kenmore bread maker with lcd display manufacturer

Nothing conjures the feel of home more than the comforting, warm aroma of freshly-baked bread. Fill your home with golden batches of perfect breads as your Kenmore LCD Bread Maker gives you consistent professional quality loaves.

Bread-making so simple, you’ll be amazed. Simply load ingredients, choose your loaf size, and get rewarded with the sweet smell of success. A user-friendly LCD display with electronic settings for various breads and crusts allowing you to customize your bake while the non-stick coating makes it easy to serve it up.

Classically housed in contemporary brushed stainless steel, the bread maker bakes up mouth-watering bread in stunning style. Kneading blades give a thorough mix and preset menu options make for perfect results each time. The unit easily handles various combinations and different types of breads so can get creative as you fulfill your family’s wish list by baking up favorite treats like cinnamon rolls, yeast rolls, cheese bread, sweet cakes, pizza bases and more.The Kenmore LCD bread maker lends a golden touch that will have your family looking forward to coming home.

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The Oster CKSTBRTW20 is one of the lowest priced bread machines we have reviewed to date.  As of this writing it is listed on Amazon.com at $59.99 and close to 1700 previous owners have given it high marks, although there are some patterns of complaint.

The Oster CKSTBRTW20 has 9 pre-programmed setting including jams and jellies but it does not have a dedicated gluten free setting.  Some people have reported success with gluten free bread, but others have had problems.

It also has an “Expressbake” setting that will bake a loaf of bread in an hour and many owners were pleased with the result.  It addition, it has a delay cycle that can be set up to 13 hours in advance. Just make sure you don’t add any dairy ingredients like milk, eggs or butter if you are going to use a delayed cycle.  Find a recipe that uses non-dairy ingredients.

Like all bread machines the Oster presents a series of beeps as it runs through the cycles from kneading to rising to baking.  The beeps on the Oster are very loud and created some problems for people using the delayed cycle while they slept.

Any gaps or leaks as a result of an ill-fitting lid can cause significant problems during the rising and baking cycles.  The result is a sunken or fallen loaf and it seems that many people have had this problem with the Oster.

I looked at a top view photo of the machine and the pan appears to be a vertical configuration.  It might be a hybrid of horizontal and vertical, but here again Oster makes no mention of that idea.  It’s also curious to note that there is only one kneading paddle.  All of the bread machines that we have reviewed with horizontal configurations have two paddles to ensure the dough is well mixed and kneaded.  On that note there we some comments on improper mixing and kneading.

This is not an uncommon problem with any bread machine.  It could also be the result of a certain type of recipe or improper measurement of ingredients.  In fact, the standard advice is to add a teaspoon of water at a time if the dough is too dry, or a teaspoon of flour at a time if the dough is too wet or loose.

Another question has to do with loaf sizes.  Oster simply says it will bake up to a 2 pound loaf.  It was a few comments from customers that seemed to clarify the loaf sizes as 1.5 and 2 pounds.  However, many people said that the two pound recipes presented some problems.

The bread pan has a non-stick coating but there is no mention of the type of coating.  Most bread pans have a Teflon coating or a Teflon derivative like PFTE or diamond-flourine.  The Oster CKSTBRTW20 is manufactured in China and all previous machines we’ve reviewed from that point of manufacture have Teflon coatings.

At 8 pounds the Oster CKSTBRTW20 is the lightest bread machine we have seen.  As a contrast, many of he Zojirushi machines weigh up to 20 pounds and more. A lightweight bread machine has advantages and disadvantages.  The lighter weight makes it easier to lift and store if you don’t want it cluttering a countertop, but less weight makes it subject to vibration and “walking” on the countertop.

It’s amazing how often we hear complaints about instruction books and user’s manuals for bread machines.  While the complaints about the Oster instruction book weren’t as frequent as we’ve seen for other machines, there were enough to raise some level of concern.

The first thing you might experience reading through the manual is a sense of anxiety. The manual stresses using ‘exact’ measurements and vehemently recommends ‘bread machine flour’.

The control panel is easy to use and the Oster CKSTBRTW20 features an LCD display.   There were few complains about controls although some owners mentioned that the LCD was not backlit and sometimes hard to see.  There were also some concerns about the raised buttons on the panel.

While many owners had various levels of problems with the machine, 66% of them gave the machine 5 stars.  However, I found some of the 5 star reviews to be a bit suspicious.  They were very lengthy and covered every feature and benefit of the machine with a writing style you would expect to see from a professional copywriter.  I omitted some of those quotes but many seemed authentic including this one.

