Breadmakers – The Positive and Negatives
A lot of people are very undecided about breadmakers. Is this just going to be another piece of kitchen gadgetry that will be used once and then forgotten in the back of my cupboard? or is this going to be a useful piece of equipment which I will wonder how i lived without?
Nearly every family uses bread every day so you would think that having a machine on hand which can churn out a loaf on demand would be perfect, however it can be just as easy to buy a ready made loaf in a shop.
One major negative factor which people find about bread maker is that the user has little control over the size and shape of the bread which is being made. Another common complaint is that there is no satisfaction from using a bread maker than there is by kneading it by hand and baking it in the oven.
It certainly cannot be argued that bread makers take the effort out of making bread by hand, however many users find that it takes many attempts to find the perfect recipe to use in the machine and even then it does not match the quality of shop bought bread.
It is hard to draw comparisons in regard to quality in bread maker made bread and hand made bread as the technology involved in bread makers is improving constantly. It has to be argued however that the price of any new technology would hugely outweigh any money saved on buying shop bought bread for many years.
The decision to buy or not to buy a bread maker really does lie with the user based on but not limited to the following:
Do you eat enough bread to warrant buying one as a money saving exercise?
Can you afford the one off cost of the bread maker which will have all the features you will need?
Do you have the time and patience to use a trial and error method to find the best recipe to use with your bread maker?
Are you going to be able to resist the urge or buying bread with your groceries and shoving the bread maker to the back of your cupboard?
The decision lies with you but carefully consider this expensive purchase as it doesn’t suit everybodies lifestyle.
I have included links to two of my favourite breadmakers on Amazon. One for my readers in America and one for the UK.
UK – Panasonic SD-257WXC Automatic Breadmaker with Gluten Free Program
USA – West Bend 41300 Hi-Rise Electronic Dual-Blade Breadmaker
I had a bread maker for years and actually got rid of it because we were getting fat from bread, no seriously. I would set-up a nice mix for raisin bread in the mornings to have as toast. And we would eat the entire loaf in a sitting. Keep saying to each other that we really want another one as the price and quality of bread now adays is terrible. I guess we need to learn self control. Thanks for your link to your favorite brand.
Hi, We are glad you read our post on Bread Makers. We too have one but I personally far prefer making it from scratch. You can customise it so much more that way. It is handy to have a bread maker though for though for those moments when you dont have too much time.
Many Thanks