Cuisinart CBK-200 Bread Machine

The Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine is an interesting machine. It offers several features that are not available on any other bread machine. Features like convection baking for a more evenly browned and crispier crust. A beep signal when the final kneading is done telling you, you can now remove the kneading paddle from the pan so that you don’t have a large whole in the bottom of your loaf. It also has cycles for low-carb, gluten free, and artisan breads.
The Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine itself is quite typical. It is a box shape with the standard side control panel. It has a small LCD screen that gives you the time remaining, the loaf size, crust color and where you are in the cycle information. To choose a cycle you just select the number that corresponds to the cycle you want. For example white is 1, low-carb is 8, etc. You set the number for the cycle you want using a menu button. Each time you press the button a different cycle number is selected.
There are also buttons for crust color, loaf size, delay timer as well as one to turn on and off the mix-ins option. The mix-ins option causes an alert beep to sound which tells you when in the cycle to add things like raisins, nuts, etc. The last two buttons are start and stop/pause. Overall the controls are easy to figure out and use.
This bread machine has a total of 101 cycles. However, this is a bit misleading because like some other companies Cuisinart counts variations to the main cycles as cycles. For example white bread with a 1 pound recipe and a light crust is one cycle and white bread with a 1-1/2 pound recipe and a light crust is another. If you forget about the variations the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine has a total of 16 cycles which includes:
Like some other bread machines on the market this one has a power failure backup feature. Should the power to the bread machine be disrupted it will store in memory the stage of bread making cycle and resume once the power is restored. However, unlike some other bread machines this backup feature is good for only 15 minutes. If the power stays out for longer than that you are out of luck.
The pan in the Cuisinart CBK-200 is called a horizontal pan by Cuisinart. However, to me it is a hybrid of the horizontal and vertical pan. The Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine doesn’t make quite a horizontal loaf or a vertical loaf, it makes loaves that are some place in between. The pan in fact is the same size and shape as many of the pans included with Breadman bread machines like the Breadman Ultimate. It is also a single paddle pan. I don’t like this style of pan. During my testing of this bread machine I made 30 recipes, every single one of them required me to scrape some of the ingredients out of the corners of the pan. Had I not stuck around to do this, the loaves would have come out with floured corners. I really wish companies would either do vertical bread machines or true horizontal bread machines with dual paddles. These hybrids are a pain.
All of the recipes I made turned out great. The Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine, once you have all of the ingredients incorporated in to the dough, kneads very well and makes a nice dough. It has no problems with white bread dough, egg bread dough, whole wheat or any of the other 30 types of bread I made.
I also have to give high praise for the convection bake feature. While I still prefer to make the dough in the bread machine and bake the loaf in my regular oven, the convection feature made for a much nicer and evenly browned crust. It was also crisper which quickly faded as the loaf cooled thanks to the steam.
Now for the real down side, Cuisinart CBK-200 is one very unattractive looking bread machine. I think Cuisinart tried to make it look retro. However, in doing so they placed black trim all around the top of the bread machine (see the picture) and in doing this they made it the all time hardest machine to clean. Sooner or later you are going to need to clean flour off the top of this thing and because of the black trim it is going to be a real time consuming pain. I ended up using Q-Tips to get the thing clean. And, as I said this is in my opinion one of the most unattractive bread machines ever put on the market.
Would I recommend the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine? It depends, if you need its unique features like convection bake, low-carb or gluten free cycles then yes. I say go for it. If none of those features is something you are frothing at the bit for then I would recommend you look at something else. Something with a better pan and something that will be easier to clean. Finally, it comes with a very nice users guide and recipe book. I am very impressed with the number of recipes included and how diverse the recipes are. I give Cuisinart a round of applause for this excellent collection of recipes.
(Checkout the review of the Zojirushi Bread Machine for a higher quality bread machine.)
Tags: featured
I just found one of these refurbished at Big Lots store $65
Have to agree with your comments on the cosmetics but if it performs well I’ll be happy.
Thanks for the review even though I saw it after the fact.
Steve
Steve Horlick July 3rd, 2008 at 9:45 amI got a Cuisinart CBK-200 about a month ago, and I must say I really like it. I’ve done 15 loaves or so and haven’t really gotten any flour on the bread machine, I always fill the pan away from it and then place the pan in the bread machine. I also have no problem with the aesthetics.
