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Review: Cuisinart CBK-200 Bread Machine

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The BreadMachineDigest, which is a very complete resource for bread machines, offers this review of a Cuisinart bread machine:

The Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine is an interesting machine. It offers several features that are not available on any other machine. Features like convection baking for a more evenly browned and crispier crust. A beep signal when the final kneading is done telling you, you can now remove the kneading paddle from the pan so that you don’t have a large whole in the bottom of your loaf. It also has cycles for low-carb, gluten free, and artisan breads.

The machine itself is quite typical. It is a box shape with the standard side control panel. It has a small LCD screen that gives you the time remaining, the loaf size, crust color and where you are in the cycle information. To choose a cycle you just select the number that corresponds to the cycle you want. For example white is 1, low-carb is 8, etc. You set the number for the cycle you want using a menu button. Each time you press the button a different cycle number is selected.

There are also buttons for crust color, loaf size, delay timer as well as one to turn on and off the mix-ins option. The mix-ins option causes an alert beep to sound which tells you when in the cycle to add things like raisins, nuts, etc. The last two buttons are start and stop/pause. Overall the controls are easy to figure out and use.

This machine has a total of 101 cycles. However, this is a bit misleading because like some other companies Cuisinart counts variations to the main cycles as cycles. For example white bread with a 1 pound recipe and a light crust is one cycle and white bread with a 1-1/2 pound recipe and a light crust is another. If you forget about the variations this machine has a total of 16 cycles which includes:

White, rapid white, whole wheat, rapid whole wheat, French/Italian, rapid French/Italian, quick bread/cake, low-carb, gluten free, dough/pizza dough, artisan dough, sweet breads, rapid sweet breads, jam, last minute loaf, bake only.

Like some other machines on the market this one has a power failure backup feature. Should the power to the machine be disrupted it will store in memory the stage of bread making cycle and resume once the power is restored. However, unlike some other machines this backup feature is good for only 15 minutes. If the power stays out for longer than that you are out of luck.

The pan in the Cuisinart CBK-200 is called a horizontal pan by Cuisinart. However, to me it is a hybrid of the horizontal and vertical pan. This machine doesn’t make quite a horizontal loaf or a vertical loaf, it makes loaves that are some place in between. The pan in fact is the same size and shape as many of the pans included with Breadman machines like the Breadman Ultimate. It is also a single paddle pan. I don’t like this style of pan. During my testing of this machine I made 30 recipes, every single one of them required me to scrape some of the ingredients out of the corners of the pan. Had I not stuck around to do this, the loaves would have come out with floured corners. I really wish companies would either do vertical machines or true horizontal machines with dual paddles. These hybrids are a pain.

All of the recipes I made turned out great. The machine once you have all of the ingredients incorporated in to the dough kneads very well and makes a nice dough. It has no problems with white bread dough, egg bread dough, whole wheat or any of the other 30 types of bread I made.

I also have to give high praise for the convection bake feature. While I still prefer to make the dough in the machine and bake the loaf in my regular oven, the convection feature made for a much nicer and evenly browned crust. It was also crisper which quickly faded as the loaf cooled thanks to the steam.

Now for the real down side, this is one very unattractive looking machine. I think Cuisinart tried to make it look retro. However, in doing so they placed black trim all around the top of the machine (see the picture) and in doing this they made it the all time hardest machine to clean. Sooner or later you are going to need to clean flour off the top of this thing and because of the black trim it is going to be a real time consuming pain. I ended up using Q-Tips to get the thing clean. And, as I said this is in my opinion one of the most unattractive machines ever put on the market.

Would I recommend this machine? It depends, if you need its unique features like convection bake, low-carb or gluten free cycles then yes. I say go for it. If none of those features is something you are frothing at the bit for then I would recommend you look at something else. Something with a better pan and something that will be easier to clean. Finally, it comes with a very nice users guide and recipe book. I am very impressed with the number of recipes included and how diverse the recipes are. I give Cuisinart a round of applause for this excellent collection of recipes.

Review written by Robert Barnett.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things – Part Two

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A while ago we asked readers to let us know which small appliances they think are most important in their kitchens. Little-known-food-facts.com has compiled a list of their choices:

When it comes to small appliances, there are 6 must haves to every kitchen. Yes an automatic Can Opener is nice as is the plug in cutting knife for Turkey Dinner. But what about the Real Stuff?