Yeast used in a bread machine should always be labeled “Active Dry” on the label. Sometimes you can buy yeast in a jar that says it is specifically for bread machines. Packets of yeast, available in the baking aisle of the grocery store, usually hold 2-1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast. You may use one packet of yeast to replace 2 teaspoons of yeast in most bread machine recipes. The extra 1/4 teaspoon of yeast won’t make that much difference. Don’t use rapid rise yeast. It"s not worth the extra cost, and the time savings is negligible once you get the hand of making bread.[4]X

Bread flour makes better bread. Bread flour is made from hard wheat so it has more gluten, or wheat protein, in it than regular all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat. This makes it serviceable for biscuits, cakes and quick breads, which prefer soft wheat flour; and serviceable for yeast bread, which prefers hard wheat flour. It is called all-purpose flour because it is designed to be used for all baking purposes. Bread flour is made for yeast bread. If you do not have bread flour then you may use all-purpose flour for most bread recipes. Your results will not be the same as if you had used bread flour, but you will still have good results, and you will still get good bread. Sometimes you will need to add a tiny bit more flour to your dough if you use all-purpose flour. This is not always true but it is sometimes.

Salt is a necessary ingredient in machine made bread. It regulates the rising process so the bread dough does not spill over the bread bucket into the machine. Salt also adds flavor to the bread. Bread made without salt does not taste as good as bread made with some salt.

Sugar, honey and other sweeteners soften the texture of the dough and the finished loaf. They also contribute to the browning of the bread and the crispness of the crust. The main role they play, though, is as easy-to-use-food for the yeast. Yeast can use the starch in flour for its food but it is much happier if it gets an easy to use food like sugar or honey. Most bread machine recipes call for at least a small amount of sugar. However, bread machine breads do best if they do not have too much sugar added to them. When making sweet dough from scratch it is not unusual to add a full cup of sugar to the dough. When making sweet dough in the machine,, though it is better to use 1/4 to 1/2-cup of sugar or honey at the most. This is because the dough rises faster and higher in a bread machine than it does when prepared by hand. Too much sugar is too much food for the yeast and it gets over-excited. This can result in a machine made mess that is unpleasant to clean up.

Liquids used in a bread machine should be room temperature or a little bit warmer. You should never use hot liquids in a bread machine. Liquids that are too hot will kill the yeast. Room temperature liquids make the yeast happy. If you are using tap water then warm tap water is fine. If you are using yogurt or buttermilk you may want to take it out of the fridge to warm up a bit before you use it in the bread machine. (This is not strictly necessary, especially for breads baked on the Basic Cycle or longer. If you are using the Rapid Cycle though it is important the liquids be warm or at least at room temperature.)

Fats make the finished loaf richer, softer, and keep the dough from sticking to the non-stick surface of the bread pan. Usually between 1 and 4-tablespoons of fat are used in a 2 lb loaf of bread machine dough. You can use most fats interchangeably in a bread machine. Margarine, oil, shortening, lard, chicken fat, bacon grease or butter will all give you the same results. Some of the fats will add a different flavor, and the texture of the bread will change slightly, depending on which type of fat you use. Solid fats do not have to be melted before adding them to the bread machine. It helps if they are at room temperature, but this is not always practical.

In order to reset the breadmaker and erase any program set, just remove the mains plug from the wall socket or turn the socket off, (if it is a switched socket), Then wait for more than 15 minutes before plugging back in (or switching it back on).

This issue of AccessWorld presents two articles on the accessibility of today"s home appliance controls. Easy-to-feel knobs and buttons were the normal controls for home appliances of the past, and using them was no problem for a blind person who had learned the proper skills and techniques. However, as flat touch-panel controls and electronic visual displays are becoming more and more common, people who are blind or have low vision are becoming more and more concerned about their ability to use these appliances independently. This first article presents the results of a usability study that was conducted at the product evaluation lab at AFB"s Technology and Employment Center in Huntington, West Virginia (AFB TECH). In this study, we invited local volunteers who were blind or had low vision to our lab and observed their interactions with a set of home appliances that represent the spectrum of controls that are available today. The second article, written by Brad Hodges, provides a snapshot of the home appliances that are available on the market and provides some advice and ideas for choosing a useful model.

Ambiguous controls are those that fall in between the accessible and inaccessible classes. The ambiguous control provides at least some feedback to the user. Examples include oven controls that set a default temperature of 350 degrees when turned on. Pressing textured regions on the smooth control panel activates the controls. Pressing the Up and Down controls increases or decreases the temperature by 5 degrees for each press of the control. In addition to changing the temperature, a distinct beep is heard as each control is pressed. By counting beeps, one can set the temperature accurately. Direct verification of the temperature is not provided because direct observation of the display is not possible with the electronic oven control. This ambiguity creates a situation in which it is possible to set the oven nonvisually, but full independent access to the information on the display is not provided.

