KitchenAid KDRS407 review – CNET

The Good The KitchenAid KDRS407 dual-fuel slide-in range is an impressive piece of cooking equipment, from its industrial design to its ability to produce delicious dishes.

The Bad This oven is more than $4,000, so I expected some speedy cook times. But I’ve reviewed ranges that are less expensive and can perform common cooking tasks much quicker than this KitchenAid.

The Bottom Line With the KDRS407, KitchenAid maintains its reputation for making beautiful ranges that cook food well. Consider this range when looking at dual-fuel models.

When I started writing this review of the KitchenAid KDRS407, one question loomed over my head as I tried to assign a score this dual-fuel, commercial-style range: What’s more important in oven test results — speed or substance?

More Dual-Fuel Ranges

• Dacor ER30DSCH
• KitchenAid KFDD500ESS

No one wants to stand over a cooktop all day waiting for a pot of water to boil. We want an appliance that can quickly complete mundane tasks so we can get to the eating part sooner. And when it came to basic functions like boiling or broiling the KitchenAid KDRS407 lives up to the expectations I had for this $4,649 range, but doesn’t surpass them. This is especially underwhelming when scanned through less expensive ranges I’ve reviewed that have performed much faster in the test kitchen.

But here’s the thing about the KitchenAid KDRS407 — though it lagged behind a bit in basic tasks, the KitchenAid KDRS407 turned out fantastic food, especially a succulent chicken that’s still on my mind days after I roasted it. When you pair those results with the oven’s even baking performance, it’s hard to stay mad at the KitchenAid KDRS407 middle-of-the-road cook times. This range would make a hearty, formidable addition to your kitchen, especially if you’re on the market for a commercial-style product without the high-end price tag.

If this range’s middle-of-the-road cook times are a turn off, consider the faster-cooking KitchenAid KSEG950ESS or Samsung NE59J7850WS slide-in ranges. Need something less expensive? Take a look at KitchenAid’s lower-cost freestanding ranges, such as KitchenAid KGRS306BSS.

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Solid as a rock

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

KitchenAid took several cues from commercial appliances in the design of the KDRS407. The company enhanced its usual minimalist design by equipping the stainless steel KDRS407 with hefty burner knobs and a blocky profile. The 30-inch wide unit is topped with cast iron grates over the four-burner cooktop, which completes the imposing presence of this range. The touchscreen control panel from the oven lies flat and parallel to the burners, so it recedes into the background when you’re taking in the range’s overall appearance.

But be warned: The tank-like exterior can be deceiving. The KDRS407 looks like it would have a lot of space in which to bake, but the capacity of this electric oven is only 4.1 cubic feet (we usually see five or more cubic feet of space in the average oven). And KitchenAid forgoes a fifth middle burner on the cooktop, which results in a dead zone in the middle of the oven. I’ve complained about oblong middle burners hogging cooktop space, but I’ve come to expect them on mid-priced ranges from brands like KitchenAid.

Even baking and roasting, courtesy of the convection fan

Convection fans have become commonplace for most ovens that surpass $1,000. The fan, located in the back wall of an oven, distributes heat while you’re using the oven so that your food cooks more evenly. The KitchenAid KDRS407’s convection fan performed well when it came to baking and roasting. And if you’re unfamiliar with adapting a traditional recipe to a convection oven, the KDRS407 (like many other ranges at this price) has an EasyConvect Conversion feature that will automatically reduce the oven temperature and/or cooking time depending on what you’re cooking.

iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 — two big reviews on two smaller devices

A couple reviews this week worth checking out from our cousins at iMore.

First up is the iPhone SE. It looks exactly like the 4-inch iPhone 5, only with upgraded internals. Do the price and smaller size make it worth it?

And there’s also the smaller iPad Pro 9.7. It’s like the 12-inch iPad Pro, only not 12 inches. Smaller. Diminutive, even. But is it still “pro”?

Two good reads that are worth reading twice. Enjoy!

6 high-tech, energy-generating roads

By Cat DiStasio

As we march into toward the future, our infrastructure needs to evolve. Fortunately, innovators are integrating energy-generating properties into the very roads that lead us forward. Solar panels can now be applied directly to a road’s surface and driven over countless times before showing any signs of wear. Other next-gen roads automatically melt snow, reduce noise pollution, and even delight the public with artistic inspiration. Follow along for a trip around the world on pathways that generate clean energy for the communities they connect.

ICYMI: Brain injury gadget, DARPA future plane and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: Samsung has jumped on the preventing-brain-injury bandwagon, developing a brainBAND to light up to indicate the severity of a hit in contact sports. Meanwhile, DARPA is designing a new airplane that is a blend between a fixed aircraft and a helicopter. And NASA is about to begin using inflatable modules at the International Space Station, in case that’s something humans can set up on the surface of Mars.

