Customer Reviews

Remanufactured Cuisinart CBK-200FR 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I'm by no means an expert at baking bread, although for a number of years I owned a Zojirushi bread machine with a vertical pan (their entry level model at the time). Unfortunately, that machine never produced consistent results for me, so when it broke I disposed of it and took a hiatus from bread baking. However, when I spotted this reconditioned Cuisinart priced at $59.99 on Amazon, plus a $10 discount for paying with a Buy It Now account and free shipping, I couldn't resist. My final cost was under $50, and for that price this is a deal you simply can't beat. New ones go for around $130, and as this unit was reconditioned by Cuisinart, only real difference is the length of the warranty (90 days vs. 3 years).

This bread machine is on the large size for a small kitchen appliance and is not convenient to move in and out of cabinets; you really have to leave this one on the counter at all time. Fortunately the Cuisinart features a beautiful stainless and black retro design, so it looks great in my transitional style kitchen. It fits neatly under my standard height cabinets, and is easy to move around on the countertop.

I have baked at least half a dozen loaves so far, and made a similar number of doughs for pizza and bagels. While every result hasn't been perfect, part of the reason is learning the idiosyncrasies of this machine and figuring out how to modify recipes to get the results I want. For me, who is inquisitive and experimental in the kitchen, it's not a drawback, but rather a challenge that I enjoy. And once I have both factors down for a particular bread, the Cuisinart produces beautiful well risen loafs. It just requires a learning curve to get the machine to make what you want.

There are something like 16 different programs and each one can be further modified for light, medium, or dark crust, and for 1, 1.5, and 2 pound loaves. There are warnings buzzers for adding mix-ins before the first rise, and for removing the kneading paddle before the final rise (which also allows you to shape the loaf and apply desired toppings). The only feature lacking is the ability to program and save custom cycles. However, the manual includes a detailed table that specifies exactly which cycles are included in each program, and how many minutes each cycle takes for the combination of program number, loaf size, and crust setting. The information is really valuable in figuring out what's going on, and for modifying recipes, especially since I have been trying out a number of different flours in my baking to achieve high fiber low carbohydrate breads that taste great. It also tells you at exactly what time the warning buzzers ring for each cycle, so you don't have stand around

Generally my experience has been that the crust setting works best at the light; even on medium I found it burned the bottom half of the loaf. There's a small window on top that lets you check on the progress of your bread; unfortunately there's no light so it can be difficult to see the inside. The bread pan shape is a taller than a standard loaf, but still shaped more horizontal than vertical; I personally like the shape of the finished loaf. There's only one kneading paddle, but I haven't had any problems with ingredients failing to mix in, although I monitored the process fairly closely at first until I was sure that I had the right ratio of water to flour. Also, it's best to remove the baking pan from the machine before adding the ingredients, and then snap it back in place when ready to bake; this minimizes the chance of spilling ingredients into some of the nooks and crannies of the machine, which can be hard to clean.

Overall, this machine was an incredible deal for $50; it's a slam dunk in that price range. Considering all of the functions, the beautiful design, and the good performance, I would say the Cuisinart bread machine is probably superior to any machine priced under $100. Even with a street price of $130 for a new unit, I think this Cuisinart is fairly priced and probably compares favorably to most competitors.

Almost perfect loaves of bread everytime. Only possible drawback is the size of the machine as it is a bit larger than most. The crust settings is best at the light setting unless you want it really crusty!

I found this machine to be a godsent for me. I had been suffering for years with a skin condition which several doctors were unable to diagnose and treat. After researching online I found a photo of the exact same condition which indicated that I was "sensitive" to gluten. I immediately changed my diet and almost overnight I could see a difference. I began buying gluten free products. The bread the stores offered was terrible. I thought making my own bread was the only answer. I researched breadmakers on line and felt for the money, and features listed, that this was the one for me. i just love it. using the gluten free settings, every loaf turns out beautifully. i had to call the help line once for additional information not found in the book. that was how to "reset it" if it got out of "synk" which i was unable to find in the literature provided. Money well spent!!! -- Norma, Indiana

I got this from Big Lots (same factory reconditioned model) for a bit less cost wise. Anyhow, the first one ... the paddle kept turning after it should have (had to unplug the machine). So, Big Lots replaced the item, and the new one works fine. This has a 90 day warranty from Cuisinart as well. Anyhow, for the money I paid, I cannot get one near as nice as this one is, that bakes the loaves as evenly. I have to alter the recipes, and it still does a great job when I use a combination of rye, potatoe, and soy flours instead of any wheat, etc. Personally, I love the looks, but I bought it for the functions it does for the cost. I really can recommend this machine. I would just wait for it to get to $80 or less is all.