After we defined the categories, we assembled in our lab five home appliances that represent the range of accessibility that we observed on the market. We brought in one appliance from the accessible category, a Whirlpool dryer with knobs that are easy to feel and distinguish by touch. We brought in three from the ambiguous category: a Whirlpool stove with traditional easy-to-feel burner knobs but an oven control that uses a textured touch panel like the one described in our example; a General Electric microwave oven with tactilely distinguishable buttons but an inaccessible display screen; and a Breadman bread maker that also had tactilely distinguishable buttons but an inaccessible display screen. From the inaccessible category, we brought in a Sears Kenmore microwave with a completely flat touch-panel control.

We then invited ten local volunteers who are blind or have low vision to come to our lab and use the appliances. We filmed each participant"s testing session and took detailed observational notes along the way. For each participant, the test had three phases. In the first phase, we brought the participants to each appliance, one at a time. We told them what type of appliance it was, such as a dryer or a stove, but we did not go into the details of how to operate it. We let the participants observe the appliance tactilely and visually if they had some functional vision. They could ask questions if they wanted to, and we provided braille, paper, and electronic devices if they wanted to take notes. On each appliance, we asked the participants to perform a simple task, such as setting the oven to bake at 375 degrees. We rated the participants" success on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being completely unsuccessful and 5 being completely successful. We then asked the participants to rate their own confidence level in performing the task on the same scale of 1 to 5.

In the second phase, we provided much more extensive information about the controls and how to use them. We asked the participants to repeat the task from the first phase, providing them with some tips and techniques for accomplishing the task independently. We again rated their success and asked them to rate their confidence. We then asked the participants what they might do to modify the appliance if it was in their home and to suggest how the manufacturer might make design changes to make the appliance more usable by people who are blind or have low vision. The third phase was a short exit interview in which we gathered additional thoughts from the participants and found out their preferences for the various control interfaces that they had tested.

The participants had different levels of skills and levels of vision. Of the ten, five were blind and five had low vision. Eight were female and two were male, and they ranged in age from 25 to 74. During a pretest interview, we asked the participants about any independent living skills training they may have received, and they all said that they were mainly self-taught, but four also reported that they had at least some agency-based training in the past. We also asked the participants to rate their level of self-confidence in using appliances independently on a scale of 1 to 5. The responses showed a high level of confidence among the participants, with the average response being 4.5.

When asked how they might modify this dryer if it was in their home, nearly all the participants said that they would place braille or other tactile markings around the control knobs. When asked how the manufacturer could improve the design of the dryer, most said that they liked how the controls click into place and that once they became aware of how to use the controls, the appliance would not need much improvement other than access to an accessible manual. However, one participant suggested that the manufacturer should design the large control knob used to set the dryer cycles so that it gives more tactile and auditory feedback when it clicks into place for the various settings. Two participants asked that speech output be added to remove all the guesswork when setting the controls, but said that they would not pay a great deal more for the speech access. Four of the five testers with low vision suggested that the labels for the controls should be larger and bolder.

The Whirlpool stove was the first one in the ambiguous category. It has traditional knobs for the burners, but relies on a visual display screen and features a touch pad with roughened areas for the oven control buttons. The task we asked the participants to perform was to set the oven to 375 degrees and to activate it. The confidence and success ratings during the first phase were low, averaging 2.2 and 2.6, respectively. However, in the second phase, these ratings increased to 3.4 and 4.0, respectively. When asked how they might modify this stove if it was in their home, nearly all the participants again said that they would mark the oven and burner controls with large-print labels, braille, or other tactile markings. When asked how the manufacturer could improve the design of the stove, most said that they would prefer more tactile oven-control buttons and that the stove needs speech output to provide access to information on the display screen. The participants with low vision all asked for a display screen with larger fonts and better contrasts, as well as for larger labels for all the controls. Again, accessible manuals and other documentation were requested.

Another appliance in the ambiguous category, the General Electric microwave, has a control panel with raised tactile buttons and uses a visual display screen. The task on this one was to set the cooking time to 3 minutes and 30 seconds and to press Start. The confidence and success ratings for the first phase were again low, averaging 2.5 and 2.7, respectively. However, the ratings again rose—to 3.7 and 4.0, respectively—in the second phase.

When asked how they might modify this microwave if it was in their home, participants who are blind said that they would add a nib to the 5 key on the number pad and add braille markings to some of the buttons. Those with low vision said that they would place larger labels on the buttons. When asked how the manufacturer could improve the design of the stove, nearly all the participants asked for speech-output functionality for accessing information on the display screen, and some suggested that the manufacturer should add a nib on the 5 key and provide accessible manuals. The participants with low vision asked for larger and better-contrasting print labels on the buttons and suggested that the display information should be larger and that the display should produce less glare.