The small appliances that allow us to cook entire meals or at least accent them with simple cooking uses. Do not get me wrong. I use my coffee maker every morning but I do not consider that a cooking tool.

The #6 Must Have For Your Kitchen: Popcorn Maker. First these are cheap. For less then $15 for the maker you can have healthy homemade popcorn in less then 5 minutes. It will not contain anything except what you put in it. That means there is no extra preservatives or unwanted salt.

The #5 Must Have For Your Kitchen: The Blender. I love my blender. You can use them to make almost anything. I use it to make sauces and dips, fruit drinks in the summer, mix a salsa or puree my tomatoes for a Lasagna. A blender is one of my most favorite small appliances.

The #4 Must Have For Your Kitchen: The Toaster Oven. Yes, not just for pastry cooking or roasting toast. You can warm toast and melt cheese or even cook a wrap in it. This small appliance makes life a simple task when it comes to cooking. Making open faced sandwiches is a snap when you have a toaster oven.

The #3 Must Have For Your Kitchen: The Indoor Grill. I personally have a “George” and I secretly love him. This is great for cooking meats of an inch and a half thick or making toast. I have made vegetables in it however, I always manage to cook it a little longer then I should. My grill comes with a bread warmer on top and is an easy to clean tool.

The #2 Must Have For Your Kitchen: The Slow Cooker. You can make anything from a lasagna to a banana nut bread in this. Ok so you can not make a steak dinner with sauteed onions and mushrooms but you can sure make the potatoes in it! The Crock Pot allows you safe cooking all day while you are at work.

The #1 Must Have For Your Kitchen: The Food Processor. When it comes to home cooking, everyone should have a Food Processor. This tool is essential to someone who has arthritis or just general trouble cutting. The right one can do nuts, cabbage, shred cheese, and peppers, the list goes on. There is almost no food that a food processor cannot slice, dice, or chop. It can be used to make soup, salads, and lasagnas. Well any meal really!

When it comes to the kitchen, just like a hot stove there is no playing around. Having the right tools will ensure that you have the right meals and having the right ingredients can give you a taste and dinner no one will ever forget.

Every kitchen should have these tools and by having them will give you a chance to create almost any meal. Ah, well! All I know is that I would be lost without any of my Small Appliances!

This list differs greatly from my original list, and to be honest, the blender and food processor are the only two I use somewhat regularly and they were on my short list in my earlier post. Feel free to let us know your favorites.

As Seen on TV- One Touch Can Opener

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I didn’t see this on TV- but apparently it’s everywhere- the One Touch can opener. I couldn’t escape it. Bed, Bath and Beyond has been stacking them in the aisle and the check-out lines and I finally gave in. I can’t resist the idea of an easy to use can opener; mine is finicky and inconveniently mounted outside the kitchen in the laundry room, so I decided to give this new one a whirl.
Well, it is definitely easy to use. Just load it with the required AA batteries and you’re ready to go. As the package says, it is truly hands-free. We placed the opener on the can, pushed the button and watched it go. Kids really like the “magic” of it working independently.
It has only one negative that I can find, but it is a big one. The can is cut around the outer edge which removes the entire top. The top of the can is now razor sharp. If you want to drain the can by pressing the lid against the contents (as I do with tuna), it’s not possible because the lid fits back too tightly against the can. If you try to drain it and touch the top with your fingers, you risk cutting your hand. This edge is really sharp!

So far I would consider this can opener a part time help in the kitchen. I choose it for cans that will have their contents, such as tomato sauce, added directly to a pot or bowl, with no fingers nearby.

Washing Machine Tips

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A new washing machine can not only be a big investment, if it’s not used properly, it can have the power to cause great damage with floods of water. We’ve gathered some helpful tips for washer usage here:

  • Water taps for the washing machine should be shut off when the washer is not in use. Most rubber fill hoses are not meant to withstand constant water pressure and can burst causing flood damage.
  • Before placing a service call, make note of when the problem occurs. Note if, for example, the washing machine is noisy on wash or spin or if the appliance has been relocated recently. Have the person most familiar with the problem place the service call.
  • Washing machines are designed to be used on solid flooring, like concrete. If installing on a wooden floor, extra joist bracing may be needed. The mounting of an additional plywood section can also strengthen an existing wooden floor. Severe internal suspension damage can occur if used on unstable flooring.
  • Washing rubber backed mats can cause problems by putting added strain on a washer and possibly causing unbalanced loads. In addition, the rubber backing can break down and separate, infiltrating the wash system clogging hoses, pumps, filters and valves. At the first sign of wear of the backing, you should discontinue washing it.

