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Poorly made, not worth the price
I admit it - I am a bread snob. I expect a lot from a bread machine - fairly quiet kneading cycle, consistent temperature so the bread browns well without burning the bottom but also browns the top of the loaf, easy to use, and well built to withstand years of use. I had a wonderful GE bread machine that was a workhorse in the kitchen for almost 10 years. It went belly up, so I grudgingly started looking for a new one. I purchased the Breadman Ultimate from a different company (Walmart), and returned it after less than a week.
The Breadman Ultimate is very poorly made. The pan is thin and the clips that hold it are flimsy. When the dough is kneading, the pan knocks around inside the machine and will occasionally pop out of the clips completely. I had to literally stand there and hold the pan in place to keep it from making a huge racket. Even hubby said there was no way we were keeping it. You needed ear plugs just to be in the same room with it!
I will give it this - it did finally make good bread, but the poor construction convinced us that this machine will not hold up over time. I read all of the reviews and saw that customer service had recommended bending the clips to hold the pan in place better. Let me assure you that will not work. The clips are very thin and will break over time, IMHO.
I wish I had heeded the negative reviews on this one and saved myself some trouble. Save your money and buy the Zojirushi. The Zoji is a great machine that is solidly built. It does need some tweaking to get the settings "just right", but that post is over on the Zoji page. :o)
[Saturday, November 29, 2008]
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works perfect
we purchased this machine two years ago november. we make bread twice a week and have never had any problems. this is the third different brand but is by far the best. I will say that the auto dispenser does'nt always work, but thats ok with me
[Thursday, November 20, 2008]
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Excellent bread machine for the price.
I've had bread machines over the years, mostly Oster brand, but this time I wanted one that baked horizontal (loaf-shaped) loves, but didn't have the funds for the more expensive models, and the Breadman UltimatePlus seemed to fit the bill nicely.
I think all bread machine recipes need a bit of tweaking, and a couple of test loaves usually does the trick. I had read a suggestion somewhere about removing the kneading paddle BEFORE the final rise and bake cycles (right after it punches down for the second time. As a result, there's no weird hole in the bottom of the loaf after baking and you don't have to worry about digging the paddle out.
Yes, this machine is a tad noisy (but I think they all are). I can live with that (kind of like the dog's snoring, you get used to it). It makes a really nice loaf of bread. The instruction manual has a good assortment of recipes. I particularly like the fact that the lid is removable, so it can be washed instead of merely wiped off.
I probably don't use this machine nearly as much as I should, but when the mood strikes and I want freshly baked bread, nothing beats the ease of handling of this machine.
[Wednesday, November 19, 2008]
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