Original from Dan Wenz:
>I have a borrowed Regal 538N which has few variable settings available.
>Is/are there machine(s) available which would allow several settings
>for baking times or temperatures, and which would allow me to stop in
>the middle of a cycle and restart at some other point, or to restart
>after a power failure (battery memory backup), or am I just dreaming?
>Thanks in advance.
>
>
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Dan,
I have a Zojirushi Model: BBCC-S15
I picked it up for the house for some of the same reasons you
meantioned. Although it is not a elaborate as you or I desire, it
is still has enough items to make it worth considering over the
others.
It has the usual "White Bread", "Quick Baking", "Rasin Bread",
"French Bread", and "Dough Setting" that you would expect. It
also has two you wouldn't, "Cake" and "Jam", but that is getting
off the main track here.
The menu item it has that others do not is "Home Made" or "Home Made
with Memory" setting. You pick your "White Bread" setting and
crust "Degree" as normal. But instead of pressing "Start", you
press the "Home Made" button. It will begin to go through the
knead, rest, knead, rise, stir down, rise, and bake stages... except
you must press the "Home Made" button to move it along through the
stages. The clock will count the number of minutes in the current
stage for you. Pressing and holding or pressing twice quickly will
allow you to move through and skip various stages.
The "Home Made Memory" setting will automatically run the last
entered "Home Made" program. What is unfortunate is that there is
no storage facility to keep two or even ten of these home built
programs available for recall. It seems to me that it would be very
easy for them to add this. They already are keeping one.
These custom stages are very good for people who have very slow
rising mixes. The stage maximums are:
Preheating Knead 1 Rest Knead 2 Rise 1 Rise 2 Bake
----------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -----
Auto 1-10 m 0-30 m 0-120 m 0-30 m 0-120 m 0-120 m 0-60 m
I have used the "Home Made" to skip through to make up for times I
may have forgotten to add raisin, nuts, etc.. to a dough or any
other time I have broken out of one of the regular cycles. You do
have to move along the remainder manually, but it saves you from
starting over completely. I find it really helps in giving Rye
bread and Whole Wheat bread longer times to rise. If you get all
your kneading done in the first stage, and use all the rising
times, this gets you up to six (6) hours of rising... more than
enough I would think!!!
===============================================================
As far as a power outage, the Zojirushi has an on-board battery.
It is Lithium and is suppose to last 4-5 years. The manual has
these comments about power outage:
WHEN THE POWER GOES OFF
If the power goes off while the machine is running through a
cycle, the operation will not be affected if the power returns
within ten minutes. If the timer is being used, it will continue
to operate.
If power is interrupted and returns after more than ten
minutes, the cycle will stop and the "Completion Time" indication
on the display panel will blink. If the timer had been set, AND it
has passed the starting time by more than ten minutes, the panel
display will blink "Completion Time" and the machine will start
the cycle.
If power is interrupted for an extended length of time, remove
the dough and begin again with new ingredients when the power
resumes.
I have never had it fail me in a cycle, and I have come back many
times when I have bread ready and the microwave needs it's clock
set... so I know I have had some power flickers or outages.
===================================================================
Edward D. Sandoval Internet: esandova@crazyeddie.win.net
17765 SW Kinnaman Road GEnie: crazy.eddie@genie.geis.com
Aloha, OR 97007-3117
Office:
U.S. Bank of Oregon Internet: ususbc5b@ibmmail.com
Mail Stop ORC-5044 IBMmail: USUSBC5B
17650 NE Sandy Boulevard Phone: 503 261 3937
Gresham, OR 97230 FAX: 503 261 3992