Best Review on Cuisinart CBK 100 2 Pound Programmable Breadmaker
I'm very happy I sow this machine on amazon. After reading all reviews I decided to give it at try.
It's very easy to operate. Manual is very clear and understandable. The delay option is easy and convenient if you are busy person like I'm. Today I'm making second loft of bread mix. First one came out perfect and delicious. My family was amazed and ate the whole loft of bread for supper.
Machine it self is very sturdy. It's working quiet and not jumping on the table during kneading process as I sow reviews on other brand machines. Beeping sound is loud, it might bother some people, but for me it's perfect, because my office ( I'm working from home ) is too far from the kitchen.
Tomorrow I'll try to bake bread from the recipe that came in the manual; there is a lot of recipes in manual book.
Over all I love this bread maker so much, that ordered one for my best friends birthday !!!
Updating December 11.
I love machine so much, that I bake bread every day ! It's so much fun to bake different bread every day. Almost all of them came out perfect, unless I make mistake in measuring ingredients or put too much yeast. Bread machine recipes book is a big help in understanding bread making.We didn't buy a single bread loft from the supermarket since I got this machine :)
Updating 03/26/2011
I still love my machine. It's working just fine, does everything I need. I use it almost every week.
We bought this machine based on a recommendation from a friend at work and other reviews we read on Amazon. First of all, let me say that this is a great product. The recipes are easy to follow and the bread is outstanding. We brought the machine with us when we visited relatives over the holidays, and two of them are now going to get machines for their families.
BalasHapusFOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WROTE NEGATIVE REVIEWS, AND THOSE WHO HAVE READ THEM, PLEASE READ THIS!! For my first loaf I went to the store to get flour. At the store I talked to the guy stocking the flour aisle about what kind of flour to use (note that the recipes specify "bread flour"). The grocery store guy and another woman who joined in the discussion assured me that I could use all purpose flour, so that's what I bought. The loaf came out so-so. It was quite dense, and the middle of the loaf was sunken instead of nicely puffed up (many of the negative reviews describe exactly this problem). So I googled "bread flour" and found out that it is significantly different from all purpose flour. It's higher gluten and protein content produces stretchier, chewier bread, but more importantly, it traps more of the carbon dioxide from the yeast so that the dough rises properly.
Equipped with this information, I went back to the store and bought King Arthur BREAD FLOUR. What a difference! My son described it as a 1000% improvement. Every loaf since then has been outstanding.
One more thing. The recipe instructions tell you to set the loaf size and crust color, then select the bread program (white, wheat, gluten free, etc.). You actually want to SELECT THE BREAD PROGRAM FIRST, then the loaf size and crust color, because setting the bread program first will RESET the loaf size and crust color to the defaults (2 lb. loaf, medium crust).
My wife has Celiac disease and a good gluten free bread is impossible to find ready made. We must bake our own bread if she is going to have a bread that tastes good. We have found the bread mix from Gluten Free Pantry is great. but our old bread machine, a Breadman Ultimate was not turning out a consistant product. It was less than a year old and quit working. Which turned out to be a blessing. Based on our experience with other Cuisinart products and the reviews on Amazon we decided on the Cusinart CBK-100. The gluten free cycle is perfect. It bakes the best gluten free bread we have ever had. We have used Gluten free pantry Sandwich bread mix and also Bob's Red Mill gluten free multigrain mix. WOW! THe bread is so good that I even like it. This bread is light and the crust is perfect. It even is easier to slice. If you are looking for a bread maker that turns out excelent gluten free bread this is the one to buy
BalasHapusWhen our breadmaker of about 12yrs. broke, I search the internet for a replacement. I thoroughly checked out many many many different types and prices. I settled on this Cuisinart CBK-100 and, have been very pleased with the texture of bread it makes. I do however use 2 tablespoons of sugar for a 1 1/2 lb. loaf and use only 1 teaspoon of fast acting yeast instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons. It operates very quiet compared to our older machine we had. I really like the beeps telling you it's time to take the paddle out of the bread so you don't have that gaping hole on botton of every loaf. I strongly recommend purchasing this machine.
BalasHapusI really love this breadmaker. I have made about 200 loaves of bread in the last 16 months. Here are my tips for consistently making great bread:
BalasHapus1. Be exact with your measurements. Weigh out ingredients. Each cup of flour should weigh 120 grams.
2. The amount of liquid you need varies based on the humidity in the room. I usually add in one ounce less liquid than the recipe calls for and watch the dough kneading. This particular machine kneads initially for about 3-4 minutes, rests for a few minutes then kneads again. I wait until the first round of kneading is done, then check the consistency. If the dough is dry and hasn't formed into a ball, I add a spoonful of water and wait till it is kneaded for a minute, then reassess the dough. If the dough is wet (sticking to the sides, a pile of goo instead of a ball of dough), then add in bread flour one tablespoon at a time.