I also wanted to comment on the negative review of the pan shape. While I did have one loaf that was a bit floury in the corners about half way through (when the mix-ins alarm beeps), it seemed to take care of itself after the bread had expanded and then gone for it’s final knead (punch down). The rest of my loaves, whether recipe or store bought mix, are too gooey to leave anything and I end up with a clean pan very early in the process.
Martin Sorenson July 26th, 2008 at 8:27 amFound one a local thrift shop for $5.99. Downloaded the instruction manual and cookbook on line.
Gerald Perry July 30th, 2008 at 6:57 pmThe only complaint I have is that the paddle (angular shape) sticks inside the loaf making removal from the pan very difficult . I have to twist the paddle from the bottom to remove the loaf. This ruins the integrity of the loaf. I’m going to try a different paddle (straight blade) from a Panasonic machine I have to see if it make a difference.
After two Black & Decker models that didn’t last very long, I decided to buy different brand and went for the Cuisinart CBK-200. I have to say that difference in bread quality is noticeable. But, there is one thing I really am not happy with. This machine is very noisy. It’s very annoying and I couldn’t find that anybody complained about that, so I’m not sure whether there’s something wrong with my particular bread machine or I’m just not tolerant enough.
I would really appreciate to hear about other experiences regarding this.
Zorica August 23rd, 2008 at 4:07 pmThanks.
I have just bought this and am trying not to have buyer’s remorse. Whether you leave the paddle in or out, it is almost impossible to dislodge. My old Panasonic never had this problem. I would love to know if any one’s attempted solutions work.
Also, my first two attempts were one pound loaves. They were REALLY long and broad, not like a loaf at all. Am I doing something wrong or is this typical of the small loaf, and I really should try the 2 pound loaf?
Help. Should I take this back?
Shari August 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pmThe Cuisinart CBK200 is with out a doubt the worst bread maker I have ever owned, and this is my fifth. At the lowest cooking setting, it burns the bread. I have to prop the door open a quarter of an inch while cooking to prevent the bread from burning. Using the normal cycle, the dough rises well on the first two cycles, but on the third it hardly rises at all, leaving you with a two pound, three inch high chunk of goo. I assume it also overheats when on the rise cycle, because I can leave the lid open and it will rise on the third cycle. This is more trouble than it is worth, so I only use the rapid cycle which produces fair bread, but eatable
Alfred Smith August 26th, 2008 at 7:03 pmIf you don’t want the bread paddle to not stick, try using some PAM. First make sure the bread maker bucket is thoroughly cleas and dry, as well as the paddle itselt. Then spray a bit of PAM both inside the hole of the paddle, and a bit on the stick that the paddle sits into. Try that. By the way, where in Canada would I be able to find one of these bread makers. Thanks and God bless you all!
christiane August 29th, 2008 at 8:54 amRe: christiane’s question (August 29th, 2008 at 8:54 am) I purchased the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread maker at an X-Cargo store in Ontario just yesterday. It is re-furbished which I find to be better since someone actually verified that it works (unlike those off the assembly line which tests random “new” units)
carolyn August 30th, 2008 at 7:02 amThe price was 69.99 cdn. It’s my first bread maker. I was impressed by the low-carb, gluten free, and artisan bread settings. The box isn’t even open yet and I was looking for Olive bread recipes online (which I’ve bought many times at Longo’s for 4.99 per loaf) and through reading “online” noticed that the recipe is actually one in the booklet for this bread maker. Think I’ll open the box now. Thanks for the hints and heads-up on issues that I’ll use/beware of right away.
There should be an audible beep before the baking cycle begins. You can pause the bread maker to remove the paddle. Replace the dough, press Start and you’ll have a paddle free loaf.
Michelle August 30th, 2008 at 9:40 amAs for the machine, I’ve had mine for 3 years. If it’s very noisy there’s probably something wrong with it. My first one used to go through bread pans regularly – I got a replacement from Cuisinart a year ago and so far, so good. I also have a different model number, BKR-400C, bought from Costco. It looks the same except there’s more black around the top. It’s a much quieter bread maker and, on the whole, I prefer it to the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread maker.
Christiane, if you don’t have a Costco near you, try Sears or The Bay.
Just a Cuisinart CBK-200. I like the look of it; we will eventually be getting all stainless appliances. I LOVE the simplicity of operation, and the book full of recipes is a nice touch, especially for someone who doesn’t have internet (if there is such a person). Dough sticking to the corners? Never had that problem. As for flour sticking to the black trim, I don’t see how that can happen if you pull the bread pan out of the bread machine before you put the ingredients in it. As for the paddle sticking in the loaf, I don’t have that problem as I’ve always been here to pull the paddle out before the bake. The only problem I have is the loaves are too dense and small, but I doubt that’s the machine’s fault – I think I need to learn a bit more about adjusting ingredients or something.
