KitchenAid 5 KSM 150 Psecv

...unable to be resuscitated. The KitchenAid KSM150 BWH Artisan Food Mixer was to be the replacement.

This mixer doesn’t look anything special to anyone not in the know. It looks old-fashioned although maybe retro is a more suitable term and it is quite bulky. She first saw this mixer when Nigella Lawson was using it in a cookery programme and it obviously caught her eye.

I’ll explain this machine roughly as she explained ...
.../> There is a complete KitchenAid Artisan range that is made with the same attention to detail. The whole range is available in the same 10 colours as the mixer and the range includes a blender, toaster, espresso maker, burr grinder and food processor. All of the products have the same tactile, 'retro' styling, with solid knobs, buttons and smooth curved lines

We don’t own any of the other KitchenAid appliances but we do own most ... more

My wife isn’t a wasteful woman, which is obviously good, so when she told me she wanted this mixer I was taken aback, as it was so expensive. She is an excellent cook and enjoys cooking in all its guises. When we first married she introduced me to a Kenwood chef which was rather like a pet as it had been in the family so long. This died quite suddenly; it choked on some bread dough and was unable to be resuscitated. The KitchenAid KSM150 BWH Artisan Food Mixer was to be the replacement.

This mixer doesn’t look anything special to anyone not in the know. It looks old-fashioned although maybe retro is a more suitable term and it is quite bulky. She first saw this mixer when Nigella Lawson was using it in a cookery programme and it obviously caught her eye.

I’ll explain this machine roughly as she explained it to me.

The Artisan is a heavy duty machine with power delivered direct from the motor to the mixing end making it very reliable. It needs its weight and bulk to be able to deal with glutinous dough and mixes. It mixes with a ‘planetary action’ which means its blades don’t mix in a circle like most mixers but rather its blades work in an ellipse. This leads to greater efficiency as it catches the whole contents of the bowl at some point and stops small amounts of ingredients escaping the blending process.

The initial outlay is expensive but these machines have lives that can be measured in decades rather than years. They are solidly made with not one flimsy part, every centimetre of it looks indestructible. It has an all metal construction with an enamel finish and the result of this is a mixer that is stable, durable and robust. Apparently the Artisan, like the other appliances in the range, is still assembled by hand from solid die-cast metal parts. It receives the individual attention to detail necessary to ensuring top performance and quality. The Artisan is resistant to chips, staining, bumps and knocks.

The accessories; blades whisk and hooks are all stainless steel as is the 5 litre bowl. The bowl has the capacity for kneading dough for 2 loaves of bread (1.2 Kg of all purpose flour or 1 Kg of whole wheat flour)

It has a direct drive 300 watt motor and 10 speeds ensuring fast and thorough mixing every time and gives you perfect control so there is no flour shooting everywhere. The bowl has an integrated carrying handle and there is a pouring shield. These touches reduce the likelihood of any mess further. The retro design isn’t a fashion statement its been designed purposefully to be rounded and smooth so there are no dust raps or places where ingredients can linger out of sight. It just wipes clean and all the accessories; bowl shield, whisk etc are dishwasher safe.

It has a tilt back mixer head design that provides easy access to the bowl and the mixer head locks back into the tilted position securely. The direct drive motor is nearly silent. They are also reliable and long lasting

The Artisan also has a wide range of add-ons to select from so you can gradually expand the capabilities of this machine depending on available funds. It comes with a dough hook, whisk and flat beater as standard and these are able to cope with the majority of baking tasks,

There is a single attachment power hub at the front of the machine which increases its versatility. The accessories fasten securely into the hub and do not destabilise the Artisan whatsoever.

• Food grinder (mincer): This can be used to mince meat and fish, to grate cheese, make bread crumbs and combine dips, salsas and spreads. Included are a 4-blade self-sharpening stainless steel cutter, as well as a food pusher and fine and coarse grinding plates.

