When it comes to Kitchen appliances, T-Fal is one of the bigger known brands. They make a large range of kitchen appliances, and recently added bread makers to their line of products. With a reputation for making high quality products, does the T-Fal bread maker live up to expectations? More on that below.
Product Features:
The model we are going to be looking at today is called the T-fal PF111 Balanced Living Programmable Automatic Bread Maker. As usual we start off by taking a look at the overall design of this model. The dimensions of the machine are roughly in line with most modern bread makers, and this one comes in with dimensions of 11″L x 13.5″ W x 10.5″H. T-Fal have gone for a modern looking design, which includes a stainless steel body with a black accents on top. The feet and base of the unit also have black accents, while the main control area features a green trim around the edges.
There are two vents on the side of the machine, and the lid features the T-Fal logo in red with pictures of the various recipes below that. The viewing window on top is a half circle shape, and the window is compact enough to not take up too much space while also being large enough to have a quick peak in to check on the baking progress. The main control buttons are easy enough to operate, and the lcd is a little to the left of these. Overall it is a nice looking design that holds up to any newish models currently available on the market.
This unit is powered by a 600 watt motor, which should be strong enough to cope with many different types of breads. This model comes with 12 different recipes to choose from which includes basic, wholewheat, french gluten free, rapid, sweet, rapid 1.5 loaf, rapid 2lbs loaf, sandwich, dough, cake, and baking only. This is quite a selection, and should keep most people happy. Aside from that there are also three crust settings to pick from including light, medium and dark. There are two loaf sizes to pick from which are 1.5lbs and 2 lb, and these are cooked in the T-Fal nonstick pan. T-Fal are primarily know for their nonstick cookware, so this tin is certainly built to last. It also means that the baking tin is dishwasher safe which is a nice extra. The baking tin is vertical, however the bread loaf sizes aren’t too awkwardly shaped compared to some of the other models we have seen. If you don’t like having a loaf of bread with a hole in it (from the mixing paddle), then you can remove it before it begins the baking cycle, or even use the included tool to remove the paddle should it get stuck in the bread.
The timer can be set up to 15 hours in advance, and the built in warmer will keep the bread warm for up to an hour after it is finished cooking. After that is done then the Auto Shutoff feature will kick in to save power.
The unit has a built in memory setting, so if you like your bread cooked in a particular manner or ready at a certain time then this can be easily set up. There are a number of safety features built into this machine. The Cool Touch exterior ensures that no-one will get burnt while the machine is cooking, and the Auto locking lid makes sure that the contents won’t spill should the machine be knocked over. Also included with this model are the instruction manual, measuring cup and spoon.
So the million dollar question is how well does the T-fal bread machine actually work? According to many hundreds of user reviews it works exactly as advertised. All the bread recipes turn out very well, and the other automatic recipes are also highly praised. The finished bread loaves have been said to be better than bakery bought bread, so that is quite a compliment! Cooking times are between three and four hours for most bread recipes, which is somewhat normal for any bread machine. The two rapid bake modes cut this time roughly in half with only a minor sacrifice in quality. Two other important featuers worth mentioning are that this machine is very quiet, which is handy if you like to cook your bread overnight.
It is also vibration free, so if you have a old machine which hops around the counter during the kneading phase, then this would be an ideal replacement! The only real complaint we have come across is that if you mistakenly choose the wrong recipe, then there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to cancel it. What has been suggested is to yank out the power cord for about ten minutes, and the machine will then “forget” what it was programmed to do, therby allowing you to choose the correct program.
So in closing this is definitely a fine choice for making bread at home. It has a variety of different recipes which all work well, and is even easy to clean when it is done. It looks quite good, and has a variety of good safety features. With all this in mind, what more do you want for a bread machine? The T-Fal PF111 retail price is around $129.99, although prices seem to vary greatly so it is worthwhile shopping around for it.
User Manual: If you are looking for the user manual you can find it in pdf format over here.
Pros:
- Attractive modern design
- Variety of recipes and crust settings
- Dishwasher safe tin
- Good safety features
- Quiet
- Doesn’t vibrate
- Easy to clean
- Works well
Cons:
- No easy way to cancel started programs
Summary:
The T-Fal bread maker is a winner in our eyes. It has a decent variety of settings, has a great design, and works really well. If you like to make your own bread, then this model is certainly a fine choice. It comes standard with a one year warranty, and you can read some user reviews and find out more info about it on the Amazon product page.
| Our Rating: |
|---|
| 4.5 |