Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

In this review I will compare Oster CKSTBRW20 and Zojirushi BB-PAC20. Background: For the last six months I have been making various type of breads using my Oster bread maker. Since getting a bread machine I have stopped buying bread. I use the machine every 2-3 days to make 1.5 loaf to my family. Bakes such as bagel`s for example require me to take the dough out, shape it and etc. In my opinion to much work and therefore I have not used the machine for these bake goods and I purchase those. The recipes I used are turnkey where I put all ingredients in the machine and press a button. Any recipes which require additional steps (with exception to sourdough are not my forte) So far I had excellent results, however I was tempting to see if there is added value in a “better” machine which should produce better results. Two key things which were of interest for in in the Zoj were; 1. Preheat of ingredients prior for mixing a. In many cases I make breads which require milk and/or eggs. These I keep in the fridge and when added they are COLD. When using my Oster I would add a 30 min extra to timer to allow ingredients to come to room temp , however in many cases they are still cooler than they should 2. Long shape a. It is a pain in the A## to cut the bread Oster produce. The shape does not allow for easy to produce and consume sandwich slices. In addition it is hard to find a decent bread box which will fit the 1.5 loaf let alone 2lb loaf. When making soft fluffy loafs this is becoming a real issue. Today I got the new BB-PAC20 and my initial impression compare to Oster: • Zoj is heavier then Oster • Zoj is twice and take twice the counter space as Oster • Due to size of Zoj it is there to say where Oster can be stored and be used when and as needed. • Zoj stops when lid is opened, which can be bothersome (my kid like to watch the bread getting mixed) • Zoj seems to be better constructed. • Zoj does not shift on counter when mixing due to its weight (My Oster already crushed to the floor once which required me to take it apart and put all the buttons and display back where they should be) • Zoj have much better handles the Oster ( I removed the handle from my Oster , as in some cases high raise breads will “stick” to the handle and will challenge the loaf removal as the bread will stick to handle ) • Zoj looks “better” as its stainless and black finish vs white (which look dated). Baking; I took a basic sweet bread (with egg`s) recipe and prepared the same recipe side by side on both units. For both recipes I used same ingredients and same measurement cups, all in all beside the machine all other parameters are identical. This test would allow me to test and see if there is added value for the high premium of the Zoj ($200 more the Oster) and see if the money and counter space are well spent here. ** See pictures for difference between Zoj and Oster during mixing and baking, as well for product produced ** This test is for BASIC functionality and used basic cycle with medium crust settings. Results: Crust – Both units were set to medium. Zoj product a thicker darker crust. Zoj crust is more consistent where Oster has lighter top then its sides. Shape – As expected Zoj products longer and “lower” loaf which is easier to cut. Zoj loaf had two “bumps” due to its design of two mixing blades. Texture – Zoj have more consistent texture where air “bubbles” are spread more evenly. Blades leave smaller hole in bread due to lower profile . Taste – better “crunch” in Zoj , beside this both taste same to me. My $0.02 : If you children like bread with no crust Oster might be better, where if you like thicker crust with more crunch Zoj would be better. If you intend to keep the bread machine on your counter Zoj will be more appealing due to design and color. If you plan to keep it in cabinet Oster is a better choice due to size and weight. Zoj product a better product but by a very small margin, is it worth the extra $200 is all depend on the value of $200 to you. If I will keep Zoj it will only be due to the loaf size and shape, all other to me is relative equal.