挥作用。