    • If you found these useful you can read more at appliance411

    Great Gadgets for Holiday Giving?

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    Today’s Los Angeles Times reviewed some interesting devices for the health conscious. Here’s one of their reviews for the Tanita Ironman Body Composition Monitor

    If you’re planning to give someone a scale for the holidays, you’ve already shown a willingness to take risks. (Certain people would see a gift-wrapped scale as an invitation for violence.) But some gambles are doomed from the start.

    Consider the Tanita Ironman Body Composition Monitor, sold for about $130. One of the scale’s main selling points is that it purportedly measures levels of visceral fat, the kind that builds up around the intestines and other organs. Experts believe that visceral fat can throw off a person’s metabolism, greatly increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

    Unfortunately, no bathroom scale can accurately measure visceral fat, says Kenneth Ellis, principal investigator of the Body Composition Laboratory at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. “It really surprises me that they are claiming to do it,” he says. Instead, scales such as the Ironman can make only a rough estimate based on a person’s weight and the ease with which a small jolt of electricity runs through the body. (Electricity moves easily through lean tissue, but lots of fat will make for a sluggish signal.)

    Two recent studies from Japan have found that electricity-based estimates of visceral fat can be off by as much as 50%. Estimates of total body fat would be somewhat more reliable, Ellis says, but they’re still limited by the fact that they can measure only the electricity that flows up one leg and down the other. Anything you’re carrying above the waist would be essentially invisible to the machine.

    The only way to accurately measure visceral fat is to have a CT scan or similar high-tech test. But, in most cases, Ellis says, your body mass index — a calculation based on your height and weight — will tell you all you need know. Unless you’re muscle-bound, a BMI of 30 strongly suggests that you have too much fat — visceral and otherwise — for your own good.

    If you’d like to be not only a health conscious, but well informed consumer, you can read about the StressEraser and the Sleeptracker here for more information about these health related appliances.

    Recall:Venmar Ventilation Inc. Heat Recovery Ventilators Due to Fire Hazard

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    Name of Product: Heat Recovery Ventilators

    Units: About 1,100

    Manufacturer: Venmar Ventilation Inc., of Quebec, Canada

    Hazard: The thermal protector in these units can fail, posing a potential fire hazard to consumers.

    Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

    Description: This recall involves heat recovery ventilators made between October 2006 and August 2007, and have the following brand names and model numbers:

    Brand Models
    Venmar 40225
    Venmar AVS 457XX, 16016XX, 43XXX, 451XX, 45400, 45709IEH, C32042
    Vane 458XX, 16016XX, 43405, 43828, 45405, 45808
    Rheem, Ruud, Protech 84-ERVXXX, 84-HRVXXX
    Carrier ERVCCLHU1200, HRVCCLHA1250, HRVCCSVU1200, ERVCCLHU1150,
    HRVCCLHA1150, HRVCCLVU1150, HRVCCLVU1200, HRVCCSVU1150
    Bryant ERVBBLHU1200, HRVBBLHA1250, HRVBBSVU1200
    Broan ERV200HC, HRV200H, HRV100H

    Sold at: Heating, ventilating and air conditioning wholesale distributors, dealers and contractors, and building supply stores nationwide from October 2006 through December 2007 for between $700 and $2,500.

    Manufactured in: Canada

    Remedy: Consumers should immediately turn off and unplug their ventilators. Consumers should contact Venmar Ventilation to schedule an inspection and repair.

    Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Venmar Ventilation toll-free at (866) 441-4645 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.venmar.ca

    Finding Your Inner Guide – or at Least a PDF Manual

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    I recently overhead someone ask a friend: ‘how did we ever find out anything before Google?’. I gave away my internet age when I said “with altavista” and added for good measure – in a gopher guide. But nevertheless, the point stands. Google is just the greatest mindshare search tool, but its just a gateway into the riches of the internet. One of the great killer aps of customer service is the ability of any manufacturer to make all of their manuals available instantly to their customers.

    att_logo.jpgMy ATT answering machine phone is acting weird, and my wife asked me to find the manual. After 10 minutes of wasting my time in paper files, I just did a quick search and came up with this page listing dozens of PDF manuals to various AT&T phones.

