KitchenAid’s new premium stand mixer has a cool feature that I didn’t realize I needed for my baking.

• KitchenAid has launched a new version of its classic Artisan stand mixer
• The KitchenAid Artisan Plus offers more power and control over mixing
• It’s on sale now in the US for $599.99 (around £450 / AU$870)

KitchenAid just released a new version of its Artisan tilt-head stand mixer, with a more powerful motor, a bright LED light to help you see inside the bowl while you work, and several features that make working with flour and sugar less messy.

The classic KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer has remained fundamentally unchanged since the 1950s, and for good reason: It’s a sturdy, reliable appliance that’s built to last and has just about every feature a baker could ask for. I’ve had mine for 13 years now and it’s still going strong. It’s not quite perfect, however, and with the Artisan Plus, KitchenAid has made some thoughtful changes to the original design that make your life easier and keep your kitchen cleaner.

For example, the new blender has a more powerful motor and can shift between speeds more smoothly. The classic mixer offers a good range of speeds (1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 10) but sometimes there’s quite a jump from one setting to the next, and if you’re not prepared, you might accidentally increase the power too abruptly, spilling flour across your kitchen or spinning dough. With the Artisan Plus, it’s easier to find exactly the right speed for the cooking task at hand. There’s also a half-speed folding mode, for tasks like mixing soft fruit into muffins without crushing them.

Article continues below

The KitchenAid Artisan Plus also has a new “soft start” mode, which increases the mixing speed very gradually at the start. I can see this being particularly useful for making buttercream without coating your kitchen in a layer of icing sugar. Sure, the classic KitchenAid Artisan comes with a shield to keep things contained, but it’s easier to see what’s going into the bowl without one.