I had wanted to try out the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker for some time and had been pestering a friends wife to let me borrows hers. Last week I got a phone call from her saying I could use it for a couple of days as they were going away for a long weekend and wouldn´t need it.
She told me in no uncertain term to be careful with her pride and joy as she would be lost without it. Assuring her I would treat it with the up most care I popped round to collect it.
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Finally I ´d got my hands on a Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker and quickly set about putting it through its paces.
My fist impression was that it was very user friendly, and I liked the clear and easy to follow instruction manual. I was also pleased to see it had a good sized viewing window. Even some of the more expensivebread makers don´t have that.
Something else that impressed me was just how well written the recipe booklet was. It was written in everyday language that even managed to include a little bit of humour, but most of all it was very easy to follow.
Being a bit impatient I decided to go for the fast bake option giving me a loaf in just under an hour. So following the recipe booklet I loaded the necessary ingredients into the bread pan ready to start baking.
I must say I was a little bit disappointed at this point to find the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker didn´t come with either a measuring cup or spoon supplied, although this was easily overcome.
I found the LCD display very easy to use and understand. In fact the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker is easy enough for anyone to use.
There are 12 programs available allowing you to make anything from the basic loaf to French wholewheat, cake, pizza dough and even jam. You can choose between three different loaf sizes, small, medium and large and choose a crust setting from light, medium to dark.
It also has a 13-hour delay timer for those of you who like to wake up to a fresh loaf each morning. TheRussell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker also has a keep warm function for this purpose too.
The 600 watt motor goes through the baking process nice and quietly only making a bleeping noise when its time to add any additional ingredients like nuts or raisins.
And the finished result? After just under an hour I was impressed with a nice crispy loaf that tasted excellent. I also liked the fact that the finished loaf was what I consider to be the correct shape, oblong, and not tall and square. Although that´s just my opinion!
Russell Hobbs 18036 Pros
A good mid-range bread maker that is easy to use, comes with a good recipe book and many extra functions you might only expect from a more expensive machine. This compact machine should fit easily onto anyones worktop being only 290 mm x 322mm x 296mm.
Russell Hobbs 18036 Cons
I think it would have been better if Russel Hobbs had included a measuring cup and spoon, most other manufacturers supply these items with their machines, although you could say the 18036 bread maker is no frills machine.
Russell Hobbs 18036 Breadmaker Benefits
- 3 loaf sizes 1lb, 1.6lb and 2.2 lb
- 55 minute fast-bake option
- 13-hour delay timer
- 12 programs
- Keep warm function
- Dishwasher safe non-stick pan and kneading blade.
Russell Hobbs 18036 Breadmaker Conclusion
From my research I discovered plenty of good reviews for the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker, a large majority being very positive. Lots of reviewers remarked about how easy to use this machine was and how the recipe booklet was so well written, even including a gluten free recipe.
A useful function the some people commented on was the pause button which allowed them to temporarily stop the machine if they wished to.
On the negative side, I did see a comment over the use of metric measurements. This was from one of the older users who would have liked both metric and imperial.
Another one concerned the baking pan not being dishwasher proof despite the manufacturers claims. But there are others that counter that saying they are more then pleased with the pan. A suggestion was to fill it with warm soapy water and stand for an hour and then the pan and mixing paddle easily rinse clean, which makes perfect sense.
Over all the impression I got from using the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker, and from the comments of those who had already purchased one, is that it is a competatively priced mid-range bread maker that offers a lot of function normally only found in more expensive machine.
With that in mind I would have no hesitation in recommending this bread maker to you.
I have found the best place to buy the Russell Hobbs 18036 breadmaker is at Amazon. They currently have the best price and include free delivery on this bread maker.
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