However, you can use some simple principles to decide which bread machine is the best for you. There are certain things you should look for in every bread machine. After that, choose the one that best fits your needs.
Every bread machine should come from a reliable manufacturer. While most of the big brands are fine, there are a few that have several complaints filed against them with the Better Business Bureau. Most of their machines may be fine, but they may have a few defective ones (hey, it happens to the best of us!) What's important is whether the company took action to fix a customer's problem, or if they tended to just ignore the problem.
Next, decide what you need in a bread machine. Here's a list of questions you can ask yourself:
- What kind of bread will I bake in this machine? If you are going to bake dense, heavy bread, then you need a stronger motor. Also, consider if you want to make more than bread.
- How often will I use this machine? If you are going to use it every day, you want something with high reliability and a good warranty.
- When will I use this machine? If you are going to use it overnight, you want a machine that runs quietly. If you want hot bread when you get home from work, you want a machine with a timer.
- Am I going to use this machine to bake in? Some machines work fine to mix breads, but tend to give baked breads an extremely brown crust – especially breads with a high sugar content. Others give you a light crust as you ask it to.
With these questions in mind, you can look through the available options to choose the best machine for you.
