KitchenAid KMC4244SS Multi Cooker – 4 qt – Stainless Steel

The very nearly almost but not quite useful kitchen aid.This machine has one thing going for it – if you include the stir tower. If you don’t include the stir tower there are a lot of other multi-cookers made with more forethought, fewer quick to market shortcuts, and lower price tag.If I knew then what I know now, I would not have bought this machine. There are simply too many, “W. T. …?!” moments while using it.• The “mystery finish ceramic (?)” non-stick cook pot absorbs odors like you wouldn’t believe, and it’s nearly impossible to get them out again. I have tried soaking with dawn, making a baking soda paste, soaking in dilute white vinegar (btw, DO NOT DO THIS, it pits the finish), boiling, boiling with mild soap… nothing, absolutely nothing I do gets rid of odors and those odors do impart flavors. I made chai flavored yogurt before I realized this was a problem. i made chicken and artichoke flavored yogurt after i knew it was a problem but couldn’t get the odor and flavor out. i’m currently waiting for them to get the replacement cookpots back in stock so i can have three to dedicate to flavor profiles.• The beep is so quiet and shy you can hardly hear it over ambient noises, I definitely cannot hear it from another room.• Regardless of mode the timer doesn’t actually do anything. It will only beep 3 times and not insist on you coming over to turn it off. I honestly have no idea why they bothered adding it, it serves no purpose what so ever for the function of the machine and is too quiet to provide any kind of alert if you aren’t already standing there staring at the machine anyway. It won’t turn the machine off or move it to the next cook stage automatically when it goes off. It’s literally JUST a timer, and a sad one at that.• When preheating is complete you have to tell the machine to progress to the next step, until you do so the machine temperature is not maintained and will continue to fall. If you’re like me and it might take you a few minutes to get back into the kitchen, this usually results in the loss of 50-100 degrees in temperature, necessitating pre-heating again. There’s really no reason for the machine not to automatically move into a temperature holding state after pre-heating at the very least. (is anyone else experiencing this? did I get a dud machine?)• Hard coded time limits on the pre-programmed cooking methods make them all but useless (cook methods, not the step-by-step cook modes). For example, slow cook low has a 12 hours max cook time then it moves to keep warm, so on and so forth for the other cooking methods. How many people slow cook longer than 12 hours? 24 hours? 48 hours? I regularly do 48 hours or more for many different tasks, so manual mode is more or less exclusively used.• The steamer/roast rack has no tool to allow you to lift it from the cook pot with ease. Presumably when you’re done cooking whatever it is you cooked in this thing you want to be able to then serve it. To do that most expeditiously, that means removing the steamer basket from the cook pot. This task is virtually impossible to do without a custom tool or a willingness to shove oven mitts into your meal. Many an evening sees my partner laughing uproariously at me as I attempt to lift the basket balancing it precariously between a pair of wide serving forks without dropping the basket or scratching the cooking pot.• The stirrer attachments have no tool or quick release to allow you to remove them from the stirrer arm while they’re hot. In order to be able to lift out the cooking pot after using the stir tower, you have to remove the stir attachments. These things get HOT. So your choices are… burn yourself trying to remove them by hand, wait for them to cool down – along with your meal, or again be willing to wave your kitchen mitts all over your prepared food as you manhandle the stir arms off with mitts – smearing them with the sauces of your food to boot. (Seriously, if anyone else using this thing has devised a slick and easy way to remove these guys when they’re hot, please, please, please, leave a comment!)• Temperature range limit. I dunno what is up with this. I really don’t. I just. This is the single most infuriating aspect of this machine. We KNOW it can do lower temperatures, it has the yogurt program. But we’re not ALLOWED to use temperatures lower than 165°F. …I’m sorry, excuse me, what? So, no 12 minute eggs, no sous vide, no milk teas, no chai, no anything that must be cooked below 165°F. I. Hate. Corporate. Design. Logic. I have to deal with it day in and day out at work. Every single decision can be boiled down to least possible potential for litigation. Every. Single. Time. …just /ARGH!/• Stir tower noise level is ridiculously loud, it’s 72db when operating on high. I have to assume they have a chain drive inside this thing, it’s the only excuse for it making as much noise as it does. The other side effect of the stir-tower noise level is that you cannot hear the step-by-step cooking beeps letting you know when it’s ready to progress to the next step. Granted, I actually can’t hear those beeps unless I’m already in the kitchen standing next to the machine anyways, but with the stir-tower on (even just low) I cannot hear them at all even when I’m standing next to the machine. – I feel I should note, I’m not hard of hearing. To the contrary, my hearing is sensitive enough I wear protective earmuffs when I go to the movie theater. Also my house is tiny. I’m not hundreds of feet and dozens of walls away when I’m in another room, I might be two walls and twenty feet away at