That morning cup of coffee is an essential part of almost every American’s day, with almost 75% enjoying it in their own home. The most popular way of preparing coffee is the drip coffee method, and the KitchenAid coffee maker is the perfect kitchen accessory to do this. There’s also the cold brew option, so let’s check how to get the most out of these KitchenAid coffee makers.
Getting the most out of KitchenAid’s Cold Brew Coffee Maker and their 12-cup Drip Coffee Maker involves looking at how to set them up, how to clean them, the best coffee beans to choose, how the two methods differ, as well as a step-by-step guide to making the perfect cup of coffee.
As well as detailing the use of the KitchenAid coffee makers, I’ll highlight some of the options in the range, their pros and cons, the KitchenAid coffee grinder, which is an essential accessory, and give you a clear idea of what is needed to ensure that the KitchenAid coffeemaker works best for you. Let’s get started!
How To Use Your KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Iced coffee is a favorite among coffee lovers, but brewing cold coffee is a recent trend.
Why Cold Brew Coffee Is A Must-Try
There are plenty of good reasons why cold-brew coffee is not only a tasty treat but a healthy drink, too:
- Cold brew coffee has as much as 67% less acid than hot-brewed coffee, so it is suitable for those coffee lovers who suffer from acid reflux.
- It is less bitter than other coffees, and while the sweetness of the bean is more discernible, it still has the caffeine content to give you that “lift.”
- The increased caffeine also decreases the chance of diabetes and heart disease, improves mental acuity, and increases energy levels.
- While sharing all the health benefits of “normal” coffee and more, cold brew coffee has the added advantage of being long-lasting – you can keep the cold brew concentrate refrigerated for up to two weeks.
How to Set Up Your KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker
We’ll go into more detail a little later, but it’s important to ensure your cold brew coffee maker is spotlessly clean, as there is no boiling water to eliminate bacteria during the brew.
- Separate all the parts of the coffee maker, including the stainless-steel sleeper, the glass brewing jar, and the lid and base. Wash and dry each piece separately.
- Place the outer lid on the jar and insert the steeper, ensuring that its handle is lying flat.
- Using the KitchenAid burr coffee grinder, prepare about 9 oz. of ground coffee. A medium roast is recommended, but choose your favorite bean – it’s a matter of taste. Grind as coarsely as possible.
- Prepare approximately 42 oz. of cold filtered water.
How to Brew The Perfect Batch Of Cold Brew Coffee
The most significant advantage of a cold brew is its simplicity, although it does take time:
- Place your prepared ground coffee into the brewing jar. It’s best to grind the coffee just before you start brewing – the fresher, the better-tasting your cold brew will be.
- Add about two-thirds of the water to the coffee, using a circular motion to get an even soaking. After the water has been evenly absorbed, add the remaining one-third.
- Use a spoon to tamp down the coffee grounds, making sure that they have all been covered by the water, then replace the lid.
- You can now leave the coffee to brew, either in the refrigerator or at room temperature, for between twelve and twenty-four hours.
- At the end of the brew, remove the steeper from the jar, but leave it suspended at the opening for a few minutes to drain the grounds before replacing the lid and disposing of the coffee grounds (they are an excellent addition to your garden compost, by the way!)
- Your cold brew coffee is ready to enjoy – you may want to dilute it to suit your taste by adding water, milk, or cream, but do so in a separate coffee mug or jar. The concentrate will last longer in the fridge if it’s undiluted.
How to Make Coffee In Your KitchenAid Coffee Maker
If cold brewing is not for you, and you prefer to make a hot brew in your KitchenAid Coffee Maker, this is how you do it.
Choosing The Right Coffee Beans
No rights or wrongs exist when choosing a coffee bean, only personal taste and preference. Some aspects will affect your choice:
- Freshness – beans remain fresh for a maximum of three weeks after roasting, so check the date on the pack you buy or ask the roaster.