This breadmachine with crust set on medium, burned the bottom half of the crust, every time. The little window on top for selections - is hard to read or see what shows up, other than time numbers. I had to get help from another person to make sure entries were correct.I didn't like the size,shape of the bread baking pan. In all it just was not what I thought from reading the product descriptsion, and reading comparison product information. I am 67 and an experienced bread maker, and was wanting a good machine to replace being able to do the job for myself.

I got burned and it just keeps on burning.
But at least, I learned from getting burned.
Lesson One: Prestigious Cuisinart Brand Name Not Always Good
Cuisinart will dump a bad product on trusting customers like me...and you.
Lesson Two: Bigger Model Numbers Are Not Always Better
Sometimes 100 is better than 200. Compare for example the Cuisinart bread maker; the lesser named but better designed and built CBK-100 is so much better than this awful CBK-200
Lesson Three: Special Convection Cooking Feature is Does Not Mean Better Cooking
Cuisinart added a noisy fan and called it Convection...yet it is no feature...bread does still not brown evenly or, more precisely...burn evenly
Lesson Four: Stick with the bread maker you know and don't even look at her tarted up sister
Oh, I wish I still stayed with my CBK-100 instead of getting seduced by this awful CBK-200. It's like the guy who sleeps with his wife's sister and forever after must live with regret, wasted flour and burnt dry bread.
Lesson Five: Cuisinart CBK-200 Makes Baking Bread An Ordeal
This Bread Maker Is Only Fool Proof If You Are Not Fool Enough To Buy It.
This bread maker must be watched and the bread must be removed before it turns into a dry, dark brown topped black bottomed brick. This bread maker was hard wired and programmed at the factory to burn bread. There is simply no way to beat the engineer/designer who made this thing. It cooks too hot, and you must remove the bread 5-6 minutes before the end of cycle to get a usable loaf. Worst, the "keep warm" feature continues to cook the bread after the baking cycle has finished to ensure the loaf you forgot to remove early is punished without pity or remorse (at least I could not find these settings in the manual).
I do believe the keep warm "feature" is even hotter than the baking cycle. Either way, if you are fool enough to buy this machine Cuisinart calls "fool proof"...you will be a prisoner to every loaf you make and cannot ever leave this bread maker unattended.
Also, though the lesser CBK-100 bread pan locks easily and securely into the bread maker, this higher model cursed bread maker must be snapped and squidged into place. Worse, the bread pan randomly pops out of place when kneading small or medium size loaves, sounding like you left a spoon in the garbage disposal. However the bread pan ONLY pops out randomly when baking small or medium loaves...when baking the large 32oz loaf, it ALWAYS pops out of place.

Purchased this as refurb after my much used and loved Cuisinart CBK-100 went bust. (I bought the Cuisinart CBK-100 after I could not afford to replace my busted Zojirushi).
I bought my first refurb and returned it after it burned every loaf. I returned it for a replacement refurb and it too burned bread. I complained as I was facing costs for return shipping that almost totaled the price of the machine. Two refurb bread makers and both burnt bread...I was as hot and burnt as the bread.

The Amazon vendor took my complaints to Cuisinart.
Cuisinart promised to send me a Brand New Machine!!!
The new machine arrived.
The new machine burnt the bread the exact same way.
Final Lesson: Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you...But this bread maker always burns bread.

I purchased this item as a replacement for my old bread maker which started to show its age due to heavy use and got slightly damaged from a fall off the counter while kneeding the dough. This new one is fairly heavy which helps to keep it on the counter, actually it barely moving while kneeding. Nice feature is the signal and optional pause to pull out the kneeding blade which takes care of the whole on the bottom of the loaf. Functions are pretty much the same as any bread maker, including express bake. During the baking process, the machine itself stays fairly cool so no worries about heating something outside the machine. Downside is that when baking in the whole wheat cycle, compared to my old machine, this one takes an hour longer due to the preheat process. The other downside is the price for a new machine. I got mine refurbished which saved me a significant amount of money.

Remanufactured Cuisinart CBK-200FR 2-Pound Convection Automatic Bread Maker
Had I not know that this item was remanufactured, I'd have believed it to be brand new. It works very well and is fun to have.

This may have been a refurbished unit, but it looked and worked like a new one. My wife is very particular and she thought it was brand new. I made a loaf today and it came out as good, if not better, than the bread I normally make. One other thing is that I don't have to get the Kitchenaid, rising bowl, and other things out to make the bread. Just put everything in the pan and walk away from it and cleanup is nothing.

Very large for the average kitchen. Requires constant attention to add ingredients and remove kneading paddle at appropriate time.