I see posts talking about good BIFL items but I don’t hear much about the other side of products that are bad or products you bought but don’t even use.
A bread machine. Had good reviews. I used it like 3 or 4 times. The mixing things are too small to mix the dough properly, and having to fish them out of the bread after it was done was a huge hassle. The bread was not great… Shell was too hard, and the top side didn’t cook properly. Then I realized, I could basically do the same with a planetary mixer that can mix the dough and the normal oven, and the end result was far better.
Surprised I had to scroll to see bread machine.
I bought a rather expensive machine… used it 3 times, bread is not very good.
Then I went down the homemade sourdough rabbit hole, now I am making artisan loafs with my homemade starter… super enjoyable process and the bread is amazing!
I use bread machines for mixing the dough and resting and stuff and then bake in the oven on a pan. Am I crazy for that?
That’s a shame. When I wasn’t sure whether we’d actually make use of a bread machine, I picked up an entry level one for like $100 (Canadian).
Since then, we’ve made probably 100+ loaves, saving money and reducing both food waste and plastic. It’s been one of our best kitchen purchases.
I’d suggest trying a different recipe. It can make a huge difference to the end result.