most.Things I enjoyed about this machine?It made perfectly smooth pudding in 3 minutes flat, from scratch, and it generates less heat than my gas range which will be greatly appreciated in the coming summer months. That’s it. That’s the best I have to say about it. It can make a mean chocolate pudding, and it is heat efficient. To say this has been an utter disappointment is a mild understatement. There are so many other multi-cookers on the market with so much more user freedom, I cannot recommend this product to anyone unless all you want it for is the stir-tower.UPDATE: July 2018RE: cookpot.Somewhere around the 20-30th use, the non-stick polymer finish vanished from the cookpot. this is both good and bad. the good is that the odor absorption and flavor retention is completely gone with the loss of the non-stick finish, so in all likelihood it was the source of the retention. the bad is that it’s more or less a cast iron pan now for food adhesion while cooking. I’m not super upset by this, most of my cooking pans are cast iron or steel, and i’m very happy to have the odor/flavor retention issue gone. the downside is that the walls of the pot are high enough that without the polymer finish any food with a significant amount of water loss during cooking sticks like crazy because the water vapor collects on the sides of the pot and run back down to the bottom. it’s virtually impossible to make something like country potatoes without pre-roasting the potatoes to remove some of the water content. otherwise they come out with half of them stuck to the bottom of the pan and the other half you actually get to eat steamed to death. but honestly, that’s a minor inconvenience compared to the odor and flavor problem.RE: programs & temperature controlAbout a month ago the slow cooker programs stopped moving to “keep warm” after completing their 12 hour cook cycle. instead the machine would just zero out and sit there steadily congealing the food it was supposed to be holding at 165°F. Very frustrating, but rarely the end of the world. Unfortunately, about two weeks after that started happening, the temperature sensor or controller stopped working properly all together. The cookpot no longer comes up to the temperature it says it is. IE: set it to boil/steam and you might be lucky to get 4 cups of water to simmer after 30 minutes. It won’t reach the max temperature of 450°F at all, and most other temperatures have to be over set by approximately 50-75° in order to actually reach the desired cooking temperature. I’ve contacted customer service to see about getting a replacement since it’s past its amazon return window, we’ll see how it goes.UPDATE 2: Sept 2018ahh, the on going saga of the kitchenaid cf.firstly, props to hassle free customer service. contacted them and had a replacement cooker within a week.sadly, the replacement cooker, while initially showing promise, died faster than the first one. it glitched out during a low slow cook, in less than an hour it boiled off the 6c of water, and burned up the chicken. i’m guessing this extreme heat event also damaged the ceramic cook pot’s finish as it started chipping badly with every following use even though i have nothing but silicone cooking utensils.it should be noted that unlike the first cookpot i received, the ceramic cookpot that arrived with this replacement unit had none of the odor or flavor issues that the first cookpot had. it’s good to know that if you do get a bad ceramic bowl a replacement one might not have the same odor problem. of course, that doesn’t mean it wont have other defects like the half dozen craters that are now in mine which are likely the result of impurities in the clay reacting poorly to thermal stress.i haven’t decided if i’m going to request a second replacement or not at this point. i feel like i’ve wasted enough of my time on this piece of junk and i’m likely just going to remove it from my kitchen all together and buy the Breville Fast Slow Pro. which is a shame, i really enjoyed having the stir tower option.UPDATE 3: July 2019I did keep the Kitchenaid. I more or less shoved it in a corner and waited until the last possible date I could to RMA it hoping above hope that I would get a new manufacturing batch and that maybe, just maybe, it would have some of the problems cleared up. I am happy to report at least one change! …The new unit automatically transitions from preheat to set temp without requiring you to come back and push the button a second time – at least in Manual mode, I still don’t use any of the other settings. /swoon/ I was jumping up and down with excitement when I walked back into the kitchen and saw that i didn’t need to hit the button a second time. It really is the little things in life that matter. It also seems like it has a more precise temperature controller. This means it’s a little slower to heat up, but it doesn’t fluctuate wildly when heating up either, going well above the set temperature and then coming back down again like the older unit used to do. This does mean that if you add large items, like say a steak to the pot after heating, it’s going to cool down rapidly as it transfers all that heat to the cooler meat, and it will take longer to come back up to temperature for searing the meat. Some people will view that as a very bad negative. But since I use it almost exclusively for lower temperature applications, I’m not fashed about that.Unfortunately there’s no way to know if you do or don’t receive one of these newer units without plugging it in and using it, as it has exactly the same model number and there’s no date of manufacturing anywhere I could find.

