I've admired the KitchenAid Evergreen 4.7L Tilt Head Stand Mixer since the brand announced its launch and now, I've got my hands on one to test. Christmas came early.
Every year, KitchenAid launches a special stand mixer as part of their 'Design Series'. These limited-edition, one-of-a-kind models come with all the premium finishes that their price tag and reputation would suggest. Some of their best stand mixers have featured metallics, pearlescent hues, glass, and hammered copper. This year's extravaganza is inspired by mother nature and, of course, she's gorgeous.
For 2024, KitchenAid's special stand mixer is the Evergreen. It features some never-before-seen features. Namely, a walnut wood bowl, as well as a rich green hue and leaf engravings on the body. I saw the pictures, I admired it, but I knew I had to test it in person to give you all the dreamy details.
Specifications
Unboxing
The Evergreen was shipped to me from Norway, but you wouldn't have known. It hardly took any time to arrive (just a few days) and I was so excited that the KitchenAid Evergreen Stand Mixer was actually in my house that it took all my willpower not to just rip through the cardboard box while it was in the postman's hands.
As you can see, the packaging is robust, but in a very elegant way. As with all KitchenAid stand mixers, it's heavy, but there are useful handles for lifting this up to put on your pedestal (I mean kitchen counter, of course), for all to admire.
Beyond the box, there are some non-recyclable aspects to the packaging, including a fair bit of polystyrene around the bowl. This protects it in transport, but isn't that easy to dispose of sustainably. Whilst this isn't ideal, the fact that the KitchenAid Evergreen Stand Mixer arrived in perfect condition shows that the polystyrene did, at the very least, do a great job of keeping this in good condition.
Who would it suit?
The KitchenAid Evergreen Stand Mixer is a step up in price from all other KitchenAid models. If you read the specifications, this is a tilt-head stand mixer with a 4.7-litre bowl, and a powerful 300-watt motor (typical of the brand's Artisan range). On paper, that makes this the perfect stand mixer for a family home, especially one that might be doing bigger bakes: the motor is a step up from KitchenAid's classic range and a 4.7-litre bowl is bigger than most standard bakes would require.
That's all well and good, but this is double the price of a normal KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer (which is double the price of a normal stand mixer), so what's the deal? Well, of all the models that I've tested, this is the most attractive. The deep, moss-green hue is inspired by nature. It's warm and earthy, perfect for kitchens with wooden countertops and organic designs.
The colour pairs beautifully with KitchenAid's attention to detail with the delicate leaf engravings on the brass body of the machine. If you're a design enthusiast or known for having a stylish kitchen, this is the perfect stand mixer. The walnut wood bowl is really the pièce de résistance: I've never seen a stand mixer with a wooden bowl, let alone one that's crafted from premium walnut wood. It contributes to the sleek, yet organic aesthetic of this highly covetable stand mixer.
Given that this is in high demand and yet limited supply, the KitchenAid makes the perfect memorable gift for serious bakers. This comes wrapped up in its exclusive status, but with all the power and performance that KitchenAid is well known for. It's certainly a splurge, but the special people (take note, my friends and family) in your life would appreciate it.
What is it like to use?
For such a formidably impressive stand mixer, the functions of the KitchenAid Evergreen are simple. It's identical to all of KitchenAid's other Artisan 4.7l Tilt Head Stand Mixers: the head shifts backwards; you get three attachments (the K-beater, whisk, and dough hook); you'll get ten speed settings that range from 'gentle stir' to 'fast whipping'. I tested the 4.7L bowl but there is a 4.3L bowl on offer as well as all the other Artisan attachments (a pasta maker, ice cream bowl, and more).
Test 1: cake mix
The first test that I put all of our stand mixers through is making a cake. This might sound simple, but there's a fair amount of work that needs to go on behind the scenes to cream butter and sugar into a fluffy mix and then gradually incorporate flour and eggs into that mix without splitting it.
One of the ways that KitchenAid does this is with the 'planetary action' feature, which rotates the shaft in the opposite direction to the beater, which creates a spiral that hits 50 touchpoints in the bowl. That all sounds impressive, but I'm a great believer in the concept of 'the proof is in the pudding', so I got baking.
I put my very geometric, firm squares of butter in the bottom of the bowl and added by sugar, setting the K-beater to first slowly stir its way around the bowl (on speed setting 1) working up to a 4. The K-beater looks exactly the same as all other KitchenAid attachments, but the coating on it feels almost rubbery. I would imagine this is a design feature created to protect the bowl from scratches as well as a way to keep your ingredients moving (not sticking) around the beater.
