Breadmakers - are they any good?

shopndrop · 12 February 2006 at 10:56PM

I am thinking of buying a breadmaker but want to know if they are any good. Also as prices vary so much, is it better to pay more for more functions or are you paying for functions that most people don't use and a basic one does the job just as well.

Fur_coat_&_no_knickers · 12 February 2006 at 11:50PM

I bought a panasonic sd253 recently as recommended by alot of people on here and can say its the best thing i ever bought. I cant comment on cheaper/other models as ive only ever used the one i have. Im glad that i bought this one with the seed dispenser, at first i thought i may only use it occasionally but i use both the maker and the dispenser every day.

Ive gradually moved on with the different types of bread ive made and today i made rolls , mixed in the maker and shaped and finished off in the oven, im soooo impressed with myself

Ive had it about 4 weeks now and tasted shop bread the other day and thought it was so bland. I think it is a wise investment, mine was around £75 , pricey but well worth it ..you can buy cheaper models than this , its just personal choice really
HTH

tipsychick · 13 February 2006 at 12:04AM

Would confirm everything fur coat has said. The cheapest I found was in Costco (about £65.00-ish) but needless to say, I'd already ordered through Amazon by that point! Would imagine you might be able to save a bit through Quidco or one of the other cashback sites. One slight gripe (and it is slight!) we're getting a bit fed up with every loaf being exactly the same size! If there's a few of you, it goes very quickly (some people are never happy)! I went on a diet in Jan and haven't lost v. much which is all the bread machine's fault of course!

Savvy_Sue · 13 February 2006 at 1:05AM

tipsychick wrote:

One slight gripe (and it is slight!) we're getting a bit fed up with every loaf being exactly the same size! If there's a few of you, it goes very quickly (some people are never happy)!

My first bread machine was second hand and only did small loaves, but I've now upgraded to one which does S, M and L. but my gripe is that they're all the same width and depth, it's only the height which varies, so they don't last any longer!

Mine doesn't have a dispenser and I haven't missed it as I only want to do basic recipes. You do have to plan in advance and sometimes it's ANOTHER job to do at midnight. And if you need to cook both brown and white bread it takes even longer, because you have to let it cool down in between.

I've passed my original one on to my sister.

Malestrom · 13 February 2006 at 1:12AM

We've had one for about 6-7 years now and still use it although infrequently. Fresh home made bread is lovely but its just so much easier to buy a loaf at Tescos (sorry but its true!) and home-made does seem to go stale much quicker in the unlikely event that you don't finish it off in one sitting!

We use our breadmaker mostly to make fruit-bread, which is gorgeous, and pizza dough, which is far better than anything Dominos or Pizza Hut make.

tipsychick · 13 February 2006 at 1:17AM

Definitely agree about the raisin loaf in the Panasonic 523. It has the most gorgeous texture. You make it with an egg and it produces a loaf with the texture of brioche. Lasts several days (if you're not a bunch of pigs like us!) and is fantastic toasted, with or without strawberry jam, two or three days later.

As Savvy Sue says, the problem with the sizes is that they just get higher and higher as you go from small to medium to large. We end up with very funny shaped sandwiches!

Also agree with it being "just one more thing to do"!

Malestrom · 13 February 2006 at 1:25AM

We just take ours out of the tin, lay it on its side and then slice it, rather than from top to bottom, which would certainly give very odd looking slices....or am I missing something here?

Oh, and our fruit bread rarely lasts till the next day :rotfl:

wendyl1967 · 13 February 2006 at 9:02AM

I have a cookworks breakmaker that cost around £25.00 from Argos. I love it an use it every other day. I also use it every week to make a pizza base.

bootman · 13 February 2006 at 9:53AM

My stays in the cupboard. I make it by hand. I could only produce bowling balls from mine. :rotfl:

rchddap1 · 13 February 2006 at 9:59AM

Love my breadmaker. It makes lovely loaves that I really enjoy. Mine is a Morphy Richards Fastbake. I didn't want to spend a lot of money when I wasn't sure if it would be used on a regular basis. Now I wish I had bought the more expensive version as we're always using it. The other popular item to come out of the breadmaker is 'pizza dough'. My OH has been elected our pizza chef and we now keep a good stock of toppings around the house...and no more frozen pizzas. Its even managed to impress a pizza hating daughter!

Ken68 · 13 February 2006 at 10:05AM

Hi ShopnDrop.....Lidl occasionally offer a twin machine for around £30, but they go quickly. On my list. Have seen it mentioned on here so would be in Search.