Were you aware that KitchenAid has multiple lines of stand mixers? The KitchenAid KSM150PSER is part of their Artisan series of stand mixers which are designed for home use or light professional use. It is not intended for heavy commercial use in restaurants or other commercial cooking venues. This mixer is a strong contender in the home market providing great functionality, adequate power, and reasonable size. It is time we take a little closer look at all the features to see if it matches your needs.
Contents
- The Power for All Your Home Mixing Needs
- 67 Point Planetary Mixing Action
- 5-Quart Stainless Steel Bowl
- Beaters for Your Three Primary Needs
- Physical Attributes of the KitchenAid PSM150PSER Artisan Stand Mixer
- Additional Information
- Included/Optional Accessories
- Pros of the Artisan KSM150PSER
- Cons of the Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers
- Consumer Ratings
- Concluding Comments on the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers
The Power for All Your Home Mixing Needs
This KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer is powered by a 325 watt motor which gives you amazing power for a reasonable cost. The motor is paired with a direct drive transmission which controls the speed and power delivered to the bowl.
The motor provides adequate power to mix 9 cups of all-purpose flour, or as KitchenAid reports it can do over 4 loaves of bread, 9 dozen cookies, or 7 pounds of mashed potatoes in a single batch. This power is adequate for almost any home user and is only surpassed by higher end commercial mixers from KitchenAid. Some of the KitchenAid commercial mixers have motors exceeding 500 watts of power, but the cost escalates rapidly. The KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart series provides you with a great combination of power and value.
67 Point Planetary Mixing Action
A stand mixer must provide thorough mixing without your intervention to be really useful. This requires the beaters must be able to reach all parts of the bowl and eliminate dry stubborn dry ingredients. The KitchenAid KSM160PSER uses a 67-point planetary action mixing system to make sure no spot of the bowl is left untouched.
What this means is the mixer head rotates through 67 separate points in the bowl while the beaters spin in the opposite direction. It is very similar to the motion you would use with a hand mixer as you cover the entire contents of the bowl.
There is a little jewel of wisdom hidden in the user manual which should be pointed out. The mixer head can be adjusted slightly using a small adjustment screw which fine tunes the mixing action. This is not available on many home stand mixers. This allows you to get the beaters closer to the bowl surface to make sure there are never any dry ingredients stuck to the bottom of the mixing bowl.
5-Quart Stainless Steel Bowl
The KitchenAid stainless steel bowls are excellent. They provide easy to clean surface which is highly durable. The bowl includes a few features you will really grow to appreciate. The first feature not found on many stand mixer combination is the handle on the side of the bowl. This handle makes it easier to lock to bowl in place, remove it from the stand, carry, and pour batter. You will not be stuck trying to hold onto the rim of the bowl while you scrape out the whipped cream because you have a firm comfortable grip on the handle.
Another feature you will enjoy with the bowl is the pouring chute which comes with it. This allows you to pour ingredients into the bowl while the mixer is in action. You can probably remember times you have added flour to your mixing bowl before and watched the flour poof out of the bowl and all over the counter. That is never a problem when you use the included pouring shield on the bowl.
Beaters for Your Three Primary Needs
The KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Stand Mixer comes bundled with the three traditional beaters you need for all of your mixing needs. You get the flat beater for general mixing jobs ranging from cake batter to cookie dough. The second beater is the wire whip for your high speed air-infusing jobs like making meringue, whipped cream, or other frothy recipes. The final beater is the dough hook for kneading bread, making pizza dough, and other heavy mixing jobs which require a kneading action.
The beaters bundled with the Artisan 5-quart stand mixer are coated steel beaters. The beaters have a plastic white coating which helps protect the blades and makes for easy clean-up. This is in stark contrast to the burnished steel beaters KitchenAid bundles on their commercial line-up of mixers. The beaters on the Artisan mixer do not have the immense strength of the burnished steel units, but they do not need it. The beaters are designed to work perfectly with the 325 watt motor and will stand up to almost any home mixing chore. NOTE: The wire whip is not coated with the plastic surface.
Physical Attributes of the KitchenAid PSM150PSER Artisan Stand Mixer
Hopefully you have been going to the gym and working out. The KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer is not a lightweight mixer. This powerful home mixer weighs a full 26 pounds when it is empty. Imagine what it will weigh once you fill up the bowl with flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients. Now, keep in mind, the weight is not a bad thing. It is showing you exactly how powerfully built and rugged this mixer is. You will want to find a place on your kitchen counter or island to keep the mixer out. It is heavy enough you will not want to be constantly moving it around.
You will need to clear a space large enough to handle the following dimensions:
- Depth: 14 1/8 Inches
- Height: 13 15/16 Inches
- Width: 8 ¾ Inches
Do not forget to keep plenty of open space on the counter near your mixer. You already know it takes plenty of counter room to have your ingredients, recipes, and utensils spread out for making your favorite items.