Blaine October 22nd, 2008 at 10:14 amI am really disappointed with the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread machine. I’ve had it a year now and have had more flops in one year than I did in 10 years with my old black and decker – it seems to give me the most grief on the delay setting with whole wheat – I get bricks instead of bread. I was going to see if I could get a replacement thinking I just had a lemon but after reviewing many comments on line today…I think the product itself is a lemon! If you are thinking of buying a bread machine…pass this one over. BTW – all of my small kitchen appliances are Cuisinart and I love them all – the bread machine is the exception!
Nadine October 25th, 2008 at 12:51 pmJust bought the 400 model from Costco. Got it home, unpacked it, washed out the pan and paddle, and proceeded to make my first loaf. When I lifted the lid to place the pan of ingredients into the unit, the left lid hinge broke off. Am finishing the first loaf, and will take it back tomorrow. Not sure if I want a replacement. This could have been a factory quality control problem, or just a real flimsy hinge mechanism.
Gerall October 27th, 2008 at 9:37 pmNot sure how this works?
Just a note for Shari …
When I take the bread dough out of the bread machine to remove the paddle after the final punchdown cycle I first coat my hands with olive oil and reshape the dough (lightly) before putting it back and find it doesn’t stick to the pan after cooking.
Brian
Brian Baker November 6th, 2008 at 6:31 pmI just bought this bread maker and am also having a lot of problems with it, though I want to love it because I think it’s the best looking bread maker on the market and I love the recipes and the many baking cycle options. I have two big problems with the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread maker – #1 The pan keeps popping out of place during the kneading cycles- I have found that if I turn the pan around 180 degrees that usually solves it so the pan must be misshapen. #2 The bread burns even on the light crust cycle, that’s what is making me consider taking it back, the pan thing I was figuring out a way around. I’ve tried two different breads three times and all of them have come out burned on the bottom and sides. I’m very disappointed and would love to hear of some alternatives- I wish the reviewer above would’ve mentioned some bread machines in the same class.
Mrs. Newbery November 12th, 2008 at 12:10 pmI bought this bread machine and it has been awful so far, burnt bread, does not mix well, produces bricks!!
Jasmine November 16th, 2008 at 11:55 amI was given the Cuisinart CBK200 as a gift about a year ago. I have not used it very often, but can attest to the fact that so far, all the loaves I have made have been delicious. But I have four complaints – 1. Pan 2. Paddle Power and 3. Mixing 4.Noise
Megan November 18th, 2008 at 10:41 amYesterday, the machine failed me miserably.
As others have mentioned, the pan continually pops out of position when the dough is kneading. It is a POOR design, as I exchanged my first machine and the new one did the EXACT same thing.
Second, as others have also mentioned, the dough needs to be monitered or you will end up with floury unmixed chunks in the corners. Not ideal if you want to leave the house, or have the bread bake overnight!
Then, part way through the kneading, the paddle power quit. It’s like the motor has failed, though only partially, as the it grunts along, only partially spinning…like the batteries are dying.
And fourthly, the machine is LOUD. I tried to do an overnight bake, and it kept my partner and I up the ENTIRE time it kneaded, reversed, kneaded reversed.
So, overall, despite tasty bread, I cannot believe this product is so flawed. There is no excuse for a reputable company to make such a dud!
I’ve had my cuisinart bread machine since September and am thrilled that I don’t have any of the numerous problems that you folks are having. I let the paddle mix the ingredients until it is almost combined then take a spatula to wipe down any ingredients that are still on the side of the pan. When the signal goes off before the rise, I remove the paddle so that the finished product is perfect. I’m having to use the Gluten Free cycle for medical reasons and am delighted. My husband hasn’t bought a loaf of commercial bread since the machine arrived at our house. I’m even contemplating purchasing another one just like this one for our second home. I guess I am very lucky and very happy with the Cuisinart Convection Bread Machine.
Helen Acton November 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pmWe just purchased the Cuisinart Convection CBK-200. After our second attempt at making bread and having to stand with a hand on the pan to keep it from bouncing out during the kneading cycle we thought maybe there was something wrong with the bread maker (I also told my husband it really shouldn’t be this loud). I called Cuisinart Customer Service and was told they could send me a replacement pan when the came off of backorder and they would wave the shipping fee they were going to charge me to replace the defective part on my brand new bread maker. Needless to say I am returning it to the place of purchase and getting a different kind. I was very surprised to get such a poor product from Cuisinart.