The last appliance in the ambiguous category, the Breadman bread machine, has a control panel with raised tactile buttons and uses a visual screen to display the various settings. To make bread with this machine, you first place the ingredients into the hopper. Then you have to use the buttons to choose three different settings: the type of bread, such as whole wheat or rye; the weight of the loaf, such as 1 or 2 pounds; and the type of crust, such as light, medium, or dark. For example, to choose the type of bread, you press the Bread Type button repeatedly to scroll through the available choices that are on the display screen until the indicator light beside the choice you want lights up. If you cannot see the display screen, you have to learn and memorize the order of the 16 choices and count your presses.

The task on this appliance was to set it to whole wheat, 1.5 pounds, with a medium crust, and then press the Start button. The confidence and success ratings in the first phase were again low, averaging 2.3 and 1.9, respectively. However, in the second phase these ratings rose to 3.8 and 3.8, respectively. When asked how they might modify this machine if it was in their home, the participants gave similar responses to those they gave for the other appliances, including placing larger-print labels and braille or other markings on the buttons. Some also said that they would create a braille or large-print "cheat sheet" to list the order of all the setting choices that one has to memorize as one scrolls through. When asked how the manufacturer could improve the design of the bread machine, nearly all the participants said that they liked the tactile nature of the buttons, but that the manufacturer needed to add speech output functionality. They said that if the choices were spoken as you scroll, you would not have to memorize as much, and speech would help if you were interrupted as you counted the button presses.

The Sears Kenmore microwave is the appliance that represents the inaccessible category. Like the majority of microwaves that are available today, it uses a flat, featureless control panel with buttons that cannot be felt and relies on a visual display screen. We did not add any tactile markings to the control panel for the participants because we wanted it to represent the flat, inaccessible touch panels that we are beginning to see on a wide range of appliances. Although we did not expect success, we still subjected the participants to the task of trying to set the cooking time to 4 minutes and 30 seconds and to press the Start button. As expected, the confidence and success ratings in the first phase were extremely low, averaging 1.7 and 1.5, respectively. We expected even lower ratings, but the design of the labels and display screen was good enough for some of participants with low vision to be able to see them sufficiently to be somewhat confident and to partially perform the task. Because we did not add braille or other tactile markings to the flat display and had no helpful techniques to pass on to the participants, the results for the second phase had the same low ratings.

Caption: The Sears Kenmore microwave controls represented the flat, featureless control panel with visual display screen that makes so many microwave ovens inaccessible.

When asked how they would modify this microwave if it was in their home, the participants again suggested adding tactile marking and larger-print labels. They said that the manufacturer needs to add speech output and tactile controls. Although those with low vision thought that the visual nature of the controls was better than the other appliances, they said it still could use some improvement.

After we finished our tests on the various appliances, we conducted a short exit interview with each participant. We first asked the participants to list, in order, their preferences for the various types of control interfaces that they had just tested. The most popular one was the traditional knobs found on the dryer and the stove burners. A close second was the tactile buttons found on the General Electric microwave and the Breadman bread machine. In third place was the touch pad with the roughened control areas of the Whirlpool stove, and, of course, the flat touch pad found on the Sears Kenmore microwave was in last place. We then asked the participants to give us any thoughts they might have about the appliances they had just tested. They all said that with some additional time and practice with the appliances and with some minor modifications, they could use most of them adequately for basic tasks. They said that the dryer was pretty much fine the way it was, other than needing large-print or tactile labels. However, they thought that the other appliances, since they rely on visual displays, would need speech output to be completely accessible. Most of the participants added the caveat that they would not want to pay a significant amount of money for speech output. Interestingly, the participants reported a wide variety of techniques that they would use to mark the controls of the various appliances and tended to agree that they would like to do the marking themselves, instead of having the manufacturers provide the markings. Finally, all the participants said that all appliances must be available with accessible manuals in alternate formats.

This usability study was not designed to evaluate the specific units that were involved in the test. Instead, we wanted to test the usability of the various types of controls that are found on today"s appliances. As expected, we found that the more tactile and audible an appliance"s controls are, the more usable they are. We also found that with some better information about the proper use of the controls and with some modification, such as adding braille and tactile markings or creating cheat sheets, the basic functions of today"s appliances can be made to be more usable. We tested just the basic functions of these appliances, however, and the more advanced functions of many appliances would be much more difficult or impossible to access, especially functions that rely on the display screen. For example, if a washing machine had flat touch-screen controls only, you might be able to place some tactile markings to help you access some of the controls, but you would never be able to come back and check the status of your load as it runs through the wash cycle. In cases such as this, speech output is necessary to give people who are blind or have low vision full access to every feature and function of today"s appliances.