We hit on a number of big stories this week, but you will definitely impress your friends if you know what happened to Microsoft’s AI chat bot within 24 hours. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Ben Heck’s mechanical television, part 1

Before LCD monitors, we had good-old fashioned cathode ray tube monitors and televisions. In an homage to that simpler time, Ben and Karen are going back to basics with a two-part project: a mechanical television. To pull it off, the duo used a trusty glue-gun, repurposed a drill and found an unlikely source for a spinning disk. Have you tried a low-tech project yourself? Visit the element14 Community page to discuss this episode’s project and suggest challenges for future shows.

Apple original TV programming: What’s it producing and why?

Reports from last year suggested Dr Dre would soon star in Apple’s first original TV series, a somewhat-autobiographical drama called Vital Signs, but now we’re hearing that another Hip-Hop star, Will.i.am, is set to star in the company’s first major attempt at original programming.

Eddy Cue, an Apple executive, told The New York Times the upcoming show will be a reality series that covers how apps are developed and sold in Apple’s App Store. The idea came from Ben Silverman, who is an executive producer on shows like Jane the Virgin, The Biggest Loser, Marco Polo, and Flaked. Cue however cautioned that Apple won’t be getting into a “huge amount of movie production or TV production.”

Still, he said the company would continue to explore similar projects. We’ve detailed what some of those projects might be below.

Apple original content: Why is Apple producing TV?

Apple

The Street claimed last year that Apple met with Hollywood studios and executives about developing original TV shows.

It was thought at first that this original content could spearhead Apple’s oft-rumoured streaming TV service, which has been repeatedly delayed due to the company’s inability to secure content deals with CBS, ABC, Fox, Disney, Viacom, etc. Apple is rumoured to announce its cable-like service with original TV programming alongside the iPhone 7 in September 2016.

iTunes chief Eddy Cue is leading the discussions with Hollywood, meaning the original shows could be made available for rent or purchase on iTunes. However, they might be exclusive to Apple’s streaming service. Sort of like Netflix, the service is expected to include on-demand access to unlimited programming for a set monthly cost between $30 and $40 per month.

Netflix, which has disrupted Hollywood in recent years, produces original shows like Daredevil, House of Cards, and Orange is the New Black. By adopting a similar strategy to Netlfix, Apple could launch a successful streaming service accessible only through Apple TV, Mac, and iOS devices, which could then lead to bolster sales of its products. But all this is speculation.

Keep in mind The New York Post claimed Apple is looking to acquire some Time Warner assets, such as CNN, HBO, TBS, TNT, NBA TV, Cartoon Network, its Warner Bros movies division, and more, which would net it exclusive rights to the popular series, including Game of Thrones.

You can read more about Apple’s rumoured streaming service from here:

• Apple TV subscription streaming service: What’s the story so far?

Apple original content: What shows are in the works?

Will.i.am/App Store show

Pocket-lint

Apple has teamed up with artist Will.i.am as well as Hollywood producers Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens on a non-scripted television show focused on the app economy, according to The New York Times. The company has not announced a title, release timeframe, plots/storylines, episode length, nor information about on where the show will air. It could made available through an app in the App Store, for instance.

It could also be made available as a standard TV show on iTunes or Apple Music. All we know is that Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, thinks the show is “perfectly tailored” for Apple: “One of the things with the app store that was always great about it was the great ideas that people had to build things and create things,” he added.

Dr Dre’s Vital Signs show

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple is producing a series called Vital Signs. It’s described as a dark drama and stars Hip Hop mogul Dr Dre. Sources who saw scripts for the show described it as being semi-autobiographical in that it is about a part of Dr Dre’s life, though each episode will focus on a “different emotion and how Dre’s character deals with it.”

Each episode will be 30 minutes in length and will feature plenty of violence and sex. One episode that began filming last month reportedly shows an extended orgy scene, for instance. All episodes will be released at once, and they’ll likely be distributed through Apple Music, which was born out of the Beats Music service created by Dr Dre. It might also be available through the App Store or iTunes.

Dr Dre is an executive producer, but the whole thing is backed by Apple. The series will also star Sam Rockwell, who is known for films like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Moon, and it will be directed by Paul Hunter.

Apple original content: What about music videos?

Pocket-lint

Last July, Apple Music debuted a new music video from Drake called Energy. Prior to that, Apple had exclusively debuted videos for Pharrell’s Freedom and Eminem’s Phenomenal. Pitchfork claimed those videos were developed in-house at Apple for its music-streaming service, meaning the company’s first foray into original programming might’ve actually kicked off with music videos.

Apple original content: Want to know more?

Stay tuned to Pocket-lint’s Apple hub for related news and analysis.

