Conclusions from the results of 20 tests of the KitchenAid multicooker... In these conclusions, I collected information from the primary review and added it to the information that appeared during the tests.
As I said in the first review, this device is completely different from the multicooker we are used to. Featuring signature stylish design from KitchenAid. The multicooker is available in two colors: red and cream.
Stirring device - this is the first thing that immediately catches your eye. It is attached. It has contacts that connect to those on the bottom of the multicooker body. The stirrer turns on even when the multicooker itself is turned off, but connected to the network. Mixing is possible in three speed modes: 25, 45 and 75 rpm. It is possible to turn on impulse mixing at a low blade rotation speed (25 rpm) in two modes:
1. 15 seconds every 2 minutes.
2. For 2 minutes every 20 minutes.
The stirrer arm rises by turning the corresponding lever down. It is lowered to a horizontal position by pressing on the shoulder itself and fixed with a click.
The stirrer is equipped with two paddlesthat rotate in two planes. You can use two paddles at once or just one. The blades are connected by grooves and put on the shaft with the release of the spring and turning clockwise until secured. To remove the blades, you need to depress the spring again and turn them in the opposite direction.
The kit includes stainless steel steam basket... Can be installed on both sides and used as a basket or as a lattice. According to the instructions, this stand can be used as a grate for baking, but I did not dare to heat the bowl dry for such a long time - I am afraid for the coating. Used the basket only as a steam room. I am very glad that it is made of stainless steel - I do not like plastic baskets.
Bowl has an unusual shape. She has knobs - they are a continuation of the body of the bowl, therefore they are heated together with it. However, it is more convenient to remove the bowl from the case with tacks for such handles than without them. The rim of the bowl has a recess for the shoulder of the stirrer. The same notch can be used as drainer... I repeatedly used this opportunity - I poured milk, and curd mass, and soup / broth - very convenient, not a drop spills by, even if you pour it into a bottle from a full bowl.
General volume approaching 4 liters, up to a maximum of approx. 3 liters... There is no scale on the wall of the bowl, only the mark is squeezed out from the outside to the inside.
The bowl has ceramic coating... It gives the impression of being very persistent. During these three weeks, the inside did not suffer at all, it did not stick. The only thing where it is slightly worn out is at the bottom outside about the heating element (a common occurrence for multicooker bowls) and on the very ledge of the side - I hooked the bottom of the dish so well in this place, and the coating rubbed a little.
The bowl is thick-walled. Its weight is 1156 grams. Overall height 16.1cm. Height to the side from the bottom outside 13.55cm. Bottom diameter 17cm. The inner diameter of the top to the side is 21 cm, together with the side - 25.1 cm. The girth of the bowl under the rim is 67.5 cm.
Cap this model is completely uncharacteristic for multicooker. She glass with wide steel rim... It is inserted into the side of the bowl. I was very much afraid that the cover of the bowl could be damaged by the lid - nevertheless, regular contact of the metal with the coating. I have not found any signs of damage to the coating in these three weeks... On one side, the lid has a recess for the shoulder of the stirrer, and on the other, there are openings for expressing. The glass part of the lid has an opening for steam outlet. But, by the way, steam escapes just as intensively through the closed hole for the shoulder - a small gap remains there. By rotating the lid, you can adjust the intensity of the steam output through this hole. I used this several times when the boil in the bowl was too intense. The steam is then condensed on the stirrer. But only once I had to soak the condensate from the mixer so that it would not run down the body.
That's what is usual for multicooker is Heating element... It is located inside the multicooker body at the bottom, slightly raised. Its diameter is 15cm. Has no coverage.
KitchenAid multicooker body is made of stainless steel... Internal dimensions of the multicooker: diameter at the bottom 19.8 cm, diameter at the top - 21.8 cm. Outside diameter including handles 38cm. The depth of the multicooker without stirring device is 31cm, with stirring device - 45cm. Height with lid - 31cm. Height with the stirrer arm raised - 47.5cm.
The control panel is located on the front wall of the case multicooker. Completed in the form of a circle... In the center of this circle is a monochrome display that displays both numeric and alphabetic information. Control buttons are located around the circle. At the bottom left is an enable / disable / cancel button. Further counterclockwise is the start button, it has a work status indicator light, it can blink or light up. Next, the arrow for scrolling the menu forward or selecting the next stage of the mode. Next is the timer for the duration of the mode or stage of the mode. Further, the temperature adjustment button (for each mode its own temperature range), step 5 ° C up to 1 hour, after - 30 minutes, in Manual mode, adjustment from 74 ° C to 230 ° C is possible. 74 ° C is the minimum temperature that can be set in this multicooker. In the Yogurt mode, the temperature is not regulated in the second stage (fermentation).And the last button is to scroll back through the menu.
The multicooker has in general 14 modes... However, these are unusual modes that are familiar to us from other multicooker models. All modes here can be divided into two groups.