• Sausage stuffer: For use with the Food Grinder attachment, includes 2 tubes 3/8 inch and 5/8 inch and instructions. Dishwasher safe

• Vegetable slicer: The vegetable slicer is ideal for slicing and shredding root and green vegetables, potatoes, onions, fruit, chocolate, nuts and hard cheese. Includes slicing drum and medium and coarse shredding drums.

• Additional cone pack for the vegetable slicer: contains 3 extra cones - 1x Fine Grater, 1x julienne, 1 x puree

• Pasta maker: Pasta maker with 3 attachments: Pasta Roller- To make Lasagne, totellini, rolls and flattens pasta into sheets of 140 mm. Tagliatelle cutter - cuts pasta into tagliatelle, 6 mm wide. Linguini-fini- cuts pasta into thin linguini, 1.5 mm wide

• Can opener: Fast, safe operation leaves edges smooth and snag free and holds the can securely until removed.

• Cover: Protect the Artisan from dust, grease and kitchen debris with this machine washable heavyweight, quilted cotton cover

• 3 and 4 litre bowl for making smaller quantities

• Juicer attachment: freshly squeezed orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit juice. The strainer traps seeds and pulp

• Pouring shields: For the smaller bowls, prevents ingredients from splattering out of bowl when added. Like the large bowl they have side chute for adding ingredients. Is made of dishwasher-safe plastic

• Grain mill: Grinds low-moisture grains such as wheat, corn and rice from coarse to fine

• Vegetable /fruit strainer: For use with the Food Grinder attachment to puree fruit and cooked vegetables quickly and easily, separating the puree from the waste. Perfect for jams and chutneys, baby food

• Food tray: attaches to the top of the mixer and holds large quantities and helps maintain even flow of food when using the food grinder and attachments

The dimensions of the Artisan are approximately: 36 cm high, 36 cm deep, 22 cm wide and it weighs 11.3 kg.

It comes in a choice of 10 colours

• Yellow
• Blue
• Very dark onyx grey.
• Black
• White
• Metallic grey
• Green
• Cream
• Silver
• Red

The Kitchen Aid KSM150 BNK Artisan comes with a 5 year guarantee

There is a complete KitchenAid Artisan range that is made with the same attention to detail. The whole range is available in the same 10 colours as the mixer and the range includes a blender, toaster, espresso maker, burr grinder and food processor. All of the products have the same tactile, 'retro' styling, with solid knobs, buttons and smooth curved lines

We don’t own any of the other KitchenAid appliances but we do own most of the attachments and there are great, I’d never had a home made sausage before and they are wonderful. Everything about this appliance states quality and durability.

Our mixer is now well over 2 years old and looks no different to the day we bought it. It really easy to take care of and has not given us a moments trouble. It hasn’t developed any strange rattles or habits. Everything still fits as perfectly as they did when it was new. The hub is very solidly made and I am positive it will never become worn. There are no plastic parts to weaken and break.

There are so many colours to choose from that they would compliment any kitchen. The colours are all the same price as the white one which is unusual, ours is metallic silver. We have a kitchen draw underneath the Artisan dedicated to its attachments so everything is always close to hand. Some get used more than others, such as the juicer, mincer and slicer but we use all of those we have regularly. We didn’t buy a grain mill as it was felt we wouldn’t use it for anything other than coffee and we already have a coffee grinder.

You can get the 3 main attachments as an accessory pack which includes the Food Grinder), the Vegetable Slicer and the Fruit/Veg Strainer and this is a bargain.

This is a product for someone who loves to cook and will use time and again. It’s a premium product with an expensive price tag and wouldn’t be cost effective if you won’t use it. Because it’s built to last and last it probably wouldn’t be a good buy for the person who likes up to the minute products, unless you are mega-rich

The Kitchen Aid KSM150 BNK Artisan costs around £300- £350 and the accessory pack around £100 so it needs to be regarded as an investment. 

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