WOW! Was this Multi-cooker ever a wonderful surprise! I did buy it for myself, but I didn’t imagine what a wonderful sear it would put on meats, and then switch right into being a great slow cooker! It is the right size for small families, and I am so pleased that I made this investment.

ALLOWS MORE FREEDOM TO COMBINE FUNCTIONS OR ELIMINATE PANS, FREE YOUR HANDS TO DO SIMULTANEOUS WORK***SPECIFIC REVIEW ON THE STIR TOWER AT BOTTOMI was looking for a different appliance in a local store an saw this new multi-cooker on display. To be quite honest, the unique look is what caused me to ask questions and I thought it was a very attractive appliance. I had been considering a crock pot or multi-cooker anyway so it really engaged me and I went through a series of demos. I was hooked and took the only one they had besides the floor model because it was so new. I have been running it through a number of tests and researching the specs a little. I have a few impressions on use and have included some of my findings below. I hope it helps.SOME NOTES ON USES: — REMEMBER THIS IS 4qt WHEN CONSIDERING ROASTS – The non-stick pot is rated at 4qts and is about 8 1/2 inches across once you get down inside. The mouth is wider where the lid sits. For some uses, this machine is more than large enough. For others, it might be on the small side. However, I was buying according to my needs so there is no reason to fault the machine. Oblong machines that do large roasts for big family dinners are available. If you are doing a large solid roast, there isn’t much room to place vegetables around the sides. If you cube the roast and mix it all in with the vegetables, then the broth can get high enough to ensure everything cooks properly. It’s not an oven roast anyway. (Oven is my preferred roast though) — NOT A PRESSURE COOKER – The lid is well vented so you can’t expect a tight seal. I do not suggest rigging it to seal tighter against it’s designed use by manufacturer. — HANDLES RICE WELL – I have a very high end rice cooker but the venting mechanism is more complicated for special rice styles. I prefer this machine when using recipes that require cooking the rice with other ingredients because it gums up my rice machine. Same with some wild rice. There is a specific setting for brown rice. This machine will also do larger pots or act as a second when I have company. — LEAVES YOUR HANDS FREE LONGER ON THINGS LIKE RISOTTO – If you get the stir tower, you can do things like risotto and have a little more hands free as the tower stirs the rice for you. You still need to check it a few minutes here and there to add broth. This was a big deal to me, not to have to sit there and stir. Staying near, I was able to split my attention much more easily over other foods. — ONE POT PREPARATION WITH BRAISING/SEARING – I don’t know if this is a big deal to some people, but it’s nice to not have several pans out while you make something that requires searing first, then slow cooking. It helps on the cleanup. I will be honest though, in some cases I prefer the wide low mouth of a good frying pan while I set the cooker to it’s eventual setting and dump the items in once it’s all set. Personal preference on this one. — YOGURT – It’s nice to have the option of making a homemade yogurt that I know what’s in it. It’s as natural as the ingredients you choose. That was a bit of a novelty for me. I am not an expert yogurt maker though I may become one some day. You can also do low temp creamy scrambled eggs.NOTES ON TEMPERATURES AND FUNCTIONS: — EASY TO USE ONCE YOU READ INSTRUCTIONS: The settings and use of this machine is fairly intuitive and easy though you should read the instructions first of course. Experts with multi-cookers might find they can work it with little instruction right out of the box. — SOME FUNCTIONS REQUIRE MULTI ADJUSTMENTS AS YOU COOK, OTHERS DON’T – There are a few functions that you can add ingredients and walk away after start (such as rice). However, others still require you to be present and change to the appropriate setting once ready. That is mostly intuitive, but I thought it worth mentioning. For instance if you are braising, you have to change the setting once you are ready for slow cooking etc… — CHANGE TIME ON THE FLY – As you cook, you can adjust the time if you realize a change is in order. However, that is generally a matter of dialing in the new time you need rather than adding a minute or hour. — MANUAL OR SET TEMPARATURES, FAHRENHEIT OR CELSIUS – There are a number of auto temp settings or you can set your own temperature manually. You can set your machine to read Fahrenheit or Celsius. I will give specific temps below in Fahrenheit. — AUTO SETTING TEMPS – Simmer 205′ – oil/steam 212′ – saute 350′ – sear 450′ – Warm 165′ — There are also specific recipe settings for temperature but the manufacturer does