Review on 🍞 Oster Expressbake 2-lb. Breadmaker, White/Ivory - Enhanced Capacity, Increased Versatility by Mike Pettigrew

Purchased: March 3, 2013 for $59.99 Reviewed on: November 12, 2015 Status of this Bread Maker: It's showing its age, but it's still chugging! I was transferred here to the US from Singapore (along with my family) by my company. We moved to New Jersey in November 2012 and bought sandwiches at a nearby grocery store for $2.50 daily 5 times a week. We noticed over the course of a few months that we were feeling a little "down" thinking it was just our ability to adapt to the weather, but we were also gaining weight each month. In an attempt to be "healthy," we started reading the labels of all the foods we bought and noticed LOTS of ingredients that looked like they were straight out of a sci-fi/medicine series (see attached photo). So we thought about making our own bread from scratch, but didn't want to spend a lot of time kneading and rising the dough every day. Enter this bread maker and some research has allowed us to save money and in return preserve our health. To save money, we stocked up on the following ingredients: Walmart: 25 lbs Flour - $8 (37 servings) 4 lbs - $16 (64 servings) Excellent 4 lbs - $16 (64 servings) Zulka Morena Reiner Cane Sugar - 8 lbs - $5 (128 servings) Great Value: 1 gallon Vegetable Oil - $5 (64 servings) Augason Farms Iodized Salt, 104 oz - $5 (623 servings) Revain: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Meal Pack of 4 22 ounces each - $23 (83 servings) The Ready Store: SAF Premium Yeast 16 ounces - $7 (48 servings) Note: 1 serving is equivalent to 1 1.5 pound loaf of bread. So one serving of all the above ingredients cost me $1,012! (Saving: $1,488). So in less than 2 months I have already paid back the cost of the bread machine. After that and now 28 months later, this bread maker is still baking well after about 500 loaves (20+/- loaves per month) for a total savings of over $700. However, after a few months we felt better and lost some weight. Even our dog loves our freshly baked bread - note he NEVER touched the bread we bought from the store. Not to mention the wonderful smell of the bread you're baking - it's fresh! And a drop of butter on freshly sliced bread will boost your morale even more! Another benefit of making bread at home is that you can go beyond that simple loaf of bread! Add nuts, add eggs, add spices. Turn it into pumpernickel. Turn it into hot dogs. In a fresh baguette. In anything! I bought the "Bread Master Master" here in Revein and have delved into other creations. Now we can do everything that fancy bakeries can WITHOUT the myriad of ingredients. Pros: * Durable * Can bake a variety of breads with your desired setting * It only takes about 5 minutes to add the ingredients, then it's all mixed and baked * A perfect bread is never baked (unless you put the right ingredients in the right Ingredients give order) Cons: * As it ages (more than 2 years), the non-stick coating tarnishes, but that's to be expected * It doesn't erase. Conclusion: if it breaks - I'll buy it again and hopefully in the same quality as before. It's worth the money and pays for itself quickly. Better health when you know what's in your bread > Priceless ---------------------- ---Update: 02/01/2017 Almost after 4 years We are forced to give up our beloved bread machine. Not because he has stopped working, but because we have to move to another country with a different tension and it is not advisable to take him with us. So almost 4 years later - it's still running and hopefully finds a new home (donated by VVA). If I ever find the same brand we will definitely buy them again. This is the latest installment of this review - This breadmaker has given us great breads (and some bad breads - our fault) and great memories. And thanks for the helpful comments that helped us and others. I hope this helps more people in the future.