The first group is simple modes, consisting of one step, differ in the temperature range: Roasting over high heat, Roasting, Roasting, Cooking / steaming, Cooking over low heat, Cooking over low heat (Slow cooker), Maintaining the temperature, Rice and Manual. The Rice mode has two sub-modes: White Rice and Brown Rice. As I understand it, they differ in duration: white lasts at least 35 minutes, brown - 55 minutes.
The second group is polysyllabic modes consisting of 2-3 stages... Moreover, this group of modes can be divided into three more subgroups.
1. The first includes modes in which the first stage begins with Frying: Soup, Risotto, Pilaf.
2. To the second - modes in which the first stage is cooking. There is only one such regime, this is Kasha.
The second / third stage for all these modes, both the first and second subgroups, is followed by Cooking on low heat.
3. And the third group includes the Yogurt mode, in which the first stage begins with Boiling on low heat in the range of 85-95 ° C (for pasteurizing milk before sourdough). The second stage is followed by low-temperature heating for fermentation from 45 ° C, then the temperature decreases.
The last step for all modes, except for Maintaining Temperature and Yoghurt, is Heating or Maintaining the temperature can be included or not included, but just finish cooking at this point (early this not regulated, only after the end of the mode). Two modes of keeping warm are switched on automatically at the end of the program, they are Slow cooking and Rice.
A feature of this multicooker is that you can adjust the temperature in almost all modesexcept for Keep Warm, Simmer, Rice and Yoghurt step 2.
Now I'll tell you about each mode.
1. Roasting. Temperature range at 220-230 ° C. This mode is designed for fast frying, grilling, sealing meat before stewing. Everything is fried very quickly. The only thing: it is better to heat the bowl with oil (at least just grease the bowl with a brush with oil), since the coating is ceramic, and the contact of a dry hot coating with a cold product can clog the pores of the coating, and it can lose its non-stick properties. And, of course, it is better not to overheat the oil so that it does not start to smoke.
2. Frying. Temperature range in the mode 160-190 ° С, default 175 ° С. In this mode, you can fry for a longer time without fear of burning, vegetables, for example, mushrooms, meat ... That is, this is a softer frying mode than the first.
3. Baking. The temperature range in the mode is similar to the previous one - 165-190 ° С. The mode is designed according to the instructions for baking, even cakes are offered to bake on it. But the temperature is too high for the cakes. And I never dared to bake it on the wire rack. Therefore, I did not experience this regime. But by and large it is similar to the Fry regime.
4. Boiling / steaming. Temperature range at 90-110 ° C mode. In this mode, you can both steam and cook soups with active and soft boiling, and simmer - the temperature range allows you to do a lot in this mode. I noticed that the actual temperature in this mode tends to rise. So, at the established 95 ° C, first a soft, and then active boiling of the liquid is observed.
5. Cooking on low heat. Temperature range at 85-100 ° C mode. This mode is really soft. Its 100 ° C is softer than the 95 ° C in the previous Cooking / Steam setting. This mode can be used for dietary soups, prolonged soft stewing.
6. Cooking over low heat (Slow cooker). The temperature is not regulated in this mode. The default is 90 ° C. This mode is designed for simmering, i.e. everything that we cook in slow cookers. I tested this mode on languishing milk. The milk turned out to be wonderful, rich caramel.At the end of the mode, heating is automatically switched on (maintaining the temperature).
7. Maintaining temperature. This mode is designed to keep cooked food warm. Its working temperature is 75 ° C (not regulated). I have not experienced this mode as a separate one, but the principle is the same as heating after the end of the mode.
8. Manual mode. This mode allows you to adjust the temperature in the range of 74-230 ° C. This large range is divided into the above temperature ranges and after clicking on Start, you can select one of the ranges, click on Start again and then select the required temperature within the selected range. This is the most maneuverable mode, and only it has a temperature range from 110 ° C to 160 ° C. Therefore, you can bake on it, very softly fry / actively stew (important, for example, for wet vegetables, so that they do not "flood"). Also, only in this mode there is a temperature of 80 ° C for soft long-term simmering, curdling sour milk.
9. Fig. The temperature in the mode is not regulated. The mode has two sub-modes: Rice white and Rice brown. They differ in duration: white lasts at least 35 minutes, brown - 55 minutes. The mode is not touch-sensitive (it does not work until the liquid boils away), the time can be adjusted. I did not cook brown rice, but for white rice it is better to increase the time from 40-45 minutes, since this mode is soft. After the end of the mode, the temperature maintenance (heating) is automatically turned on.
10. Soup. The multi-complex mode consists of two stages: Frying and Cooking on low heat. This mode is convenient to use if you need to cook soups with preliminary sautéing vegetables, frying meat. Temperature stages repeat the modes of the same name.
11. Risotto. The multi-complex mode consists of three stages: Frying, Boiling, Boiling on low heat. This mode is for preparing risotto and similar dishes. Temperature stages of the regime correspond to the regimes of the same name.
