KitchenAid Classic Plus KSM75WH Review

As a member of the distinguished KitchenAid family, the Classic Plus has the hereditary body type with the motor in the tilt-head perched above the bowl and the broad base. This model comes with the traditional flat beater, dough hook, and wire whip that can work at ten different speeds. Additionally, it has the standard attachment port in the head that fits aftermarket tools such as a pasta roller or meat grinder. Finally, this model comes in various colors. While the aptly named Classic seems to be the archetype mixer, its competitive price sets it apart from the competition.

Ease of Use

The interface is simplistic — in a good way — facilitating single-handed operation and bowl insertion/removal. The machine is stable, even when mixing at a high speed. We also appreciate that when mixing or beating, the user is infrequently required to use a spatula to scrape the bowl for unincorporated ingredients.

The machine is easy to clean, partly because the body and bowl are easy to wipe down, and since spilling is limited in the first place. The Classic's motor has a slow start-up speed regardless of setting, so dry ingredients don't get thrown. The tilt-head can be tilted back to access the bowl without dumping the ingredients onto the head. All and all, this model is a pleasure to use.

Mixing

One recipe in our tests, the cowboy cookie recipe, challenges the motor and beater paddle to uniformly mix the chocolate chips, nuts, oats, and coconut flakes into a supple dough without masticating them in the process. We also make pizza dough and a classic buttercream frosting.

The Classic Plus lives up to the KitchenAid standard of excellence with a few hiccups in the frosting and pizza tests that required the tester to bring the spatula into play briefly. In all other recipes, it was at the top of the class, proving that these machines can reduce the work while at the same time producing high-quality results.

Whipping

Our whipping tests measure the volume increase in whipped cream, as well as baking a sponge cake that uses whipped egg whites as a leavening. The height of the rise and sagging at the center of the sponge are good indicators of the whipping quality.

The Classic Plus struggled with both of these tasks. To put it bluntly, it is among the poorest performers in the class. The sponge failed to rise to an inch and a half — the mode for the group — and it sagged considerably in the center. While this outcome could be attributed to a number of other variables, the fact that we barely doubled the cream volume in the whipped cream test supports this assessment.

Kneading

When mixing our basic pizza dough recipe with the standard dough hook that comes with the machine, the process was straightforward and effective, although it required a bit of assistance with a spatula. The result was a thoroughly mixed dough that was springy and elastic.

Upon consuming the baked pizza, all agreed that the crust exterior was delicate and crisp, while the crumb was light and open. Yum!

Should You Buy the KitchenAid Classic Plus KSM75WH?

The KitchenAid Classic Plus is an affordable kitchen appliance for those on a budget. This mixer performs at the highest level in the mixing, ease of use, and kneading test metrics. If it weren't for its mediocre showing in the whipping metric, it would be an all-around leader in the class. That said, this machine is considerably less expensive than some of the competition yet outperforms the majority of the class.

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