The sugar and butter creamed together effortlessly. I added in my eggs, flour, vanilla, and baking powder and followed the same slow speed modulation. The flour didn't puff up over the edge of the bowl (KitchenAid doesn't send a splash guard), but that's because I took a slow approach. After a few minutes of, surprisingly quiet, mixing, the cake batter looked glossy and smooth. There were no patches at the bottom or edge of the bowl where the K-beater had missed any of the mix.
When I twisted the bowl out of its locked position and held it to pour out the batter, it was easy to hold onto. Of course, a handle would be useful, but the bowl is surprisingly light (it's hollow) and not polished so much that it's slippy. That's a success in my book.
Test 2: bread dough
The next test that I ran was with bread dough. This is a very simple, but effective way to test out the dough hook. My standard recipe is 500g of flour, 300ml of hand hot water and oil, 7g of yeast, and a pinch of salt. All this looked rather hopelessly sticky before I put the dough hook in. I know I can bring these ingredients together by hand, but such a range of textures can confuse a lot of stand mixers, leaving a layer of dusty flour at the bottom of the mixing bowl with a sticky layer clinging to the dough hook on top.
As you can see, this was not the case with the KitchenAid. The wood was a really effective, natural non-stick. There were only a few pieces of damp dough on the edge of the bowl and the dough hook. For the most part, the KitchenAid had made a lovely, smooth, elastic ball of dough. I tipped this onto the surface to knead the dough by hand and it felt glorious. There was the perfect balance of give and spring, the dough felt smooth (not sticky) under my hands, and it came together wonderfully.
I have since tested some enriched doughs, white doughs, sourdoughs, and focaccia doughs to see how the KitchenAid handles different liquid contents and it's all pretty good. Even more moist doughs get properly, consistently kneaded in the bowl. There isn't a single piece left untouched.
Test 3: whipped cream
On the website, KitchenAid promises that this will whip cream in 60 seconds, which is a dangerous claim to make with product testers like me lying around. I love putting these claims to the ultimate test and it's very rare that they're fully realised by a model.
I put 500ml of double cream into the walnut bowl (it looked absolutely stunning) and let the whisk attachment run on speed ten for a full minute. Given the power and speed that this was whizzing around with, it wasn't too loud and the machine certainly didn't sound like it was struggling. One minute later, I dragged the speedometer back to 0 and lifted the head. The image that you can see above is how the cream looked. For just one minute of whisking, that's an unbelievable result. The creat is thick, silky, and makes peaks. It's amazing.
To check that this wasn't just a fluke, I tested out the whipping with vegan cream and got identical results. Vegan cream often takes twice, if not four times, as long to whip up into a thickness resembling the double cream results, but the KitchenAid didn't struggle with this at all. It's incredible.
Cleaning
As you might expect from a stand mixer this precious, the KitchenAid bowl and attachments need to be hand washed, rather than put in the dishwasher. I always like to do this with my appliances anyway, because it'll extend their lives, but KitchenAid takes away the option to throw everything in the dishwasher.
In practice, with a little warm water and a gentle detergent, the bowl and attachments are really easy to clean. Even my dry dough slid off the edge of the bowl without any need for scrubbing (I'd warn against using wire wool or any abrasive pads because you could scratch the bowl).
As for the main body of the machine, you'll want to give it a precautionary wipe-down with a damp cloth and some warm water. I noticed a fine layer of flour and icing sugar had collected on it over my tests, but really, this is a stand mixer that you'll want to keep sparkling clean. It'll attract a lot of attention.
How does it compare?
If you're wondering whether to get KitchenAid's Evergreen Stand Mixer or their Artisan Stand Mixer, it's not a tricky choice. Technically, these two are identical. The only difference is an aesthetic one, which only you will know whether it's worth paying for. Lots of people won't be able to justify the extra £200-300 that this costs and that's fine. You can still enjoy using an attractive KitchenAid Artisan model for a whole lifetime. However, for the people who are passionate about baking, this splurge is a nice piece of the brand's history. You'll be one of very few owners.
Should you buy it?
Spending nearly £1,000 on a stand mixer is the kind of statement that my grandma would have passed out at hearing. She loved her classic KitchenAid and I don't think she'd approve of my splurge. However, I'm someone who has wooden items in their blood (my mum works in antiques), I have an organic-looking kitchen, and I'm a passionate baker, so the big spend kind of makes sense.
I'm relying on the 5-year guarantee and 15-year repair promise to look after me and my breads, cakes, and bakes, but I won't judge you if you just want to enjoy this from afar. I know a few of my friends will be coming round to use my KitchenAid, because they don't want to buy one for themselves.