Jennifer November 25th, 2008 at 8:54 pmCuisinart CBK-200 Bread Machine… WOW NOT A GOOD ONE AT ALL.
With a great deal of frustration and aggregation on how to turn off the delay… I went ahead and baked two loafs of Whole Wheat bread following their recipes and got cement!!!
Not kidding at all. I have been baking bread with a Black and Decker Bread Machine for over a year and have guests rave about my bread.
Well, to my husbands and my dismay the Cuisinart Bread Machine was a big flop.
Telsie Boese December 8th, 2008 at 12:54 pmKEEP LOOKING FOR A BETTER BREAD MACHINE… DO NOT UNDER ANY PROMPTING BUY IT.
rated… the poorest Bread Machine on the planet.
I don’t have complaints about the bread made by the Cuisinart cbk-200, though the recipes in the Cuisinart book itself are pretty fiddly and not always as good as those in my bread baking cookbook. My big complaint with this bread maker is that the pin comes out of the paddle eventually. This happened before 12 months had passed, so we replaced the bread maker, and it has happened again, but this time we are living in a city with no Cuisinart rep so we have to PAY ourselves to send it back and then pay again to have them return a new one to us. Not great customer service! The other design problem is that you can’t clean in the place where the base moves around, so if any gunk gets in there (which it did when the pin slipped out while the pan was full of wet ingredients), it gums up the mechanism and it’s hard to get it to turn again. I’m not impressed with the design, given that Cuisinart is supposed to be such a reputable company, and I paid a lot more money for this. one than most bread makers on the market. We use our bread maker every few days, as we go through a lot of bread in our house, and it’s a long wait to have the replacement come through as well. Anyone recommend a better bread maker and a company with better customer services??
Jessica December 17th, 2008 at 6:29 pmHi all- I love my Cuisinart breadmaker, but now it’s making a funny noise. What is wrong with it?
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Shantel December 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 pmShantel
shantelhansen@gmail.com
I am quite disappointed with my Cuisinart breadmaker (the 400 model from Costco). This is my second Cuisinart breadmaker in 2 months, as the first one failed, and I was foolish enough to think that that machine was just a lemon.
My first machine made several good loaves (using both the recipes in the book as well as recipes from other cookbooks) and then the problems started. The pan had trouble staying in place with the clips on the side, and then the paddle started coming off during mixing. The final straw on the original machine was that it started leaking oil into the pan, where the pin comes up to hold the paddle.
I returned the original machine to Costco (fortunately, they have a good return policy), and picked up a replacement. The second machine also started out fine, but I’ve had problems on my last few attempts with the paddle coming out of place while mixing/kneeding. It is annoying having to babysit the machine, in case the paddle becomes dislodged.
The second machine will be going back to Costco shortly, and I will not be fooled by Cuisinart again.
Jennifer January 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 pmborrowed this bread machine from a friend.. big mistake!!! I made one loaf and then waited approx half hout, plugged it back in and now it wont turn on. i know this bread machine is fairly new for her within 6 months…. now i have to replace this POC bread machine for her.
WASTE OF $$$ BUY A B&D! Love mine its in storage though
amanda January 3rd, 2009 at 9:40 pmCan anyone tell me how to turn off the delay timer on this stupid bread machine! I’m taking it back!
Virginia January 9th, 2009 at 7:00 pmI received one of these breadmakers for Christmas. I’ve tried three times to make a simple loaf of white bread and it has been horrible. Even on the light crust setting the crust is way too brown and can’t be sliced. It’s like trying to eat a loaf of toast! I thought this brand would be foolproof and I was very careful to do all the measurements accuractly. After reading these reviews, I realize it’s not me with the problem with the breadmaker. Unfortunately I don’t have a receipt to return it.
Jo January 11th, 2009 at 9:09 pmI also received one the Cuisinart Convection Bread Makers for Christmas, and unfortunately got one of the machines that burns the crust terribly, even on the light crust setting, every recipe so far, every size loaf. I spoke to a Cusinart customer serivce rep who did not seem the least bit surprised (nor concerned)that the thermosat is malfunctioning. I was told I should return the bread machine where purchased – they have no other suggestions. My bread machine was bought online, so of course that involves some hefty postage…definitely will warn anyone I know looking for a bread machine to CHOOSE A DIFFERENT ONE!! This is the first and definitley last Cuisinart appliance I will own.
