In the V6-59 newsletter, DeAnn Holden writes that she is:
FED UP WITH MY BREAD MACHINE! I don't blame her. I have always regretted
the fact that Zojirushi, an old line company, well known for its excellent
and durable equipment has seen fit to try to compete with others to produce
a low cost machine.
The old S-15 and now the S-15A are ABMs that produce good bread
consistently. That is not because they are more expensive, it is because
nothing was spared to make those machines do the job. For example, do you
know that these models do kneading in both direction? That the kneading
blade is a hydrofoil that pulls and stretches the dough in one direction
and lifts it and shears it in the other direction of rotation? Watch one do
its job and you'll see how different the process is. For bread to rise
properly and to have a uniform texture, it has to be kneaded enough, not
only to mix the ingredients together, but also to develop the gluten into
long chains that make the dough elastic and capable of holding the dough
together when the yeast bubbles expand. Our testing of bread machines is
done like this: We mix four copies of the same recipes, omitting yeast and
water. We put one batch into each machine and measure the output volume and
observe the texture of the loaf. if the difference is large, we bake two
more loaves. In these tests, the Zoji S15 and S15A has always produced a
loaf of greater volume and more even texture.
Over the years, our largest sales have not come in December but in
January. That is because many people who buy or receive ABMs for gifts, try
them, return them to the store where they were purchased and order an S-15A
from us.
We have been told that more than 50% of all bread machines
purchased have been returned for refund or credit! During the last four
years, we have had only one person who wanted to return her Zoji!
If you really want to solve your problem, DeAnn, you might well try an S-15A.
Best wishes. Irwin