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*******April, 2005************


I have been using my Zo for 3 months now. I bake 2-3 loaves a week and have done some experimenting with recipes from other bread machine cookbooks. I've used the quick cycle successfully using Zo recipes which don't recommend the quick cycle by adding one or two extra tsp. of rapid yeast + 4 tsp. vital wheat gluten, and this works like a charm.

If you buy Challah (egg bread) from the food store as I used to every week, you won't ever want to again after trying Zo's "Butter-Rich Roll & Bread Dough" (under Dough Variations section of recipe book). I cut the amount of butter in half. Fresh Challah in 75 minutes (quick dough cycle of 45 minutes, braid the dough, then bake 25 minutes in oven at 375) or in 2 hrs. 15 minutes (basic dough 1:50 + 25 minutes at 375). Loaves will be higher when using the basic cycle. Truly the best tasting bread and great for french toast.

Another staple in our house is the Banana Oatmeal Bread from The Breadmachine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell German (her 1st book). I found that by doubling her 'medium' loaf recipe and adding 1 or 2 extra tsp. rapid yeast + 4 tsp. of vital wheat gluten, I can make this bread in just under 2 hours on the quick cycle.

As far as Zo's customer service, I called them twice (once to order an extra bread pan and paddles and once for advice on using outside recipes). They were friendly and helpful. For instance, they suggested chopping oatmeal in a food processor before adding to the machine to get higher loaves.

Love it, love it, love it.



***********January, 2005*************


This is my second bread machine, my first being a DAK (aka R2D2). I narrowed my choices to the Zo and the Panasonic SDY250. Reasons for choosing the Zo:
- beautiful rectangular loaves
- 2 kneading blades
- backup for power failure
- overall shorter time to completion vs Panasonic
- easy to follow recipes provided with manual
- 3 programmable settings
- cake/quick bread setting
- 3 crust settings (light, medium, dark)
- whole wheat setting
- troubleshooting guide with correction instructions

Here are the recipes I've tried from the Zo manual. Each one came out absolutely perfect (taste, height, density, and aesthetics):

Sweet Bread - BASIC w/medium crust (3:30 hrs to completion)
Pumpernickel Bread- BASIC WHEAT w/medium crust (3:40 hrs)
100% Whole Wheat - QUICK WHEAT w/light crust (2:08 hrs)

They were all wonderful, but I was particulary pleased with the 100% whole wheat - and in just over 2 hours.

I highly recommend viewing product manuals which are available on manufacturers' websites. I found this extremely helpful in my comparison analysis. Check out www.Zojirushi.com as well as others you are considering.

It doesn't surprise me that sometimes an imperfect machine is produced. I found Amazon.com's return policy (30 days after delivery) to allow ample time to put my machine through the ringer. Other sellers may cost a bit less, but if their 30 day return policy begins after shipment - and I found several - you may not be afforded enough time to ensure your machine hasn't got problems.

If you are looking for more recipes to try, I really like The Bread Machine Cookbook I and II by Donna Rathmell German. You'll probably have to experiment a little with the ingredients. I tried the Banana Oatmeal recipe in my Zo with less than perfect results (loaf rose then sank a bit), though the bread was delicious. I will try tweaking the recipe based on troubleshooting recommendations at the back of the Zo manual.

I can't imagine any other bread machine outperforming the Zo.

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