Jill January 12th, 2009 at 11:22 amI bought the Cuisinart cbk200 Bread Maker for Christmas 2008, I have used it to make white bread with no problem, then I tried making whole wheat using cycle #2 or #3. I follow the instructions in the manual but the bread machine does not start on these cycles, anyone else have this problem? What is the solution? Is there a time pause before it starts, unlike the white bread cycles? If yes, how long is the wait?
Dale January 12th, 2009 at 12:43 pmComplete blunder… the Cuisinart CBK-200 machine does not do what it is supposed to do. I have tried over and over to use different recipies in the book and use different times. Same bad results.. bread hardens and burns or cycles seem to be stuck and most time it takes about 6 hours to complete its job. What a waste of my hard earned dollar
Kathie January 24th, 2009 at 12:53 amI have tried to give this Cuisinart Bread Machine the all American chance, and it has failed me miserable. Purchased it a WS in 7-08 specifically for the lo carb option but used it on mose cycles. Well, it burned everything and the little loaf pan moved the whole machine while kneading. Called Cuisinart, they replaced it completely, including postage, (after talking endlessly to the supervisor on the phone) and guess what, the next machine still burns all breads all the time, even on the light settng. It is a very bad bread machine, and next time I am in WS, I am returning this bread machine for a full credit! Do Not Buy this bread machine. My cheapie from Wal Mart did so much better
Lynette January 24th, 2009 at 9:51 amSpray a little non stick cooking spray on the paddle to remove. This may help making removal a little easier.
John McFalls January 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pmThere are some good recipes on http://www.bread-maker.net. I’ve had better luck with these than the Cuisinart recipe book.
John January 25th, 2009 at 1:00 pmI found out on a wheat bread cycle the bread maker seems not to start but it is actually pre-heating. I made one loaf from bread-maker.com recipe and it turned out good(1.5lb loaf) Hope this helps.
John January 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pmBAD CUSINART!! for putting out such a crappy product! The pan doesn’t hold in the bread maker well and once in a while will pop out when it is mixing and kneading. After the first one (I’m on my second machine) burned my first two loaves, I quit baking in it. The first machine, came to a grinding halt after about 6 months. The second is on its fourth month and starting to stall within the first 1/3 of the cycle. Cusinart is good about sending a new one, but I’d better get going as there is only a 1 year warranty that carries over to the next machine. After that one dies, I’m buying another brand… and I’ll be quite wary of all Cusinart products after this. Too bad KitchenAid doesn’t make a bread maker.
Diane January 27th, 2009 at 6:03 pmSHAME ON YOU CUISINART!!! This breadmaker is awful and so are the recipes in your owner’s manual. Did anyone ever test this machine after it was designed? Did quality control fall asleep when this machine was coming off the assembly line? My bread is either burnt, not kneaded properly, or both. Cuisinart is riding on their name with this piece of crap. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…shame on me..this machine is going back to the store.
Debbie February 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pmI needed to buy a breadmaker because of a food allergy that precludes me eating store-bought bread now. I bought the Cuisinart CBK-200 breadmaker after reading a number of reviews. It made fine bread, though I did have to tinker with the recipes a bit. However, the first one had a problem with grease coming up through the paddle mechanism after a few months – no matter how much I cleaned, it would come up during kneading and get in the dough. I spoke with someone at Cuisinart and he suggested I contact the store from which I bought it (Bed Bath & Beyond). I replaced the entire breadmaker and within 3 months have begun having the same problem. When I called the company and explained the problem, they said they’d never heard of this (obviously, the first gentleman didn’t keep a record of the complaint). They said I could send the pan back and wait 5-7 weeks for a replacement, during which time I won’t be able to make any bread. When I explained that this is a real problem for me given the food allergy, they said the serial number was past the 3-year expiration date, suggesting that it must have been sitting on the store shelf for that long!!!! I asked if I could fax a copy of the receipt to them to show that I only have had this unit since mid-December 2008 (not even three months), and they said sorry but no. I will be returning this breadmaker to the store and, given Cuisinart’s poor service, will likely never purchase a Cuisinart product again.
