• Reply by HerBoudoir on January 12, 2012 at 10:13 pm
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A lot of us have Zojirushi bread machines, which have their pluses and minuses like all of them. They're expensive, but I also think they're the best ones on the market and seem to be very durable.

Do you have an idea of how much you want to use it? If you prefer to bake in or out of the machine?

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• Reply by weplant on January 12, 2012 at 11:00 pm
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I just bought a Zo..I had ordered a Breadman and used it twice, it was noisy and virtually jumping around on the counter..I just did not feel it was going to last long..I went ahead and spent the money on the Zo..It is so quiet and solid.. I do love it. A lot of people here do not bake in their bread machine, they just use it to make the dough..I do both. I make dough for pizza and rolls..But for bread (white, wheat, raisen) I bake in my Zo..I think it comes out fine..You have to play with crust setting to get it to your liking and you will probobly have some flops ( I certainly have), but then I have also had great bread. i like the fact that the pan is like a standard bread pan, not a tall cylinder..Good luck with your decision..debbie

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• Reply by HerBoudoir on January 12, 2012 at 11:09 pm
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Regarding longevity, my mom has had her Zo for 15+ years (probably closer to 20) and my sister has had hers for 10 years. They still work just fine.

I see the Zo as kind of the breadmaker equivalent of getting a Kitchen Aid stand mixer. It's a Cadillac type machine and once you get used to the ins and outs (experiment, have fun with it, coat your kitchen in bread flour, have a sourdough starter take over your fridge...) it's just a great product.

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• Reply by hickeyja on January 13, 2012 at 12:28 am
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Mary, if you have never used a bread machine and are unsure of what you want, I would like to suggest an alternative-before you shell out several hundred bucks. Go to Goodwill, AmVets, St. Vincents, etc. and find a used one to try. You can usually get fairly new machines with very little use for $15 or less. Try using the machine to knead dough. Try baking in it. See if you like using a bread machine. Which features do you like. What features does a machine need to make it most usable to you. The better brands are Zo, of course, Breadman and Panasonic, maybe a few others.

Once you have this figured out, see if you really need/want to spend several hundred dollars on a Zo, or if a Breadman or some other brand might due just as well. You might even decide that the thrift store machine is just fine. I have a Panasonic I received as a gift more than 20 years ago. It works very well. I also have two thrift store Breadman machines, both of which cost less than $10. Sometimes when I am baking for a large event, I end up with all 3 machines at various stages of making dough at the same time, along with a batch in the KA stand mixer too. Jan

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• Reply by mrscindy on January 13, 2012 at 6:25 am
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"I also have two thrift store Breadman machines, both of which cost less than $10. Sometimes when I am baking for a large event, I end up with all 3 machines at various stages of making dough at the same time, along with a batch in the KA stand mixer too"

Jan, what a great idea! I just gifted my 'sister' with my old Zo when I got a new one, but for a month during Christmas I had them side by side working away. I could easily get two or more machines working during holidays! I'll have to go on a search and 'rescue' mission. RESCUE the discarded bread machines of the world!

~Cindy

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• Reply by cookiequeen247 on January 13, 2012 at 4:40 pm
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I asked the very same question a couple of months ago and the general consensus seemed to be that the Zo would be the best buy. So that's what I bought. And I LOVE it. I have the 2 lb. model, about $200 and, in my opinion (and my family's opinion), it is worth every penny. It bakes amazing, fragrant, flavorful loaves for me multiple times a week and has been everything I could have wanted, and more. There has been a lot of skepticism regarding the Zo and its ability to knead, bake etc. but I can't really comment on that because I have had nothing but success with my machine. There is a smaller, 1 lb. model, but I would buy based on the number of people you are baking for. I bake for 4 people, and a single 2 lb. loaf lasts about 3 days (maybe less :D ) so I would pretty much have to bake a loaf a day with a 1 pounder'. SO, I recommend the Zo. I love mine!

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• Reply by HerBoudoir on January 14, 2012 at 8:40 am
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Even with the 2 of us, I prefer the larger machine. I often make a batch of white bread and bake off a smaller 1 lb loaf and a couple of rolls (I prefer to bake outside the machine anyway). I've found that baked cinnamon rolls and such freeze REALLY well or make a great "just because" impromptu gift for family and friends. Since I don't want to buy bread at all anymore, keeping half a loaf in the freezer (I slice then freeze so I can pull out just how many slices I want) is really convenient.

You can use the bigger Zo to do 1.5 lb or 2 lb of bread, but you can't do more than 1 lb in the smaller Zo, making it a lot more versatile.

Plus, most of the recipes out there are for 1 1/2 lb and 2 lb loaves, either of which the big Zo can handle - you'd have to convert them for 1 lb loaf baking and I just am not THAT fond of math ;-)

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• Reply by sherryocala on January 18, 2012 at 11:08 pm
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We bought a WestBend Hi-Rise for Christmas, and we really love it. Both husband and I have messed up recipes (reading from two recipes at once), but the breads came out fine. We can't seem to mess it up! It makes up to a 2-1/2 lb horizontal loaf. We also bought a pan that makes two 1-lb vertical loaves. It's great for making test loaves. The Amazon reviews were excellent, apparently running second behind the Zo, but the price is much less - $79.95 on Amazon when we were shopping, but we purchased ours on the WestBend website. They were offering 35% off their list price & shipping was free - $94 for the bread machine and the extra pan. We couldn't be more pleased with it.

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• Reply by dachshundlady on January 19, 2012 at 6:14 am
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I have 2 Breadmen, which I love. One I bought new at KAF years ago and the other came from a thrift store for $8. Can't beat that with a stick. I mainly use them for dough making but they bake fine as well.

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