[yocto] What is the simplest way to test a new kernel configuration in a Yocto Project?

[Patrick Doyle]

Back story:
I have an Intel Edison board running some form of a Yocto distibution
(from ubilinux-edison-150309.tar.gz).  I want to change the kernel
configuration.  Following Intel's documention, I have downloaded the
Yocto build for this board and have seperately learned that I can run:

$ bitbake virtual/kernel -c menuconfig
# enable some other kernel modules
$ bitbake virtual/kernel -c compile -f
$ bitbake edison-image u-boot

(Yes, this could probably be optimized a bit... but at the moment I
just want to try out my tweaked kernel).

So, how would I try out my tweaked kernel?

I see in tmp/deploy/ipk/edison a set of .ipk files that were just
assembled, including the suggestively usefully named
kernel-image-3.10.98-poky-edison+_1.0-r2_edison.ipk file, but also the
confusingly named kernel-dev_1.0-r2_edison.ipk and
kernel-modules_1.0-r2_edison.ipk files along with 23 files of the form
kernel-module-*.ipk.

I just want to try the new kernel and the new modules compiled with
that kernel.  How might I do that?  I feel like I am going down a path
of copy the .ipk files over to the device (much as I would copy .deb
files over) and run "sudo ipkg -i *.ipk".

But I wonder if I might be sorry just doing that.  So I figured I'd
ask around first.

Any thoughts?

--wpd