- Level of roast – the lighter the roast, the more acid the bean will contain, and the higher the level of caffeine. Choose a medium roast if you prefer a smooth, rounded flavor to a sharper taste with bright, fruity undertones. If you’re susceptible to indigestion and heartburn, dark roast beans are a possible solution to the problem.
- The type of bean and its origin – the most common beans are the Arabica, with its softer, chocolatey taste and the more bitter, caffeine-rich taste of the Robusta, which some coffee lovers prefer. Beans grown at high altitudes contain a higher acid content than those produced at lower levels.
Grind Size And How It Affects Your Coffee Flavor
Because a larger coffee grain provides less surface area than a fine-grained bean, the water will flow through more quickly, and you’ll get a sweeter but less-flavored coffee. If the bean is ground too fine, the water takes longer to flow through, extracting more flavor, and giving a more robust coffee, but with the risk of being bitter.
The right choice of grind size depends on which brewing process you’re using, so a cold brew requires a coarse grain, whereas, with a KitchenAid coffee maker using the drip process, a medium to medium-coarse grain will give the perfect cup of coffee.
Water Temperature And Its Impact On Coffee Quality
Water flowing over the coffee grains causes a chemical reaction to take place that breaks down various solubles in the coffee while brewing takes place. Temperature also results in organic acids being extracted and at what rate.
The ideal temperature should be below boiling point, between 195- and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Below this temperature, it’s too cold to react fully with the coffee grains. You’ll find the coffee tasteless and under-extracted. At the same time, if it’s too hot, it will cause bitterness and a loss of quality in the coffee.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Coffee in Your KitchenAid Coffee Maker
Assuming you’re about to use the KitchenAid coffee maker for the first time, here’s a step-by-step guide. I’ve simplified it slightly by not including the automatic start time mode, but that can easily be found in the manual.
Step 1: Start-Up
Plug into the earthed wall socket, then set the time display by pressing H to set the hour and Min for minutes. After waiting for 10 seconds, the time will be set.
Step 2: Choose Brew Strength
Choose between Regular and Bold. If you’re brewing between two and four cups, the makers recommend selecting Bold.
Step 3: Brew
Brew 2 carafes of plain water. This is to flush the coffee maker when it’s first unpacked before making the first carafe of coffee.
Step 4: Remove the Water Tank
Remove the water tank, then fill it to the desired level before returning it to its position behind the machine.
Step 5: Place The Carafe In Position
Ensure it’s properly seated on its base and the lid is positioned.
Step 6: Remove The Brew Basket
Remove the basket and insert the permanent Gold Tone filter or a cone paper filter, then fill with coffee grounds to the required level as indicated on the Gold Tone filter or on the guide on the back of the water tank.
Step 7: Replace The Brew Basket
Align it with the slots on the coffee maker and close the lid.
Step 8: Press The Power Button
Press any of the power buttons on the front or side of the coffee maker to start the brewing process.
Once the brew is complete, the coffee maker will beep 3 times, and you can pour your first cuppa! The coffee maker will remain in WARM mode for 30 minutes before switching off.
How to Clean Your KitchenAid Coffee Maker
To ensure that every cup of coffee brewed in your KitchenAid coffee maker tastes consistently good, you must keep it clean.
Understanding The Importance Of Regular Cleaning
Water quality varies, but mineral deposits will inevitably start to build up in your coffee maker after some time and affect the quality and taste of your brewed coffee. As the build-up restricts the flow of water and the temperature of the heating pad, the brewing process becomes less and less effective, and the taste and flavor of your coffee deteriorate.
After 100 use cycles, your KitchenAid coffee maker will display a flashing “CLEAN” indicator on display. In addition to descaling, the coffee maker needs to be cleaned regularly, ideally after every brew, by removing the used coffee grounds, washing the permanent Gold Tone filter, and rinsing the brewing basket and carafe to remove any trace of ground coffee.
Ensuring the cleanliness of your KitchenAid coffee maker will not only guarantee a better-tasting cup of coffee but will make it last a lot longer – a worthwhile reward for just a little effort.