not supply all the information. Yogurt for instance rises to 185′ and then cools down to 110′ to cure for the correct number of hours. — MANUAL TEMP SETTINGS – You can manually set your temperature between the ranges 165′ – 450′ — note that the auto settings will go lower for certain periods and uses, but adjust for the recipe so you can’t maintain a lower temp when doing specialty low temp cooking below 165’OTHER THOUGHTS (Multi-Cooker): I have been really happy with this machine so far and it has a terrific feel of quality and beauty. Though for some uses I would go with a larger machine, a large oblong would not really work for the uses an additional stir tower attachment provides. In the end, those are some of the most useful options that I like about it to begin with.—————————————————————————————————————–MY SPECIFIC REVIEW ON THE STIR TOWER – ALSO FOUND ON THE AMAZON STIR TOWER SEPARATE LISTINGTHIS IS THE DEVICE THAT MADE THE MULTI-COOKER UNIQUE FOR MY USE ON CERTAIN RECIPESHOW IT FITS – HOW IT WORKS – WHAT IT CAN DO FOR YOUI ordered this tower the same day I bought my multi-cooker in a local store because I knew how it would make the multi-cooker special for me. Yes, I could do crock pot type stuff, but I had a specific need to free my hands while doing involved recipes like risotto. Not everyone out there will need this tower depending on what you are making in your multi-cooker. However, I have included some kitchen tests, observations and specifications below.SOME FOOD USES — MY NUMBER ONE BENEFIT – When making foods that require constant stirring like risotto I don’t have to stir constantly and can free my hands to work on other foods simultaneously. Of course, you have to be there to add broth every few minutes or so. When doing milk based recipes like yogurt or other temperature sensitive items, it’s a snap. — INTERMITTENT STIRING – For less sensitive foods that still require intermittent stirring, you have several settings that allow you to set and walk away. Timing option on the multi-cooker unit will also finish the recipe and go to warming phase so depending on the food (soup for instance) it can truly be set and walk away cooking. More on stir settings below. — NOTE ABOUT FOLDING INGREDIENTS – The two stir pieces that sit down in the bowl are somewhat rubber in feel and clean both the bottom and side of the pot. One thing I noticed though, if mixing items of very differing density like heavy rice and lighter items like shaved parmesan, it doesn’t fold them as well as I hoped. It stirs well. It will eventually mix them. But it’s better to do a little spatula work and push it into the mix and then let it go. So, it stirs better than it folds ingredients. It still does the job. — BRAISING OR VEGETABLES – This one is a matter of personal taste. If you like the idea of braising your items in one pot for preparation before going to slow cooking or other recipes like soup. This will do the trick just find and stir them for you while your at it. I personally don’t mind using a second frying pan in most instances because I like the wide low mouth for ease of access. It just depends how I feel at the time.FUNCTIONS — CONSTANT SPEEDS – Clockwise on the selector dial gives you three constant stir settings. Low at 20 rps – Medium at 45 rpms – High at 75 rpms. Straight up 0 on the dial is for OFF. — INTERMITTENT STIR SETTINGS – Turning counter clockwise from OFF gives you two more settings with intermittent stirring. Both settings run at LOW speed 20 rpms, but give you different timing options. 2 Minute Intermittent gives you 15 seconds of stirring every 2 minutes. 20 Minute Intermittent gives you 1 minute of stirring every 20 minutes.HOW IT FITS ON MACHINE — SIMPLICITY OF USE – This device sets up extremely easily once you see the instructions and the stir attachments snap on in just moments. It’s fairly intuitive, but I do suggest glancing at the instructions the first time. — NO POWER CORDS – The tower foot slides underneath the multi-cooker and has prongs or slides that connect and draw power from the machine, so there is no extra set of power cords to deal with and find plugs for. — HOW IT FITS THE MACHINE – You might have assumed this goes through the roof of the lid or has to be used separately from the lid. Actually the flat arm fits through a wide vent in the side of the clear lid so the stir devices can operate contained within the closed multi-cooker. Since the lid of the multi-cooker is clear, you can still look in and observe the food as it stirs. As mentioned before, the foot of the tower slides under the cooker. The body of the tower rests against the machine and appears almost like a single device when paired (assuming you buy the same color). It makes the machine look a little bit chunkier, but still well beautiful enough to sit on your counter even when not in use.

