The addition of 1 ppm of thaumatin considerably reduces this bitterness. Complaints of bitterness or a chemical or metallic taste are also reported with potassium chloride used in food. Industrial
As a chemical feedstock, it is used for the manufacture of potassium hydroxide and potassium metal. It is also used in medicine, lethal injections, scientific applications, food processing, soaps, and as a sodium-free substitute for table salt for people concerned about the health effects of sodium. It is used as a supplement in animal feed to boost the potassium level in the feed. As an added benefit, it is known to increase milk production. It is sometimes used in solution as a completion fluid in petroleum and natural gas operations, as well as being an alternative to sodium chloride in household water softener units. Glass manufacturers use granular potash as a flux, lowering the temperature at which a mixture melts. Because potash imparts excellent clarity to glass, it is commonly used in eyeglasses, glassware, televisions, and computer monitors. KCl is useful as a beta radiation source for calibration of radiation monitoring equipment, because natural potassium contains 0.0118% of the isotope 40K. One kilogram of KCl yields 16350 becquerels of radiation, consisting of 89.28% beta and 10.72% gamma, with 1.46083 MeV. In order to use off-the-shelf materials, it needs to be crystallized sequentially, using controlled temperature, in order to extract KCl, which is the subject of ongoing research.
Another method would be to allow potassium to burn in the presence of chlorine gas, also a very exothermic reaction:

  
    
      
        
          2
          
          K
          +
          
            Cl
            
              2
            
            
              
            
          
          ⟶
          2
          
          KCl
        
      
    
    {\displaystyle {\ce {2 K + Cl2 -> 2 KCl}}}

References
Further reading
Lide, D. R., ed.