'A KitchenAid dishwasher for every kitchen....or basement....'

[turquoisedude]

So, after last week's 'shakedown' testing of the 62 KitchenAid Superba Varicycle portable, I figured it was time for a real test load with dishes.  

 

First, one has to make sure that the appropriate supplies are on hand.  Hacksaw? Check. Low-gauge home-made extension cord? Check.  Mop and rags for leaks? Check.  Exacto knife to make sure any safety seal on gin bottles can be dealt with? Check.  

 

Ah, but Hubby's in Brazil, so the testing could have gone ahead anyway.... Force of habit. 

 

[turquoisedude]

Of course some dishes would be needed... So I gave the pair of GE's in the Ogden kitchen a long Holiday weekend off and carefully accumulated this pile of dishes since my arrival back down here on Thursday evening.  

 

We have a nice assortment of dirty dishes: plates with salmon and chicken residues, a bowl that contained Greek Salad, cups, glasses, a barely dirty skillet, and the pièce de résistance, the bowls, mixer beaters, and utensils used in the fabrication of a banana chiffon cake. 

 

Worse still, these dishes were totally neglected! No pre-rinsing was done.  These are the original, unretouched photographs!  How will the rebuilt KDS54 cope?? 

 

[turquoisedude]

Never having owned a front-loading KA until now, I had to improvise a wee bit.  Here's my first attempt at loading the bottom rack. 

 

[turquoisedude]

Looked good, but that skillet hit the top rack.... Can't have THAT now, can we. 

 

A bit of presto-chango-rearrango was in order and it seemed to work this time.  

 

[turquoisedude]

Now for the upper rack.   I'll say it publicly, but the back section of the rack is not that easy to load (Yeah, I know this from the person who owns HOW many impeller-wash top-loaders....).  Still I think I did OK for a first attempt here.  

 

[turquoisedude]

Well a little further 'refinement' to my loading technique was needed...  I put the sugar bowl into the lower rack and freed up space for a measuring cup.  

 

[turquoisedude]

BUT... not everything fit.  I'll need to practice my Bob-Loading technique on this dishwasher for sure.

 

[turquoisedude]

Now for the moment of truth!  Modern Cascade was used in both detergent cups (I figured the dishes needed a double-wash).  I had to use the turquoise Full Cycle button, too... 

 

[turquoisedude]

It's running!  My neighbours are away so I had no phone calls about power hits or brownouts...  Phew!

 

[turquoisedude]

I cannot believe how quietly this dishwasher runs!  I must admit I heard less water splashing around than in my empty-tub tests.   I also noticed this dribble of water while the machine was washing or rinsing.  A quick review of the Service Manual quickly revealed that I did not leave quite enough 'gap' in the drain hose when I replaced it.  Fortunately I'll be able to correct that easily.   

 

But how will the 'Turquoisedude's Totally Unscientific Dishwasher Test' turn out???

 

[turquoisedude]

After the last rinse and before the final drain, I had to open up the door and peek.  

 

All I can say is WOW!  

 

The plates are sparkling, the utensils shiny, the mixer bowls and beaters and cake whip have no trace of dried-on batter, and the vintage Texaco 'Starburst' glasses are clean.  Not even a trace of the dreaded yibblets on the tops of the cups. 

 

I am totally impressed! 

 

[turquoisedude]

And phew! the detergent cup for the main wash seems to be releasing properly!  

 

Looks like I've got me a keeper here... LOL 

 

I still need to do some cosmetic work on the machine's outsides.  The butcher-block wood top needs to be sanded and varnished and I need to clean up the cabinet.  Heck, if I won't get run out of town, I may consider repainting the cabinet and front panels... turquoise.   Bet ya didn't see THAT coming... 

 

[classiccaprice]

Wonderful Paul! I'm still so green with envy. Glad it's working great for you!

 

[gansky1]

Squeaky clean, of course.

 

 Good loading techniques there, can't speak for Bob, but you'll at least get a BobLoad runner's up award.  You don't get the sash and roses that come with a full-on BobLoad win, but it's still an honor

 

[cadman]

Wow Paul, that's a serious load of dishes there and a great test for the new KA. There's a certain style to that panel I've always liked and I bet it'd look great in turquoise! Out of curiousity, what have you been running in the other DW's? Have you tried the Fryer Boil-Out yet? -C

 

[appnut]

Paul, you get BobLoad certification with the KitchenAid 1-arm wonder handicap scoring factor. I've been debating for a while what I could do to factor in the 1-arm wonder handicapping design. If I'd been there, I think I probably could have figured out a way to get the skillet in, had an idea just looking at the pictures. And if it had been a machine with upper level wash arm, I could have EASILY put in all the surplus with some "engineered" loading.

 

[toploader55]

Noooooo.

Hi Paul.
Don't Varnish or Urethane the top.

Start Coarse then work your way up to 300 grit. Tack Cloth it then use Mineral Oil.

Might take 4-5 coats but you'll get a rich patina and a safe cutting board to use for prep.

 

[frigilux]

Congratulations on a successful first test, as well as your official BobLoad certification! I'm always amazed at how well these single arm KitchenAid machines clean the upper rack when properly loaded. "Hurricane-in-a-box," indeed.

 

[norgeway]

So far ahead!

Of ANYTHING made today!!!!