Allison February 4th, 2009 at 11:38 amI am on my second Cuisinart bread maker since Christmas 08. Both are burning the bread despite the loaf size and light crust. Now the pan is stuck in the bread maker. Called the company and said that the stuck pan is a common complaint. My whole wheat setting won’t turn on either, as mentioned in an above blog. 2 different machines, same problems. Guess after reading reviews, will try a different brand.
lisa February 5th, 2009 at 7:47 pmhi, need guide Cuisinart CBK-200 – in spanish please 😀 ^_^
mcrod February 7th, 2009 at 7:42 ammcrond@gmail.com
Initially I loved this bread machine, especially the great variety of settings. But it does not stand up to long term use – eventually stops mixing properly. I had to have it replaced after 5 months and that one didn’t work at all (2 of my cousins also bought dud machines). Cuisinart no longer backs their warranty with local service dealers – you have to send it in to their factory at your own cost AND pay the return postage. They’re counting on people not bothering. I was expecting quality from Cuisinart but it did not stand up. It’s an expensive bread machine and not worth the money.
Karen February 9th, 2009 at 3:27 pmjust got bread maker from costco. How can they make a bread maker with all these fancy setting and not see that the design to hold pan in… stinks. The most important thing is a pan that locks in place and can’t jump out when kneading. It is totally a design problem. The pan is hard to get in and out when hot even harder to take out. I got a bread maker so I can do other things and not have to be around to run and save it from itself. Why is is so noisey? Cuisinart take a look at the other successful makes out there pick some good features and go back to the drawing Board, then test test test and I will get new one, back to the store I go… dissappointed.
Dot February 12th, 2009 at 1:02 pmI just got one of the CBK-200 bread makers about 6 weeks ago and I love it. I am not a cook or a baker but I find making the breads from the book to be a snap. easy to follow for a dummie like me. I did have a sticking problem with my first loaf. So went to the book and found that after the last kneeding cycle there is 3 sets of 6 beeps to let you know the bread maker is going to start baking in about 50 min. and found removing the paddle then stoped the sticking problem. I guess I got luckly with this one I have had no problems with the pan or the paddle. I do think that when I made some of the quick bread mixes it seems to mix to long.(the breads I made seemed tough.) Oh well just a note I love the bread maker.
Allan February 13th, 2009 at 10:04 pmDoes anyone know what the baking pan is make of on this Cuisinart? We are looking for something not aluminum or teflon. We prefer stainless steel.
Christopher February 14th, 2009 at 6:45 pmI got the Cuisinart bread maching for Christmas too. I loved the look and options of it. I have found that the recipes leave a lot to be desire and actually a couple of them leave out key ingredients such as a liquid. My loaves have never burned and have had good and bad successes. The Whole Wheat setting does come on about 30 minutes into it after pre-heating. I kept thinking something was wrong and decided to wait it out. Anyway, the loaf was like a brick on the outside but the inside was much better, for what it’s worth. I am going to try other recipes to see if I can get better results. The only mechanical problems I am having so far is the noise. What’s up with that??
Diana February 15th, 2009 at 9:44 amI got the CBK200 bread maker a month ago as a gift but a week after my mom put the recipes book to the bin by incident. Anyone know where to get a new recipes book, please let me know. Many thanks
Lan February 18th, 2009 at 1:46 amWow. I am so glad that I found a brand new Welbilt bread machine at a thrift store for just 4 dollars. I have made delicious, high quality bread. Just goes to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune on fancy looking equipment. It’s not the look of the machine that created a wonderful loaf!
Rita February 23rd, 2009 at 11:04 amI bought a Cuisinart cbk200 bread maker after reading some great reviews. Burned every loaf I made. Called Cuisinart and they said the heat was out of adjustment. Drove 40 miles and exchanged it for a second one. This one burns everything also. It does not take 2 hours to bake a single loaf of bread. I am so disgusted with Cuisinart. Am returning the second machine and am not sure what I will replace it with.
Sharon February 27th, 2009 at 2:32 pmI purchased my CBK200 bread maker from Amazon on 1/4/09. I’ve made about a loaf every 2 or 3 days. The pan popping out is definitely a design flaw which, I believe, is caused by the the thin metal the pan is made out of. The pan tends to flex and repeated insertion/removal cycles result in the pan bowing in. I find a gentle pull on either side ‘widens’ the pan so that it contacts the side clips in the baking chamber better. Even with that I still don’t trust it to knead unattended…especially on heavier doughs (ie, whole wheat breads). The other thing is burnt loaves. I’ve only had two get a bit burnt looking (out of about 30 loaves). Even those were still great texture inside and tasted scrumptious.
I’m stuck with the unit now (had it more than 30 days). I would probably have picked a different brand if I had it to do over.
