KitchenAid has updated its base-model Artisan stand mixer for the first time in over 70 years.
The Artisan Plus keeps the same iconic design that has sat on countertops since the 1950s but adds a quieter motor, a larger bowl, and a new hinge mechanism. It's the first full overhaul of the company's most popular model. The price went up slightly too, to around $450.
This is a rare case of a company touching an almost sacred product. KitchenAid sells millions of these mixers, and fans are protective. The changes address long-standing complaints—noise levels and bowl capacity—without messing with the look that made it a kitchen staple. It's iterative innovation on a product that didn't really need fixing, which is arguably the best kind.
The review notes the new model performs as well as you'd expect, and the quiet motor is genuinely noticeable. But the biggest change might be psychological: knowing that KitchenAid finally listened to decades of feedback, without turning the Artisan into something unrecognizable.