WHAT LED ME TO THIS MICROWAVE?
I have never been much of a chef. Not because I can't cook, but because I don't seem to ever find the time to cook. Not to mention that when I actually do cook, I hate to clean up! Since the oven that came with the house (we haven't replaced that one yet) only came with one rack, we found ourselves using the microwave for cooking things like vegetables, potatoes and other things we would have normally cooked in the oven. Our current microwave just wasn't cutting it.
When we bought our new home a year ago, I decided I was going to replace the existing white appliances and go with all stainless. Luckily, I am able to get KitchenAid products at a very deep discount because I use them in my model homes and sell their upgrades to my customers. Whirlpool (who makes KitchenAid - for those of you who didn't know) feels that "trade partners" should have easy access to these products so they can give more accurate referrals and select products that go best with a customer's needs. In this case, I needed a stainless microwave to match my newly purchased dishwasher and refrigerator. There is a more expensive model, up from the
KHMS155KSS but we felt we needed something easier to use and didn't need to spend the extra $100.00. The MSRP on this beauty is 699.00, but I've seen them as low as 549.00. Besides, this is one sweet lookin microwave!
PARTS AND FEATURES
The
1.5 Cu. Ft. Capacity KHMS155KSS comes with the following Features:
*Vent Grille/Fan
*Microwave Light
*Metal Shielded Window
*Cooking Rack
*Charcoal and Grease Filters
*Cooktop Light
*Multifunctional Control Panel
*Glass Turntable
*Child Safety Lock
*Clock
*Demo Learning Mode
*Timer
*Crispwave® Crisper Pan
The
Vent Fan has five speeds, ranging from low to high. Once the fan is turned "on" the fan automatically defaults to the lowest speed (1). To change the speed of the fan all you do is touch HIGHER or LOWER on the
Control Panel. This model can be
vented or non-vented. In our case, we chose the non-vented installation.
The
Cooking Rack Is used for two level cooking. It allows you to place two containers in the microwave at the same time. You cannot cook directly on the rack, nor can the rack touch the inside cavity walls. We have yet to have the need to use this feature.
The
Turntable rotates in both directions in order to cook your food more evenly. It is not recommended that you use the microwave without the turntable in place. The glass turntable is dishwasher safe and easy to remove and reinstall. Via the touchpad, you have the option of turning the turntable OFF. This is most helpful when cooking larger dishes or two dishes side by side. The turntable cannot be turned off during auto-function modes.
The
Clock is always displayed, except when the microwave is in use or when using the Timer feature. The clock does not show a.m. or pm. (if you don't know the difference then you have problems!).
The
Timer can be set in either minutes or seconds up to the number 99. When the timer is in use, the microwave can still operate, but it has nothing to do with the actual function of the microwave. When the timer is done, the word END displays and is followed by a long tone. This is a great feature than can be used with or without the microwave, therefore, there is no need for a separate timer in your kitchen!
The
Child Lock feature allows you to deactivate the Control Panel so that it can't be used. This is done through a series of tones while holding down the Start key.
The
Cooktop Light that shines down from the microwave onto the surface below has three options: on, night and off.
The
Demo Learning Mode feature teaches you how to use the microwave. By holding the "Timer" key down for five seconds, you will then see a "d" appear. This puts the microwave into demo mode. It will sound and look like the microwave is actually running, but it's not actually cooking! To remove the "d" you just hold down the "Timer" key again for five seconds.
THE CONTROL PANEL
The Control Panel consists of
5 Sensor Cooking Keys. How does these work? There is a sensor in the microwave that detects the humidity level in the food being cooked, then automatically sets a time based on the selected key touched.
The 5 preset Sensor Cooking keys are: Baked Potato, Frozen Entree, Room Temp Beverage, Refrigerated Dinner Plate and my all-time favorite Popcorn. Do these really work?
I can vouch that the Baked Potato key works, as I used it several times to cook bake potatoes to perfection. In addition, the Popcorn key allows you to make a perfect back of popcorn without burning any of the kernels! I have yet to experiment with the other three keys.
In addition to the Sensor Keys, the
KHMS155KSS keypad also comes with
5 preset Autocooking Keys:
Rice, Bacon, Instant Cereal, Frozen French Toast and Canned Vegetables It's as easy as touching a single key and walking away! It's important to follow the instruction manual's guidelines for the portion sizes of these items or the Keys won't work.
The
Easy Minute Key allows you to add a minute or more (in one minute increments) to whatever it is you have already started to cook. I tend to use this feature a lot.
You can also set the oven to cook in different
Stages. By touching the
Cook Time key you have the ability to decide the length of time for each stage and then by touching
Cook Power you are able to determine the power for each of the stages chosen. These two functions are for the more serious microwave cooker!
The
Reheat key is preset for
pizza slices, sauce, casseroles, baked goods and soup. All you do is push the reheat key and choose which of the five you are trying to reheat and then enter the quantity. It's as simple as that.
The
Custom Defrost key is preset to defrost the following items:
Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry and Fish This works similar to the reheat key, however rather than choosing quantity you are choosing weight instead of quantity.
The
Easy Simmer key is used for foods like
soups, casseroles, stews and anything else with a liquid consistency. This key uses a sensor much like that of Sensor Cooking. After touching the Easy Simmer key, you can choose the length you want the item to simmer once it has reached the boiling point. Pasta can be cooked using this function key and a large, covered container.
The
Crisp or Sizzle, keys, in conjunction with the
Crisper Pan aid in the browning and crisping of foods. There are four keys under this heading:
Pan Heat, Pizza, Chicken and Hamburger.
In this mode, the microwave is now taking the place of my frying pan!
HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
I can't even begin to count the ways! We cook just about everything in this microwave that will fit! I am amazed at the perfect bags of popcorn and the soft, potatoes that come out of it. Things I never thought I'd cook in a microwave I am! Our bacon comes out crispy, our vegetables come out soft and ground beef browns evenly. This is the best microwave I've ever owned. Not only does it look beautiful, but it's extremely functional. The parts that come with the microwave are easy to clean, as well as the microwave itself. If you would have asked me about KitchenAid appliances five years ago, I would have laughed and said, "you are just paying for a name". Now I am a true believer in...YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
MISCELLANEOUS INFO
Dimensions: Height 16-5/16 in. Depth 15-7/16 in. Width 30 in.
Electrical Requirements: 120 volt, 60 Hz., single phase, 15-20 amp service. 1,000 Watts maximum power.
For installation and venting instructions, visit www.kitchenaid.com.
Warranty: This microwave comes with a One-Year Full Parts and Labor Warranty. It also comes with a 2nd - 5th Year Warranty on the Magnetron Tube, and a 2nd - 10th Year Warranty on the Stainless Cavity, should rusting occur.
Other Whirlpool/KitchenAid appliance Reviews on appliances that I own:
KitchenAid 24.5 cu. ft. Architect Series Side-by-Side Refrigerator KSCS25FKSS
http://www.epinions.com/content_87456321156
KitchenAid KUDM01F Dishwasher
http://www.epinions.com/content_86576631428
Whirlpool Super Capacity Plus Calypso Washer GVW9959KQ
http://www.epinions.com/content_86519615108
More to come!
Thanks for reading!
Staysee