Charlie February 27th, 2009 at 5:41 pmHey Lan my wife went to Cuisinart’s website and down loaded the whole owners book for the CBK-200 and then I put them in a plastic sheets double sided print.
Allan March 2nd, 2009 at 6:14 pmecho…THE PAN WON’T STAY IN!! Taking it back–don’t buy it!
Ryan March 8th, 2009 at 7:45 amI just got one of these bread machines and it shuts its self off and then turns on again, the pan inside keeps popping out, and it is very noisty. WTH
Loren March 11th, 2009 at 3:43 pmI bought the cuisinart cbk-200 bread maker a few months ago and I really like it. I only have one problem. I only make wheat bread and the sides get tough/hard. The bread is great and so is the top crust. What can I do about this?
Patricia March 24th, 2009 at 6:29 pmAfter our second attempt at making bread and having to stand with a hand on the pan to keep it from bouncing out during the kneading cycle we thought maybe there was something wrong with the machine
end quote
Mine did the same but I took a flat file and deepened the slots on the tabs on the side of the bread pan and now it works the way it sould.
Dave March 28th, 2009 at 1:01 pmWe received this bread maker for a wedding gift. Overall I’m impressed with it, it makes great breads, looks stunning, and has the gluten free that I need.
However, the bloody pan keeps jumping the guides about every 2 minutes. Literally, I’m not exaggerating. I cannot leave it alone, I need to be in the same room as it because it will start pounding away like crazy. I’m to the point that I’m thinking I will take it back, because it’s so annoying. Would I recommend someone on buying it? No.
~~
Heather March 31st, 2009 at 3:50 pmI just took my Cuisinart breadmaking machine back to the store today. I purchased it about three weeks ago and have not been happy with the bread this machine makes. The crusts are almost always burned, the whole wheat loaves are like cement bricks. I have been pleased with other Cuisinart products I have purchased…but this one really stinks.
Mary March 31st, 2009 at 9:40 pmHeather mine jumped out once. So I took the pan at each end where the clips are and pulled on it gently and made the pan a bit wider(not much Just a little.) And I have not had any more problems with that. Give it a shot. Al
Allan April 11th, 2009 at 12:30 amI received my Cuisinart breadmaker for Christmas this past year and usually make at least two loaves per week. I find this machine to be extremely inferior to the Black&Decker machine that I used to have. The Cuisinart is very noisy, the paddle jumps off during kneading, the recipes are hard to get right and the bread always comes out very dense on the bottom and very light and holey at the top. I’ve experimented with it to get the ingredients right but no matter what I do the bread is still barely edible. I e-mailed Cuisinart months ago about the problems I was having and have yet to hear from them. I would strongly reconmmend staying away from this piece of JUNK.
Mitch Allaby April 11th, 2009 at 4:40 amMitch
THIS BREAD MACHINE IS MAKING ME CRAZY!
This is my second machine, the first was A Black & Decker with a vertical pan, it worked well but didn’t last long.
Today, I made a beautiful 1 lb loaf of French Bread (no burning, no floured corners). The only problem was that I can’t get the #$%^&*&* loaves out of the pan. After 15 minutes I got the loaf out after digging around the edges (including underneath) to release the loaf. Needless to say, after the struggle the loaf was no longer beautiful.
Does anyone know how to overcome this problem?
Charley Scott April 27th, 2009 at 11:34 pmI’ve had two different models by Black & Decker and both were junk. Next was an Oster that worked well but finally died after a couple of years. Current bread machine is the Cuisinart CBK-200, refurbished model from X-S Cargo for CDN $40.00. It works as well as the Oster did with no un-mixed ingredients in the corners and no problem removing the loaf. This Cuisinart certainly beats the can off the two B&D clunkers.
My biggest complaint I guess would be that the Mix-in and Remove Paddle signals have very low volume and if I’m not close by I can miss them.
Ross Reid April 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pmAll in all, considering the price I paid, I’m satisfied.
I posted a couple months ago about the pan popping problem. I seem to have that under control by adjusting the clips on the pan and on the inside walls of the bread machine. I do like the bread this machine makes…especially the crust. I ran into another issue about 2 months in: grease/oil from the kneading shaft leaking onto doughs/breads. Today I contacted Cuisinart for a replacement and they are shipping me a new pan under warranty. I do have to pay to ship the old pan back….no biggie, should cost less than $10 to ship. Why is it that bread pans always fail? This unit’s pan began failing after no more than 25 loaves. Does anyone manufacture a bread maker with a durable pan?
