Hamilton Beach breadmaker bread was not good!
ginjj
last month
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Best Bread Machine?
Comments (8)Tim, I'm with you -- although mine is only 14 years old! I've baked bread for 45 years. But, I got a new Panasonic, top of the line, a year ago for my son. It doesn't do as well. Crumb isn't as even, bread falls sometimes. When mine goes, I will probably get a Zo, but not for the two paddles. BTW, Panasonic still supplies belts, paddles, and pans for my old machine. Don't phone the customer service, phone technical support. They were also willing to send me the technical manual, and to ask Japan for the baking temperature of each cycle. Helped me convert old recipes to their bread machine. Now THAT's service!...See MoreWhat combo of bamix immersion blender, food proc and stand mixer?
Comments (5)I wouldn't worry about the cakes. Maybe, you could make one in a processor. I've never done it but I don't lean towards using my Cuisinart for "floury" types of things. I have a stand-mixer for bread. I mix cakes by hand & have for 35 years. Don't know why...they're just quick & easy and it seems faster to just mix it than drag out the mixer, I guess. I do think every kitchen should have a quality mixer of some sort though. Egg whites, for example, can actually be better done by hand in a copper bowl but it's a lot of work. A hand-mixer fits that bill fine. Stand-mixers are expensive pieces of equipment. It's similar to Le Crueset cookware........they're beautiful & do a great job with many types of cooking. But, they're expensive & you could accomplish the same thing with a $20 Lodge cast iron pot. So, while I own & enjoy LC...I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a relatively new cook or inexperienced cook. My recommendation to you would be to look at Kitchenaid hand-mixers. They are inexpensive (under $100, I think) and would handle most anything you are going to need for a while. I prefer Cuisinart but I think food processors all perform pretty much equally well...it's just a matter of personal choice. As an experienced bread baker, and former teacher of bread-making...I'd strongly recommend you get your hands in the flour to start. That way, you'll learn how the dough "feels" going through it's various stages of development. A mixer does not understand how to make bread. It's just a workhorse, so to speak. What I'm saying is that a $500 mixer won't turn you into a bread baker. You'll still have to learn technique and the life-stages of yeast as well as how to manipulate time & temperature to create that perfect loaf of bread. You have the boat motor which is a handy little gadget that you'll use frequently for making soups, sauces, etc. With the addition of a new hand-mixer you should be in pretty good shape for some time. And, maybe, your Sunbeam is working fine and you don't even need that. Eventually, your experience in the kitchen will clarify for you what tools you need to improve your skills. And, again, remember our moms/grandmoms didn't have any of these fancy tools & they were excellent cooks....See Morepicking good knives
Comments (17)Wusthof, Sabatier, Henckels--all very good, very $$$, but the best steel in the world isn't good if 1)the balance of the knife doesn't feel right in your hand or 2) you don't keep it sharp or 3) you don't store it right. Chicago Cutlery has a well deserved reputation for decent performance for not much money. Some months ago Cook's Illustrated rated chef knives, and one of their favorites was an inexpensive Victorinox/Forschner chef's knife with a 'Fibrox' handle--something like $29 or so. Google those terms and you'll find lots of vendors. As far a keeping it sharp, take a visit to this web site to learn all that anybody, including Sweeney Todd, would need to know about keeping blades sharp. I personally use a paper wheel system and am happy with that, but lots of people like the Chef's Choice machines. This web site gives the pros and cons of various sharpening devices from little slot gadgets to professional sharpening equipment. Here is a link that might be useful: sharpening site...See MoreLayout Help - Kitchen in Beach Cottage
Comments (28)Angela, Your kitchen sounds like it will be a dream for those lucky enough to stay at your beach house. As it happens, I am going to Ocean Isle in a couple of weeks (having looked at beach houses from Sunset to Corova) to stay in a new 6-BR house. We have never gone with more than 2 other families (having gone to the beach every year for the last 20 years -mostly in NC but occasionally in SC), so we have never been more than 12-14 or so. When I go to one of these large luxury rentals, what I expect is a kitchen stocked with enough dishes to feed a crowd (and some non-breakable for the kids), serving dishes, a good assortment of pots and pans (especially one large enough to boil massive amounts of shrimp), 2 good size refrigerator/freezers, 2 dishwashers, coffeemaker, blender (got to make those frozen drinks, you know), food processor, mixer, toaster, microwave, good assortment of utensils, and a good assortment of knives. (I'll think about anything else I would be disappointed not to have.) Anything else is just a plus. As you probably know, most kitchens in beach house rentals in NC do not come with dish detergent, saran wrap etc (although in many there is enough of such items to get one started). I personally do not think you need a bread maker. When my kids were little and we baked, we baked brownies and cookies and usually bought the mixes as we didn't want to waste precious beach time doing anything too complicated. I also don't think you need a jello mold for the same reason. (Jello molds are for jello desserts, although I suppose you could use them to make other kinds of desserts or anything you need a mold for.) If you want, I can give you a report about our rental house's kitchen once I am back. Who knows -maybe I will rent your house next year. Have fun with this enjoyable project!...See More
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