This years cooking goals . . .

[Kim_NC]

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YUP !!

Agreed. Although I have bread machines (used for dough cycle only), I find my stand mixer much more versatile.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

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It's not a bad buy. I have one. It's just... you'll outgrow it. And, IME, relatively quickly. And then it will just sit in the cabinet and collect dust. At least that's what happened with mine.

And mine as well. And with the person who we gave it to. She used it for about six months then went and got herself a mixer because she wanted to make more than one loaf at a time.

I've got an older Bosch Universal mixer that I make my bread with. I can make up to six loaves of full whole wheat at a time in it. And bake them too because I chose my oven to be big enough to hold six pans on the same rack.

 

[kfchickenlady]

I would like to learn to make the real San Francisco sourdough bread, that actually tastes like its supposed to! I have the kitchenaid mixer and the bread machine, which honestly I use almost exclusively for making dough, I can be doing something else while the machine kneads, rises, etc. If anyone has a clue on the sourdough, or homemade sprouted wheat bagels, please post!

 

[Olive Hill]

I don't know about a bread making 'knack'. I certainly don't have one. I have ruined countless loaves of bread before getting it right and still mess up from time to time. Too flat, too dense, too airy, too browned, not browned enough, on and on and on. What it takes to make bread -- something I have that some people may lack -- I suppose, is plain old bull-headed stubborn-ness. I like to think of it as the virtue of persistence though. It sounds so much more flattering that way. And I do admit, I have a heaping helping of it.

Keep trying. Look up common problems in bread making and correct what it says you did wrong. You'll get there.

Or don't. Because once you do breadmaker bread won't cut it.

 

[BettyR]

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Agreed. Although I have bread machines (used for dough cycle only), I find my stand mixer much more versatile.

I have both a bread machine and a mixer and I wouldn't trade either one. That's only because I'm lazy...yes I admit it...I'm lazy. I like to be able to drop my ingredients into my bread machine and let it do the mixing, kneading and proofing for me. You have to watch a mixer.

I make a whole wheat bread from home ground whole wheat so I do an hour long autolyse to soften the bran and get a nice soft loaf, but I use my bread machine for this as well. I just throw all my ingredients into the bread machine and let it mix the ingredients, then I turn the machine off and set my timer for 1 hour. Then I come back and turn the machine back on and let it knead my dough and proof it. I remove the dough from the machine, shape it, pan it, let it rise and bake it. A perfect loaf every time and I'm free to do whatever else I need to be doing.

 

[annaraven]

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I just started canning. I've canned several pints of homemade stock and some homemade marmalade so far. I'm *LOVING* having homemade stock. I'm thinking of donating all that storebought stuff to a foodbank.

 

[annaraven]

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LOL - I don't feel a step ahead but I'll be happy to post experiences when I get going with it. I got a Presto 23qt. I was actually really lucky, as I researched them for awhile and then because I have a glass top stove, the recommendation on the canning thread was that the Presto is the best (not sure exactly why but I listened to the voice of experience there). I priced them on Amazon and Walmart and they were both about the same price. I checked eBay and bid on a few but they were going for around the same price, if not higher. Finally I bid on one and won the auction - for $6 less than the Amazon/Walmart price. I was happy right there but then the thing arrived and the seller threw in a whole case of quart-sized jars - about $14 worth. He/she didn't even list them in the auction details so they were totally unexpected. I've read the little book that came with the canner, and just bought the Ball Canning Bible a few days ago. I've been enjoying reading up on it and think I understand the gist of how the thing is supposed to work now. You can do either water bath canning or pressure canning with it. My next step will be to buy up any produce that is on sale next time I'm at the store and do a trial batch. Or, I might try making a large batch of soup for dinner and can what we don't eat that night - just to try it out. I'll let you know how it goes.

First do a batch of "just water". That's the canner I got and it suggested putting 4 cups of water into it and running it through the whole process. It was incredibly helpful to do that and see how it really works without having to worry about ruining any food.

 

[annaraven]

I've been doing the no-knead bread lately and LOVING it. Easypeasy. That reminds me, I need to go set up for another batch.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

well as far as the bread machine goes I like to cook, but I'm not a Chef or a baker (don't even play one on TV), I bought it . . . I LOVE IT . . . and I've used it everyday since I got it. I guess I'm just the type of person they make them for . . . I don't measure well, I hate kneading, I stink at timing and I have to work very hard at consistancy of any sort; the bread machine takes over in my weakness

Did I say I LOVE IT

annaraven - what are you going to can next? I want to do chicken & stock this year, I'm really excited about it, next year I hope to learn to can fish.

cherri - do you weigh your cabbage before or after you chop it?

 

[arabianequine]

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It's not a bad buy. I have one. It's just... you'll outgrow it. And, IME, relatively quickly. And then it will just sit in the cabinet and collect dust. At least that's what happened with mine. So, in the grand scheme of things it's a money/time saver to just go straight to making real bread, but I understand how that can be daunting when you first start, too. You'll have fun with the machine for a bit.

I do wish someone had told me all this before I got one to take up space in my kitchen though.

I have a dough cycle on my bread machine....that is what I use so you don't have to cook it in the bread machine if you don't want to.

I also have a kitchen aid mixer though.