Every so often we come across a very bold inspiring new design, and today is one of those days. Sanyo is a manufacturer best know for their televisions and visual equipment, but in the past few years has made a leap into the kitchen appliance scene. One of their flagship models is the Sanyo Gopan Bread Maker. This is a revolutionary product. Why you may ask? Because it can make bread out of rice grains! Read on to find out more
Product Features:
Now this is a product normally reserved for the rice crazy far east nations such as where it was developed and made (Japan). However this machine is also available in the United States, so we feel that it is worth a mention on this site. You may have heard of rice bread before, but it certainly isn’t as popular in the States as it is in place like Japan where rice is a huge part of their diet. Some bread machines can make rice bread with a bit of patience and experimentation, but this requires rice flour which is quite pricey. The huge benefit of the Gopan is that you can throw rice granules straight in which makes the whole process of making the bread much cheaper. The whole process took 4 years of trial and error for Sanyo to perfect, so a ton of research has gone into the particular model.
So how does the machine achieve this? Firstly the rice is soaked in a bit of water. Then a high speed milling motor which runs at 6,300 rpm pulverizes the rice into very small granules. From there the superfine past can be mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. The other required ingredients include shortening, sugar, salt, gluten and dry yeast. The entire process takes around 4 hours, which is around what your average bread maker will take to make a normal loaf of bread. It is quite something to look through the large viewing window and see the rice grains being pulverized into a paste which is somewhat satisfying to watch.
This machine is not limited to making rice bread, as it can also make 22 other kinds of bread including all the normal varieties such as brown, wholewheat and gluten free. The rice bread however is the main focus of this model, and it certainly does a great job at that according to many different reviews . Rice bread does taste a bit different from your normal bread, but not in a bad way at all. It would certainly make a nice change from ordinary bread once in a while.
This particular model comes in two colors including the bold red (pictured) and the white. The red model certainly looks better in our opinion. The machine itself is a nice modern design, and weighs in at a comfortable 11kg in total. While the machine certainly sounds good on paper, there are a few drawbacks to it. One big hurdle is that the entire control panel is Japanese, so you will need to figure out what each button does. These models are imported from Japan, so the instructions are also in Japanese.
We should also mention that since this is imported straight from Japan you will need a step down transformer to use it in America. This converts the 100volt Japanese electrical standard to our 220 volts used in America. This device will set you back around $20 or $30 for a decent one, so be sure to keep this in mind. The other big turnoff is the price of this bread machine, which comes in at around $500. We know this is a exciting new product, but this price tag alone is probably too much for most folks. It certainly is a niche product in America, so we have a feeling that not too many people will be interested in it. However in the interests of our readers, we feel it is worth a brief article on our site, as rice bread makers could be the next big thing!
Pros:
- Revolutionary product
- Nice design
- Makes lovely bread
Cons:
- Very pricey
- Control panel / Instructions in Japanese
Summary:
If you are looking for a easy way to make rice bread then this is your ticket! However it does come at a big cost, so you will need to think carefully about if this is the ideal way to do it. It certainly is a great invention, so we can certainly applaud Sanyo for creating such a niche product. Hopefully it will pave the way for some competitors who can provide some cheaper alternatives. You can read some of the user reviews and find out more about this model at the Amazon product page.
| Our Rating: |
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| 4 |