The Artisan 150 Series 5-quart stand mixers are available in a variety of colors. The model we reviewed, the KitchenAid KSS150PSER is the Empire Red model. Other color options include:
- Green Apple
- Boysenberry
- Majestic Yellow
- Persimmon
- Silver Metallic
- Cobalt Blue
- Imperial Black
There are 15 more colors we are not listing here. This wide variety of color options allows you to match your Artisan mixer to your kitchen décor with ease. They hardest decision you may have is deciding if you are going to get a quilted cover for your mixer of leave its beauty on display.
Additional Information
One of the most common questions about the Artisan series of 5-quart mixers is about power. How does it stack up to the commercial offerings from KitchenAid. There is no doubt the more expensive and powerful commercial mixers, like the 600 series can handle tougher and larger mixing jobs. What is more critical for you to consider is does the Artisan series provide the power you need? The answer to that question is YES. These mixers provide tremendous power and durability at a retail price hundreds less than the commercial line.
Unless you are intending to make more than 4 loaves of bread in a single mixing, or are cooking meatloaf for an army, the Artisan KSM150PSER will provide all the power you want and need.
Included/Optional Accessories
What is included in the box with your Artisan series mixer? You will find the basics you need to start using the mixer right now. KitchenAid includes a dough hook for mixing yeast bread and other kinds of dough. The bundle includes a flat beater for all of your common mixing needs like making mashed potatoes, mixing sugar cookies, and your favorite brownie recipe. The last included beater is the wire whip for whipped cream and other fluffy, frothy concoctions. The two other items are the mixing bowl and the pouring shield.
The list of optional accessories is where you can recreate your mixer into a real food processing machine for your home. Some of the add-on accessories you can choose include:
- Sausage Stuffer Kit
- Roto Slicer with a Shredder
- Citrus Juicer
- Ice Cream Maker
- Pasta Cutter
- Pasta Roller
- Ravioli Maker
Does that list of accessories get your mouth watering with all the ideas? You can use your Artisan series 5-quart mixer on a daily basis to create amazing meals, desserts, and breads. This list of accessories is one of the reasons you must seriously consider a KitchenAid stand mixer. They can be so much more than just a simple mixer. These mixers can quickly become the hub of your cooking creativity.
Pros of the Artisan KSM150PSER
As you are probably already guessing by the tone of the rest of the review, the pluses of the KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixers far outweigh the cons. Here is a short list of the positive features of this stand mixer:
- Adequate power with the 325 Watt motor.
- Easy to handle stainless steel mixing bowl.
- Hinged head for easier access to the bowl.
- The 3 essential mixing beaters including wire whip, flat beater, and bread hook.
- Pouring shield to aid in adding ingredient safely.
- 10 Speed settings for precise mixing.
- Direct drive transmission which avoids slippage.
- 67-point planetary mixing action which completely covers the entire mixing bowl.
- Wide variety of available accessories.
The number one pro is what happens when you bring all of those features together. You have a mixer which is easy to use, handles all of your mixing jobs, and is fun.
Cons of the Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers
What is negative about this mixer? There are two areas on the mixer which could use slight improvements. The first is the size of the bowl. It is a taller narrow bowl which is fine for most purposes, but a wider shorter bowl makes for slightly easier adding of ingredients.
The second item is one which a few buyers have reported. The mixer is not highly durable when pushed to the limits on stiff bread dough for long periods of time. What does this mean? People who buy these mixers for light commercial use or heavy personal use may be disappointed. If you are planning to mix bread 3 or 4 times per day this is not the mixer for you. You need to step up to a commercial mixer. This is not a real fault with the mixer, but more of a misunderstanding of buyers to what mixer they need. Consider your planned usage carefully before buying. This mixer is ideal for most home users, but there are some who may push it beyond its design limits.
Consumer Ratings
The consumer ratings on this mixer are outstanding with over 93% of people giving the mixer above average marks. In most cases of people giving the mixer poor ratings it comes down to one of two items. The first item is they purchased the KitchenAid KSM150PSER with the belief it could do the heavy work of a commercial mixer and they are now disappointed. This is a high-quality home mixer not designed for the heavier work of constant mixing in commercial settings.
The second item which is mentioned several times is damaged or rapidly failing mixers. Obviously on a mixer which is the popular some people will receive mixers which have problems. What is more important to capture in these same reviews is how quickly and effectively KitchenAid responded to their complaints. In almost every case KitchenAid quickly replaced the mixer.
Concluding Comments on the KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixers
If you are looking for a high-grade mixer which fits the budget for home use, the KitchenAid KSM150PSER stand mixer is one of your best choices. The good levels of power, reasonable cost, and KitchenAid’s superior support make this mixer one you will enjoy now and for years to come. The mixer is easy to use and to clean with the hinged head. The beauty of the mixer makes it a nice complement to your kitchen. You will not wish to hide it away in the cupboard, but will want it to take a prominent place on your kitchen counter.