Supplies Needed To Clean Your KitchenAid Coffee Maker
Fortunately, there’s not much that you need to buy to keep your coffee maker clean, hygienic, and efficient.
- For daily cleaning, you can use a small amount of dishwashing liquid, but disassembling your coffee maker, rinsing, and wiping down each part with a clean cloth before drying is perfectly okay.
- To descale the coffeemaker, you can use specialized coffeemaker cleaner tablets or make up a solution of 50% water/50% distilled white vinegar, which you will then place in the water tank and run through the brewing process.
- To clean the Gold Tone filter, use a few drops of dishwashing liquid and a soft toothbrush.
Step-by-Step Guide To Cleaning Your Coffee Maker
According to an independent survey, the coffee maker is likely to be the fifth most likely source of bacteria in your home, so regular cleaning to remove mold and the build-up of scale is vital.
Step 1: Fill The Water Tank
Fill the water tank/ reservoir with a 50/50 water solution and white distilled vinegar.
Step 2: Place The Filter
Place the filter in the brew basket, position it as normal in the carafe, and begin the brew cycle.
Step 3: Switch The Machine Off
Switch the machine off halfway through the cycle and let the vinegar solution soak in the various sections for 30 to 60 minutes to break down the scale build-up.
Step 4: Complete The Brewing Cycle
After the soaking period, complete the brewing cycle, then empty the vinegar solution from the coffee maker.
Step 5: Fill The Tank
Fill the tank with clean water, and run a complete brewing cycle to clear the vinegar from the machine.
Step 6: Repeat the Cleaning Cycle
Repeat this cleaning cycle with another tank of fresh water.
Step 7: Disassemble
Disassemble the coffeemaker, dry all the components with a clean cloth, and re-assemble.
Depending on how often you use your coffeemaker, this cleaning process should be carried out monthly or whenever you notice a scale build-up. You can use baking soda as an alternative to vinegar or coffee cleaner tablets, but vinegar should be just as effective.
Exploring The KitchenAid Coffee Maker Product Line
There are several interesting products in the KitchenAid Coffee Maker lineup:
The Red KitchenAid Coffee Maker: Pros and Cons
This is the KitchenAid 5KCM1209EER Red, which receives favorable user reviews.
Pros
- The large carafe allows for the brewing of 12 to 14 cups of coffee at a time.
- The timer can be set to have coffee ready when you wake up or at any convenient time.
- The warmer keeps the coffee at the right temperature for 30 minutes.
- The 29-hole shower head is a unique feature allowing for even water application to the coffee grounds.
Cons
- The carafe is not insulated, so coffee cools as soon as it’s taken off the coffee maker and put on the table.
The KitchenAid Coffee Maker In White: Is It Worth It?
The white and chrome finish where available in the KitchenAid range really looks good and has the appearance of more expensive coffee makers. KitchenAid coffee makers are twice the price of the most basic on the market but half the price of top-of-the-range products. Treading the middle path, they offer excellent value for money.
The KitchenAid Coffee Grinder: Features And Benefits
This burr grinder is among the best in the price range and can provide the perfect grind for espresso or any other coffee brew.
With over 70 settings, there’s nothing it can’t do, with the stainless-steel conical burrs delivering precise-sized grounds and accurate doses so that every cup is uniform and how you like it. The operation is a simple one-button exercise, and the grounds are stored in an airtight container until used.
Is The Kitchenaid Coffee Maker BPA-Free?
Yes, although the 12-cup KitchenAid Coffee Maker is made almost entirely of plastic, the manufacturers have given the assurance that all parts intended to be in contact with coffee or water are BPA-free.
Conclusion
The KitchenAid coffee maker offers coffee lovers the pleasure of enjoying their chosen freshly brewed cup of coffee in their own homes and in their own time. Whether it’s a single cup first thing in the morning or a 12-cup brew for friends and family, by looking after it well, you can make the most of all the features offered by this highly regarded coffee maker for many years.
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