 

[jetcone]

That is an

amazing use of a Blue Arm KA !!

 

Coming up a BobLoad® in the portable Youngstown Jet Tower....

 

[firedome]

nice machine Paul!

that series is their best looking imo, and the only "modern" looking KA with the Cast Iron Wonder. Having used a single arm KDC-17 for 15 yrs in our first house, we never felt it lacking in "Washability" in any way, as long as minimal attention was paid to loading. We always put deep section items up top and flat section items below, which seems rather obvious, but evidently a concept beyond some folks! And ya gotta love being done & done in 45 minutes!

 

[appnut]

but evidently a concept beyond some folks!

I"m not oblivious to that fact. But it cannot be done when all you have is an entire load of both racks of pots, pans, casserole dishes, mixing bowls, ... Stupid to run a load with just one rack full twice. And that's what I've always hated about 1-arm wonders. I observed in real-time ssurburbia in the 60s & 70s pots, pans, mixing bowls and such being washed by hand because housewives knew they could not load it up with all this type of stuff and expect the top rack to get clean. Or tops racks filling up with glasses and cups/mugs wayyy before plates were accummulated enough to fill the bottom rack. Whereas at OUR house it wasn't an issue and requiring premeditated loading.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations, Paul!

Did you notice water dribbling out of the drain hose during washing and rinsing? I had that and found it was water falling into the overflow drain at the left front corner. I put some seal on the top holes and it stopped. I love the shwoop-shwoop of the walls of water moving past the door. I have often wondered what a 15 would have been like with a BBWA.

 

[combo52]

KDS-58

Great demo Paul, yes the little bit of water dribbling out the drain during wash is somewhat normal as Tom mentioned, it might also be a slight leak past the drain valve seal, in any case the wash period is too short for this to be a problem. It might also be the automatic sediment purge, LOl.

 

Hi Bob I have also lived with one arm DWs and while with careful loading they are sure better than no DW, but after a while you just get tired of the restriction and difficult loading.  My friend Bob in Cleveland though he would NEVER get rid of his KDS-17 till I got him to install a TOL 1987 Kenmore Ultra-Wash DW and he has never looked back. He and I are constantly amazed just how dirty dishes can go in and you never have any stinky mess growing in the bottom of the machine.

 

[turquoisedude]

A test of the 'Utility and Utensil' cycle...

which could also be called 'Turquoisedude's Totally Unverifiable Dishwasher Torture Test'...  

 

Last weekend was a 'short cycle' one due to visits on a couple of potential new homes on Saturday.  I made a belated Easter supper on Sunday (Hubby had been in Brazil) following one of my bizarre family traditions.  I made a smoked pork shoulder (aka 'picnic' ham) with scalloped potatoes; to go-with, I oven-steamed some turnip cubes.  

 

I had some pretty dirty cooking utensils and I figured I'd try out the suggestion in the KitchenAid 14-Series owners manual - wash your dirty pots and pans using the 'Utility and Utensil' cycle to soften the soils, scrape or scrub off what may have been left, then run 'em through a 'Full Cycle'.  

 

Well, I wish I had taken some before pictures, but I trundled the utensils and dinner plates down to the basement for a bath.  

 

 

 

 

[turquoisedude]

Definitely not a Bob-Load...  I was trying to maximize water exposure, what can I say... 

 

I filled both detergent cups and hit that yellow button.  

 

[turquoisedude]

Now, I will swear any oath you want on this...  These result photos have not been touched up, photoshopped, or double-exposed.  

 

When the cycle ended, I opened up the dishwasher to check on the results.  Hubby came running at the second "I don't effing believe it".

 

The unrinsed, unsoaked, and un-hand-scrubbed pots and pans came out beautifully clean!! 

 

The Revere Ware pan had been used to make the white sauce for the scalloped potatoes.  Not a trace was left on the pan bottom or sides.

 

The oval pyrex dish had been used to 'oven-steam' the turnips.  When it went into the KA, there was coating of steamed residue on the dish and lid.  One Utility and Utensil wash later, nada!

 

Finally, the stainless roaster was used for the pork shoulder.  There was not a lot of heavy goop, and I did scrape out some of the heavier residue and most of the grease with a rubber scraper before washing.  But look at this - nothing left on the pan bottom at all.  And it was in the TOP rack!  

 

Hubby may disagree, but I think the KDS-54 will have a permanent place in a kitchen really soon.  I cannot believe how well this dishwasher has performed so far.  And yes, I'll admit, the '56 GE impeller-wash machine could not have even come close to this.  Oh, wait Hubby may read this... DELETE   DELETE  ....  LOL 

 

[norgeway]

I love

Most any old dishwasher,especially the old impeller models and Frigidaires Spin Tube, but the fact remains, nothing will blast off burned on greasy food like a OLD Kitchenaid, I found this out with a KDS 17 I had years ago in Lenoir, I wish I still had it, I have a Custom 21 now that's fine, but the one arm wonder still will outwash anything, forget about what you have heard about the top rack not getting clean, unless you lay a cookie sheet down flat on the bottom rack...whatever you put in it will get clean, that water is under such high pressure ,it gets everywhere.

 

[dynaflow]

I want

soooooooooooooo want one

 

[DADoES]

 
Results don't surprise me.