    One of our goals here is to create a single point resource with as many manuals as we can hunt down. So here’s a start.

    Keeping Stainless Steel Clean

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    Stainless appliances are popular right now, but they are difficult to keep clean.  Fingerprints and smudges are a constant challenge. Consumer Reports tested six stainless steel cleaners, trying both wipes and sprays.

    When it comes to smudgy fingerprints, the tests showed all the cleaners do a good job removing them. But beware of claims to prevent fingerprints. None of the cleaners could do that.

    Food on stainless samples testers also put dollops of foods like peanut butter and raspberry jelly on stainless-steel samples. They also used condiments like ketchup and mustard.

    Testing, the stains sat for at least 24 hours. Then testers rinsed the samples, cleaned them following the manufacturers’ instructions, and sized up how well the cleaners removed stains.

    “Overall, all six cleaners were very effective, except when it came to mustard. They all seemed to leave some mustard stain behind on the surface.”

    For more tips and to see which product was least likely to leave streaks, read the whole story at winknews.com.

    Recall: Outdoor Vacuums with Honda Engines Recalled By Billy Goat Industries Inc. Due to Fire Hazard

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    Name of Product: Billy Goat MultiVac Outdoor Vacuums

    Units: About 1,600

    Manufacturer: Billy Goat Industries Inc, of Lee’s Summit, Mo.

    Hazard: The vacuum’s fuel tank could crack and leak fuel. If gasoline leaking from the fuel tank is ignited, a fire or explosion can occur. This poses a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

    Incidents/Injuries    : None reported.

    Description: The recalled outdoor vacuum is black and green with a red motor housing. “Billy Goat” is printed on the vacuum’s bag. Only outdoor vacuums with the following model and serial numbers are included in the recall. The model and serial numbers are printed on a label located directly below the height adjustment crank on the left side of the vacuum.

    Models Serial Numbers
    MV650H
    MV650SPH 061107xxx
    061807xxx
    062507xxx
    070907xxx
    072407xxx
    073007xxx 080607xxx
    081307xxx
    082007xxx
    082707xxx
    090407xxx
    091007xxx

    Sold at: Outdoor power equipment and rental dealers nationwide from June 2007 through November 2007 for between $1,500 and $1,850.

    Manufactured in: United States

    Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled outdoor vacuums and contact any Billy Goat or Honda Lawn and Garden dealer for a free fuel tank replacement. Registered owners of the recalled vacuums will be mailed a notice.

    Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Honda at (800) 426-7701 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.hondapowerequipment.com

    Ahhh… Quiet Dishwashers

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    bosch 800 integra dishwasherOne of the best things about my Bosch dishwasher is its sound- or lack of it. My previous dishwasher could be heard throughout our house so we really appreciate the quiet.

    Newer houses have open floor plans and consumers are looking for quieter appliances that allow families to work, talk and play without the noise older appliances make.

    But building a quieter dishwasher is more about decibels than marketing. In the past 18 months, appliance makers have come together to create an industry standard for monitoring dishwasher sound levels after years of using their own criteria for measuring sound.

    Older dishwashers — those 10 years old or more — have earsplitting decibels of 65 or higher. (The lower the decibel level, the quieter the machine.) Less expensive dishwashers crank out decibel levels above 60 decibels, while top-end models are comparatively whisper-quiet at 45 decibels.

    The two main sources of dishwasher noise are the pump and water sloshing against the tub walls. To combat noise, manufacturers surround the noisemakers with a thick layer of mastic, a stiff insulator that muffles lower noise frequencies. The mastic is wrapped around the tub and pump compartments, then encased in a fluffy blanket of insulation to dampen higher frequencies.

    Our Bosch is so quiet, I have mistakenly opened it mid-cycle, completely surprised it was running even though I was standing in front of it. Bosch has became aware of this happening in many households and added an”on” light that shines on the floor when the washer is running.

    A dishwasher so quiet, you don’t know it’s on…you gotta love it.