 Geat deal in an automatic bread machine |
| Review Date: August 27, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Little John, DC |
I'm by no means an expert at baking bread, although for a number of years I owned a Zojirushi bread machine with a vertical pan (their entry level model at the time). Unfortunately, that machine never produced consistent results for me, so when it broke I disposed of it and took a hiatus from bread baking. However, when I spotted this reconditioned Cuisinart priced at $59.99 on Amazon, plus a $10 discount for paying with a Buy It Now account and free shipping, I couldn't resist. My final cost was under $50, and for that price this is a deal you simply can't beat. New ones go for around $130, and as this unit was reconditioned by Cuisinart, only real difference is the length of the warranty (90 days vs. 3 years).
This bread machine is on the large size for a small kitchen appliance and is not convenient to move in and out of cabinets; you really have to leave this one on the counter at all time. Fortunately the Cuisinart features a beautiful stainless and black retro design, so it looks great in my transitional style kitchen. It fits neatly under my standard height cabinets, and is easy to move around on the countertop.
I have baked at least half a dozen loaves so far, and made a similar number of doughs for pizza and bagels. While every result hasn't been perfect, part of the reason is learning the idiosyncrasies of this machine and figuring out how to modify recipes to get the results I want. For me, who is inquisitive and experimental in the kitchen, it's not a drawback, but rather a challenge that I enjoy. And once I have both factors down for a particular bread, the Cuisinart produces beautiful well risen loafs. It just requires a learning curve to get the machine to make what you want.
There are something like 16 different programs and each one can be further modified for light, medium, or dark crust, and for 1, 1.5, and 2 pound loaves. There are warnings buzzers for adding mix-ins before the first rise, and for removing the kneading paddle before the final rise (which also allows you to shape the loaf and apply desired toppings). The only feature lacking is the ability to program and save custom cycles. However, the manual includes a detailed table that specifies exactly which cycles are included in each program, and how many minutes each cycle takes for the combination of program number, loaf size, and crust setting. The information is really valuable in figuring out what's going on, and for modifying recipes, especially since I have been trying out a number of different flours in my baking to achieve high fiber low carbohydrate breads that taste great. It also tells you at exactly what time the warning buzzers ring for each cycle, so you don't have stand around
Generally my experience has been that the crust setting works best at the light; even on medium I found it burned the bottom half of the loaf. There's a small window on top that lets you check on the progress of your bread; unfortunately there's no light so it can be difficult to see the inside. The bread pan shape is a taller than a standard loaf, but still shaped more horizontal than vertical; I personally like the shape of the finished loaf. There's only one kneading paddle, but I haven't had any problems with ingredients failing to mix in, although I monitored the process fairly closely at first until I was sure that I had the right ratio of water to flour. Also, it's best to remove the baking pan from the machine before adding the ingredients, and then snap it back in place when ready to bake; this minimizes the chance of spilling ingredients into some of the nooks and crannies of the machine, which can be hard to clean.
Overall, this machine was an incredible deal for $50; it's a slam dunk in that price range. Considering all of the functions, the beautiful design, and the good performance, I would say the Cuisinart bread machine is probably superior to any machine priced under $100. Even with a street price of $130 for a new unit, I think this Cuisinart is fairly priced and probably compares favorably to most competitors.
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Great Addition to Our Kitchen
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| Review Date: May 9, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Bruce Wood, Michigan |
| Almost perfect loaves of bread everytime. Only possible drawback is the size of the machine as it is a bit larger than most. The crust settings is best at the light setting unless you want it really crusty! |
Great Bread Maker
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| Review Date: September 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Reuben A. Ware Jr., Atlanta, GA USA |
| This may have been a refurbished unit, but it looked and worked like a new one. My wife is very particular and she thought it was brand new. I made a loaf today and it came out as good, if not better, than the bread I normally make. One other thing is that I don't have to get the Kitchenaid, rising bowl, and other things out to make the bread. Just put everything in the pan and walk away from it and cleanup is nothing. |
Easy to use bread machine
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| Review Date: August 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Christopher M. O'connor, Dublin, Ireland |
Since purchasing my Cuisinart CBK-200FR I have made bread nearly every day. I love it! Mine is a remanufactured machine (costing around $50.) and I have not found any flaws in the machine. It works well, making even and well-cooked bread. The recipe book that came with the machine is easy to use and has quite a variety of recipes. I am very impressed and thrilled with my new machine. I look forward to trying to make jam and pizza dough but am having so much fun making bread so, why bother?
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great purchase
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| Review Date: August 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Christopher Halley, perryville, MD USA |
| this is a great product my wife and i use it 3 or 4 times a week. great for everything. |
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" Remanufactured Cuisinart CBK-200FR 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker ", Today on Sales Remanufactured Cuisinart CBK-200FR 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker + Free shipping. Get Remanufactured Cuisinart CBK-200FR 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker Now! |
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