Watch Orbital’s Cygnus spacecraft reach the ISS this morning

Run out of Daredevil episodes to binge but still can’t sleep? Take a peek live while the ISS captures its largest delivery ever, riding aboard an Orbital Cygnus spacecraft (like the one shown above during a delivery in December last year). NASA TV will kick off its livestream at 5:30AM ET., and the craft is scheduled to arrive at 6:40AM ET. The most exciting part, however, is still a couple of months off. Once Cygnus detaches from the ISS, engineers will remotely ignite the Spacecraft Fire-1 (Saffire-I) experiment, to find out how a large fire spreads in microgravity. It will be the first of a series of such experiments, and they will be the first ones conducted at this scale. Other experiments aboard include upgraded 3D-printing capabilities, the Gecko Gripper device, five CubeSats and much, much more.

Set your alarm! @OrbitalATK’s #Cygnus spacecraft arrives at @Space_Station at 6:40am ET: https://t.co/7eIsnNdF4y pic.twitter.com/rSciYxgDec

— NASA (@NASA) March 25, 2016

Source: NASA TV (YouTube), Space Station Blog

Scientists find more evidence that Planet Nine exists

It took us almost 50 years to get a close look at Pluto, so we think it’s safe to say humanity has to wait a while before we can catch a glimpse of Planet Nine. In fact, we still have to prove that it really does exist. Mike Brown, who played a key role in the downgrade of Pluto, has reported that there’s new evidence of a ninth planet. Brown and his colleague Konstantin Batygin inferred the celestial body’s existence based on the movements of several objects in the Kuiper Belt. Now, Brown tweeted a slide presented by SETI that shows yet another Kuiper Belt object whose movement is influenced by a large mass that could be the mysterious planet.

The KPO was spotted by the Canada France Hawaii Telescope, which was observing the skies for the Outer Solar System Origins Survey. As you can see in the slide below, the newly discovered KPO is orbiting near the other objects Brown reported in January. He also said that this new discovery “takes the probability of [Planet Nine] being a statistical fluke down to ~.001%.” Scientists still have to find more evidence before they can confirm that there’s truly another huge planet beyond Neptune orbiting the sun once every 10,000 years or so. We just hope nobody suggests or agrees to name it Planet McPlanetface when astronomers confirm its existence.

Hey Planet Nine fans, a new eccentric KBO was discovered. And it is exactly where Planet Nine says it should be. pic.twitter.com/oZn0RDq8JF

— Mike Brown (@plutokiller) March 24, 2016

Source: Mike Brown

Keyless entry systems are still vulnerable to simple hack

ADAC, the German Automobile Club, is sort of the AAA of Germany. Recently, the group revealed the findings of some auto security tests they’d run to bring attention to how easy it is for thieves to exploit keyless entry systems and steal cars, despite the fact that the vulnerability has been known for years.

The technique involves cars equipped with keyless entry transmitter keys. Normally the key, which uses a radio signal, must be just a few feet away from the vehicle. The ADAC researchers figured out that with some inexpensive equipment, they could pick up the radio signal from a nearby keyless entry fob and extend it several hundred feet. The equipment cost ADAC roughly $225.

Once inside, the researchers (or thieves) would be able to start and drive the car away, as most automakers allow the engine to keep running and the car to drive even after the keyless entry fob goes out of range. ADAC used the technique on several cars in Europe, including Audis, BMWs, GM products, Fords, Kias, and Toyotas.

This hacking technique isn’t new, but the ADAC release shows that it’s still a threat to contemporary cars. The only effective deterrent is to keep a keyless fob inside a signal-blocking device, like a bag or a Faraday cage, when the key isn’t in use. Even your freezer may be an effective signal blocker, if you don’t have a Faraday cage handy, according to The New York Times.

So this is simply another demonstration that there’s a simple, effective, inexpensive exploit that thieves can use to steal cars, and that automakers still haven’t come up with an effective solutions. That’s the point of ADAC’s recent demonstration – and why we’re reminding you that it’s still a threat.

Related Video:

Via: Tech Insider

Source: ADAC

Here’s your first look at Netflix’s ‘Voltron’ series

As Netflix expands its suite of original programming it’s going to the nostalgia well once again. The good news here is that instead of another sitcom spinoff like Fuller House, we’re getting Voltron: Legendary Defender. Today at Wondercon 2016 its partner Dreamworks Animation showed off a teaser trailer and some artwork that confirm everything at least looks right to children of the 80s.
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The first 13 episodes are slated to arrive June 10th, with what executive producer Joaquim Dos Santos told USA Today will be a mix of “epic adventure” and “the campy nature of five lions that become a giant robot.” Its cast includes Tyler Labine, Josh Keaton, Jeremy Shada, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Kimberly Brooks, Rhys Darby and The Walking Dead star Steven Yeun — but we’re pretty sure you stopped reading at “giant robot.”

Source: Dreamworks TV (YouTube)