KitchenAid Artisan KSM150BER Stand Mixer Red

Seems from the other reviews, all being 5 star or 1 star that you either love this item or hate it. We are in the former band, having bought this machine after our Kenwood Chef (a wedding present 28 years ago) gave up the ghost and burnt out.

Why do I rate this kitchen aid? Well I love the colour - thats not a reason to buy it though is it! Its easy to use and far easier to use the our old Kenwood Chef; it mixes the mixture far quicker then the Kenwood, mixes both small and large quantities with ease. We use it every day and it has replaced our old Bread maker - easier to use to make bread and the bread tastes far better. You can use it to make excellent cheesie mash fast and all in all wish we had bought one years ago!!!!

ps, Buy the grating accessory - ot really is worth the money and after you use it you will never and I mean never want to hand grate cheese again!

After much thought as to whether to buy this item or not, I finally went down to a local department store to take a closer look: after all, if you are going to spend this much on a kitchen accessory, you should see it first.

I have to say that I have not been disappointed with my purchase! The sturdy design means you feel like this machine is built to last. The controls are firm, the base is solid and even when mixing a large amount of heavy bread dough, the machine works on like a dream. It's so solid in fact, it reminds me more of a pillar drill from my school days of woodwork than of anything I encountered in home ec.

I was a little concerned about the machine's ability to incorporate all ingredients after reading a few other reviews on here. You just have to have read a few quick tips to solve this! Firstly, if making dough using the hook attachment, mix your dry ingredients and then slowly add your liquid - I have had no problems working this way and have not needed to push any flour off the sides of the mixing bowl at all. The flat beater presents more of a challenge, but pushing dry ingredients down with a spatula is not too much of a fuss - you are home baking after all! Unlike some users, I have had no problems with the wire whip attachment mixing all ingredients, even egg whites - no clear residue around the edge of the mixture and the resulting meringue is far better than I have ever achieved with an electric hand whisk.

For me the greatest thing about this machine is how easy it is to clean. Although all parts are dishwasher safe, the bowl rinses clean very easily and because the attachments are a good size with no small gaps, a quick wipe in the sink with a sponge is all they need.

If I had to made one improvement? Make the other attachments for this machine more readily available - the UK market seems to be stuck to getting these online only.

I bought the Kitchenaid Food Mixer (Red!) about a month ago. Since then I have used it many times. I have had an interest in baking and cooking for about 25 years and it is the best mixer I have ever experienced using. Although pricey it is definitely well worth the money. Very easy to use and to clean. I have used it for sweet and savoury dishes. Brilliant for making pastry, meringue, cake mixes etc ~ basically everything! The large bowl is great when doubling and trebling amounts. I would recommend it without hesitation.