3. Use quality ingredients. I use King Arthur flours and buy yeast in bulk.
4. Add the ingredients in the order listed. Liquids first, then sugar/salt, then flour(s), then yeast. Don't let the salt touch the yeast.
5. Use vital wheat gluten in whole wheat breads. One tablespoon VWG per cup flour.
6. Use this book ([...]). Lots of great tips and recipes.
7. Try the pizza dough recipe from the recipe manual included with the breadmaker. I have several family members that now use that recipe for their dough after having my pizza.
8. I use the small setting for sweet breads, dinner breads, and breads for breakfast toast. I use the medium setting for sandwich bread. I have used the large setting, holy crap are those loaves big. Really too big to be useful.
9. The dark crusting setting is really only needed for the darkest of loaves.
10. Try to have your liquids at room temp. If they are too cold, the yeast will not be as active and the loaf will not rise as much.
11. A lot of recipes call for buttermilk as the liquid. If you have buttermilk around all the time, awesome! If you are like me, then use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add milk to make one cup. Let it sit for five minutes. Voila! Buttermilk.
12. As soon as your bread is done, take it out and let it sit for a moment on the counter. Five minutes max. Then use a silicone spatula around the sides of the loaf to help separate the loaf from the pan. It will still be hot, so use an oven mitt. Put the bread onto a cookie drying rack. Let the bread cool and breathe with space all around the loaf for 10-15 minutes before serving. If it sits in the machine or in the pan for too long, the moisture will make the loaf soggy and not as crisp.
13. Don't be afraid to experiment with recipes.
Have fun!
For the breadmaker itself, I'd give it 5 stars. I bought it to replace a Sunbeam breadmaker whose pan gave up the ghost and I couldn't get a replacement pan. This machine is far superior to the Sunbeam. It's sturdier and the loaves are better kneaded. The display is difficult to read because it's located on top of the machine but if you stand on your tippytoes, you can see it. The reason for anything less than 5 stars is Cuisinart's customer service line. The machine was shipped without a user's manual. When I called customer service, I was told that they didn't have any user's manuals, couldn't get any and I was invited to "serve myself" by downloading one off their website. Appalling.
BalasHapusIts been more than a month now that I have been using this product almost once a day. I set it up in the evening and have fresh bread in the morning. From the pictures I expected it to be larger than it really is. It fits well on my kitchen counter. I have used about four or five recipes that was included in its recipe book and so far all turned out really well. Overall I am quite happy with the result so far. This is my first bread machine.
BalasHapusShipping was quick. The machine works great.
BalasHapusThe Gluten-free mode makes great bread!
I ordered this product on Sept. 30th and it arrived on Oct. 1st! One of my sons has celiac disease, so I ordered this so I could make him gluten-free bread. After removing the machine from the packaging and wiping it down as instructed, I baked my first loaf. It turned out great! I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread Mix, putting the wet ingredients in the bottom, gluten-free flour mix, and making a well for the yeast. In less than 24 hours the loaf of bread is gone and I'm going to be making another loaf tonight! I'm very happy with my purchase, and the annoying beeping that some of the other reviews mentioned was not very loud. I also didn't hear any clanking as the machine was mixing. I would recommend this product to anyone who is living gluten-free and longing for some yummy sandwich bread, or just a warm slice of bread with butter and jelly! :)
BalasHapusI'm very happy I sow this machine on amazon. After reading all reviews I decided to give it at try.
BalasHapusIt's very easy to operate. Manual is very clear and understandable. The delay option is easy and convenient if you are busy person like I'm. Today I'm making second loft of bread mix. First one came out perfect and delicious. My family was amazed and ate the whole loft of bread for supper.
Machine it self is very sturdy. It's working quiet and not jumping on the table during kneading process as I sow reviews on other brand machines. Beeping sound is loud, it might bother some people, but for me it's perfect, because my office ( I'm working from home ) is too far from the kitchen.
Tomorrow I'll try to bake bread from the recipe that came in the manual; there is a lot of recipes in manual book.
Over all I love this bread maker so much, that ordered one for my best friends birthday !!!
Updating December 11.
I love machine so much, that I bake bread every day ! It's so much fun to bake different bread every day. Almost all of them came out perfect, unless I make mistake in measuring ingredients or put too much yeast. Bread machine recipes book is a big help in understanding bread making.We didn't buy a single bread loft from the supermarket since I got this machine :)
Updating 03/26/2011
I still love my machine. It's working just fine, does everything I need. I use it almost every week.