Sunbeam 5891 2-Pound ExpressBake Breadmaker

First of all, I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because there is always room for a little improvement, but I would buy this machine again and again. This is my second bread machine. I had one years ago that I used about twice a week for about 3 years. It was originally my mom's, so when I moved away I gave it back to her. That one was a West Bend, paid under $70 back then. It worked perfect every time, and I used it for breads, doughs, even jam. Now that I'm ready to buy my own it's been several years, so I decided to do some research. I think I read every review for every bread maker on the market. I actually considered paying a lot more, but there was aboslutely nothing about those machines (Zojirushi) that anyone said made them any better! So, why pay more?? I have had this machine about 3 weeks so far, and I've made about 8 loaves of bread and one dough batch. Perfect every time, EXCEPT for the one time that I used too much yeast and my loaf fell. I think a lot of people don't realize that when you are working with yeast your measurements and temperatures need to be spot on. The machine is stable. This is important because in my kitchen it lives on a butcher block cart that I got at Ikea and put together myself. No shaking and jumping around (unlike some other brand machines I read about). It's not the quietest, but it's not annoying either. My dishwasher makes far more noise. The only thing that remains to be seen is how long the machine will last, and only time can tell that.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? exact
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. good
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? accurate

Was happy to find the breadmaker on O.com since I could not find one in the local stores. Machine makes great bread. Was surprised to find I could make other than bread in the machine. I did not know there was a difference in bread - example: Basic vs Sandwich. Wish the recipes included garlic bread. Happy with my purchase.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? same - white
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. great quality
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? was accurate

The instruction book did not mention that you need to use yeast made for bread makers. The french bread with regular yeast did not turn out well. Once I used the bread maker yeast it was fine. I think the color of the bread (light, dark) is determined by how long it cooks. The longer it cooks the drier the bread gets, so I am sticking to light. Experiment. On the recipe for french bread I used 1/4 cup of grated parmesian cheese in lieu of flour and it came out great.

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? same
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Good quality. Sturdy.
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? I was surprised at how large it was

We were very happy with the product and immediately started using it. As a newly diagnosed Celiac, it was nice to be able to make my own bread and this machine was simple to use and understand. Preset to the typical 3 hour bake but easy to re-set as needed. Very easy to clean. The only problem we had is getting out the beater the first time. That is what we use the strange looking hook for and it has worked with every loaf since then. Definitely recommend to others!

• How did the color on site compare with the actual product? exactly
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. very nice
• How accurate was the on site description of the product? excellent