Quede como un rey…a mi esposa le.encanto y cocina excelente…quize comprar el.libro de recetas y no.lo.envian a Chile 🙁

My kettle had a STRONG plastic smell. I boiled water (almost 30 times) and then a few times I boiled water and vinegar, I was hoping it was just a NEW product smell, but the plastic odor never went away. Other than the smell, I loved the kettle, unfortunately I had to return it.KitchenAid KEK1322SS 1.5L Electric Glass Tea Kettle – Stainless Steel

I almost didn’t buy this because of the funky plastic & rubber smell & taste that’s been reported. When I received this the smell was immediately evident. As one previous report states, the instructions include washing with soap & water before using it. I also followed these instructions. I’ve made 4 pots if delicate green tea so far and there has not been one hint of a smell or taste.Love this machine. Easy to use, easy to clean, beautiful pot, works exactly as advertised.

After researching many tea kettles, I finally settled on this one since it seemed high quality and toxin-free (it was described as glass and stainless steel). However, there is a strong chemical odor in the kettle which leaches into the water. I have tried rinsing with white vinegar and water multiple times as one customer suggested but that did not remove the odor. The odor is probably coming from a seal which joins the glass sides to the stainless steel bottom. You can see this seal when looking down into the pot. Just for a notion I stopped by Walmart to look at their tea kettles. Lo and behold there was a Farberware glass tea kettle with the same German-made Schott glass and stainless steel bottom and funky chemical plastic seal for $19.94. Very disappointed in this KitchenAid product and will not be using it because I feel it is not safe to drink water that has been boiled in it.

In love with it… I did a lot of searching before purchasing this kettle. I have been in the process of tuning up our kitchen, and have purchased 4 KitchenAid appliances recently. I am very pleased at the quality of each item. This pot is the perfect size, gorgeous on my counter, and the chime is so nice when I’m brewing my sencha in the morning. I can heat as much water or tea as I like with no odd plastic taste (unlike my last kettle). I am thoroughly impressed with my new kettle and my other KitchenAid appliances and bakeware, attachments… etc.

I bought this kettle to replace my Breville. I have owned it for a couple of weeks now and have been disappointed. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a plastic taste that has not dissipated. Also, the kettle does not heat near its promised 212 degrees– this makes for a mediocre cup of tea. The kettle is going back.

The only thing I dislike about this kettle is the weird buzzing noise it makes when it is plugged in. Maybe it’s just my outlets but whenever it is plugged in it makes a constant bussing noise. other than that it’s perfect!

It is easy to use and boil the water fast.

Nice kettle