Firstly, there are two things you can look at while shopping: Bread machines and bread machine reviews. While the former will give you basic specs, the latter will tell you (or should) all those oh-so-important details that just reading the side of a box can’t. When looking at reviews, most typically cover the basics: what does the bread machine do and how well; the noise production of the machine; aesthetics; cost; ease of use; and method of bread production–in addition, you may want to see how a bread machine ranks among review sites if you desire a top of the line model.  Amazon.com, feature consumer reviews  on site,  and rates several different machines. Their bread machine ratings aren’t given in list form, however.

Zojirushi brand bread makers, while expensive are generally seen as the industry standard. They offer tons of features while giving a very high quality. In addition, they have high versatility–you can bake loaves of bread, cake batter, jam, meatloaf, or pizza crust. T-Fal and Emerilware brand breadmakers are also recommended. If you’re not looking to go all in for your first bread maker, Panasonic is generally a brand praised for its combination of quality and lower price. They offer a myriad of options while still being in in the $mid-100s range while Zojirushis usually cost upwards of $200.

Panasonic bread makers don’t make jam or meatloaf but they can essentially do anything else a Zojirushi can. The Panasonic SD-YD250, for instance, can make loaf sizes up to 2.5 pounds as well as having settings for white, wheat, multigrain, focaccia, non-yeast breads and pizza dough. It even offers a timer to tell the user when to add fresh fruit for fruit breads. Now that we’ve covered some basic bread machines, we’ll move onto reviews. Bread machine reviews are often found on websites like Consumer Report, Food and Wine-type blogs or magazines and, of course, Amazon.

Now what to look for in a review: everything you’d want answered if you used it. If a bread maker has a “rapid” mode, how fast is “rapid”? Is it a third of the time or 3/4 of the time it would usually take to bake? Does it adversely affect flavor or consistency? Moreover, how loud is the bread machine? Is it nonstick? If you alter a recipe slightly, what happens to the bread? What are the options, and can you combine them in ways that you can use? Example: Panasonic has a setting for selecting crust color but is that applicable when using “rapid” mode? Even more importantly, do you care?

If a machine has options, they can actually be detrimental to you as well: One user of the Zojirushi BBCCX20 reported that their fruit-adding timer cannot be turned off, meaning it will beep continuously into the night unless someone presses it. Here we come to another important point–cross reference reviews, even if you think their advice is sound.

Do your homework. Although the user is right in this case, if they weren’t (and just forgot to read the manual) this could adversely affect your opinion of this bread machine. And also: before you decide to review bread machines, make a list of the qualities of a bread machine you’d like. Write down what is most important to you and rank those qualities. If you’d like versatility, maybe the trade off is ease of use or cost. Make absolutely sure you have what your bottom line is down on paper and it can guide you while you slog through many of these reviews. If you absolutely desire a basic bread maker, don’t look at Zojirushis. Likewise, if you’re looking for something “upper crust,”

I wouldn’t go for a Sunbeam machine. The key to shopping for bread machines is that, while you should be looking out for duds, there is less a problem of a bad machine than there is a case of a bad machine FOR YOU. As long as it’s functional and appropriate for your needs, you’ll be happy.

1. The camera/sound quality need improvement.  Purchasing this is high on my list.

2.  I did mispeak a few times- I wanted you to see the real me and not some slick editing production

3.  I should have read the directions better before proceding.

Now that that is out of the way, enjoy the review-

After starting the machine, I realized I had the loaf size set to big, so the crust got a little crunchier than I would like.  The inside was terific, and my kids ate it all in one day.

As far as ease of use goes, this cannot be beat.  This bread maker allowed me to spend just 10 minutes of time and enjoy fresh baked bread in the morning.  Seriously, 10 minutes is all it took.

Directions were a little difficult to understand for somewhat as impatient as me.  Had I thoroughly read them, the results would have been even better.

The bread machine recipe was adjusted a bit from what Panasonic recommended.  I still need to tweak it to satisfy my tastebuds even more.  Once I perfect it, I will post it.

Experimentation seems to be the key to getting the most enjoyment out of the machine.  Panasonic has done an excellent job with this, and as you will hopefully see in future videos, I am a quick student.

I hope you enjoyed the review, stop by again to see what was added.