12. Pilaf. The multi-complex mode consists of three stages: Frying, Boiling, Boiling on low heat. This mode is intended for cooking pilaf. Temperature stages of the regime correspond to the regimes of the same name.
Risotto and Plov modes are functionally similar.
13. Porridge. The multi-complex mode consists of two stages: Cooking, Cooking on low heat. This mode is intended for cooking porridge. However, it is convenient to use it for a two-stage cooking of soup and stewing with a boil at the beginning and further soft stewing. Temperature stages of the regime correspond to the regimes of the same name. To prepare semolina or oatmeal porridge, it is convenient to use a stirrer in this mode.
14. Yogurt. The multi-complex mode consists of two stages: Pasteurization (in the range of 85-95 ° C) and Fermentation (temperature is not regulated, by default 45 °). It is intended for fermentation of fermented milk products with preliminary milk pasteurization. The first stage can be skipped only after reaching the pasteurization temperature. After the first stage, the milk is cooled to the fermentation temperature, but for some reason this temperature is higher than 45 ° C, and sour milk needs 32-42 ° C. But when the agitator is on, cooling is faster. Thus, an hour after the beginning of the second stage, with the stirrer turned on and the lid open, the milk temperature reaches an acceptable temperature for fermentation. After the end of the mode, maintaining the temperature (heating) is not provided.
Management process looks like that. The multicooker is turned on by pressing the power button. The arrows select the desired mode. Click on Start (for the Manual mode, after the first click on Start, you can select the temperature range in which you plan to cook, and then click on Start again). After that, you can adjust the heating temperature in the range set for this mode. Heats up to the set temperature. Next, you can select the duration of maintaining this temperature. After that, you must click on Start to start the timing.A minute before the end of the countdown, a signal will sound, and after a minute the multicooker will either end the program or go to the second stage of the mode, where you will need to repeat the selection of the temperature and cooking duration. During the entire period of the program, you can change the cooking time by pressing the timer and arrow buttons. To change the temperature, you must first press the timer button and only then the temperature adjustment button and the arrow, otherwise the temperature will not change. At the end of the mode, you can turn on the heating, for this you need to click on the forward arrow (also in some modes you need to click on the forward arrow to go to the next stage, for example, on Yogurt, Plov). If you do not set the heating duration, the temperature will be maintained for 24 hours.
The menu also has Item Settings... When you turn on the multicooker for the first time, the entire menu is displayed in English, to translate it into Russian, you need to select the appropriate item in the settings using the Start buttons and arrows. Further, even after disconnecting the multicooker from the network, the language will remain selected. In Settings, you can switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius degrees (Celsius was set by default). In the Settings, you can also set the timer just to count the time for other kitchen needs besides using the multicooker.
If the device remains connected to the network, then all settings for the modes that have been set are saved. When disconnected from the network, the settings are returned to the factory settings (except for language and degrees). Once I had to check the safety of the program when disconnected from the network. After 15 minutes of shutdown, the program got lost. However, if the device is disconnected from the mains and turned on again within a minute, the program is saved. The range from a minute to fifteen was not checked.
When the heating element was first heated, like most similar devices, there was a slight smoke and a burning smell. Passed quickly. No more there were no foreign smells during the operation of the device.
What turned out to be inconvenient during the operation of the device:
1. If the liquid in the bowl rises above the MAX level when using the mixer, then the pressure plate and the spring of the shaft of the mixing device are soiled by the contents of the bowl (for example, milk ... clean them.
2. The control panel is push-button, protrudes from the side of the body, and if you accidentally drop something on the body, the drops flow down under the buttons. It's not the easiest thing to do to wash them afterwards. But this happened to me only once.
These inconveniences, of course, are trifles in comparison with the capabilities of the device! But I could not help but say about them.
In general, I can say that the multicooker is very unusual and suitable for those who are ready and willing to experiment, who are familiar with the technology of cooking... Although at the same time she encourages the development of this knowledge, because without them it will not be very clear which mode to choose, what temperature to set at the stages of the mode. In addition, at the stages, the choice of temperatures is still limited to certain ranges, which is also allows the user to become familiar with the technology of cooking on modes of the same name (such as Plov, Risotto, etc.). I have already said several times that this slow cooker is not for those who cook with a delay and / or according to the "throw and forget" principle. But despite this, in her monosyllabic modes can also be used without the need for step-by-step installations, however, after entering the mode, you still have to press the Start button to start timing. But to cook with delayed start will not work - the KitsenAid multicooker does not have this function.
All in all, the KitchenAid multicooker is very interesting! I am very pleased with her tests. I was especially pleased, of course, the presence of a device for stirring with the ability to adjust the speed and stirring mode - it greatly facilitates the preparation of dishes, the cooking process of which previously did not please at all due to the need to stand over the saucepan and stir (sauces, condensed milk and similar sweets, jams, sautéing vegetables, cereals, etc.). Now I can cook these dishes more often without much effort on my part - the mixer does all the mechanical work, and all I have to do is fantasize about the ingredients and come up with new tastes.