Charlie May 15th, 2009 at 10:43 pmI bet most of the bricks reported above are results of the poor design of this bread maker. As I see it, it has two big problems.
First, and worst, its mechanical design is flawed. During kneading, the tub pops out of contact with the motor below; the machine sounds like it’s still kneading, but the paddle isn’t turning. The result is an inedible hunk of wasted ingredients. The only workaround I’ve found is to stand at the machine during the entire kneading cycle holding the tub in place.
The second problem is Customer Service. The folks on the phone have a good enough attitude, but there’s a disconnect between them and the shipping department: When I reported the tub problem to Customer Service, they promptly sent out a new tub. It was carelessly packed, with no cushioning, and was damaged in shipment. I reported this to Customer Service and they sent a second replacement in exactly the same manner. It seems like this company can’t get out of its own way.
Summary: unless your notion of the perfect bread maker includes an image of yourself standing in front of it for each half-hour kneading cycle, keeping the tub from popping out, look elsewhere for your bread.
Ben Shemuel May 31st, 2009 at 8:19 pmUggghhhh…wish I’d read all this before buying mine. Got it (unused) for $75 at a moving sale here in Kampala, Uganda, thinking “AWESOME!! I now have a bread machine here in AFRICA!!!!” – it’s so hard to find good (healthy) bread here. And seeing “Cuisinart” on the box I thought I had the deal of the century – thought I couldn’t lose.
Simon June 1st, 2009 at 10:39 amMade the first loaf with high hopes – the basic honey whole wheat. Couldn’t believe it was going to take 4.5hrs but thought “maybe it’s worth the wait!”. As everyone said here, it turned out a brick. And yes, the pan was stuck in the machine. What the hetch!? Didn’t they even test this thing? I got the pan out by pushing the clip back with a screwdriver. I’ll try Dave’s idea (28 March, 2009 post) – deepening the clip slot with a flat file. Wish that would fix the whole wheat recipe.
Also wish I could return it, but I’m definitely stuck with it.
P.S. I think we should start a support group so we can console each other. If someone can bring the drinks, I’ll bring my wheat brick.
Simon June 1st, 2009 at 10:43 amCuisinart sent me a replacement pan: received it in just one week. The new pan seemed smaller than the old one as it didn’t engage the clips in the baking chamber. I figured out the problem. In all my adjustments to avoid the pan popping problem I had bent the left side wall of the baking chamber so that it bowed outward too much. The solution, remove the screws around the top of the baking chamber so that I could insert a flat (butter) knife under the lip of the chamber to access and apply pressure from outside the chamber wall to bend it back inwards to get it into original shape as much as possible. After I did this the new pan fit better but I still had to make some slight adjustment to the pan itself (ie, carefully pulled it a bit wider and adjusted the pan clip very slightly). The new pan is now rock solid in place. I am noticing loaves coming out more well done/burnt than with the original pan. To get what was a medium crust with the old pan I have to use the light crust setting with the new one. Go figure? I’m glad there’s a three year warranty.
Charlie June 5th, 2009 at 9:09 amWe have had ours and loved it for the past 3 years. We never kept our recipt which is a big thing to do because ours could have gotten replaced. First that went was the bread pan paddle which broke off. We used it a lot and got a lot out of it. Also the mechanism that moves the paddle wore out. It now is unuseable since they don’t sell that part.
Natalie June 19th, 2009 at 9:45 amDoes anyone know where I can get the recipe book for this bread machine? I have no idea where mine has got too… I’ve tried looking on-line, but on the Cuisinart website it says there is no downloadable manual for this one… Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks! ;-)))
Cathy June 28th, 2009 at 8:10 amWe operate a B&B in the Canadian Rockies and bake bread often twice a day during the busy summer. We’ve had our Cuisinart 200C convection breadmaker for a year and a half and have had no problems. That is except the bread sticks to the paddle and a big hole is usually left in the middle of the bottom of the loaf. We have taken the paddle out during the day time but at night when on timer we can’t do this. We’ve tried spraying with Pam but that doesn’t help much. The machine is much quieter than the West Bend we had and we like the quick bake option since we can have a loaf in 2 and a 1/2 hours. We only make 2 lb loafs. The loafs are very large so don’t fit in store bread bags. We have had no problems with the bread pan dislodging or flour inside pan. We’ve probably done 150 loafs so far.
Stan July 1st, 2009 at 8:09 amWe are considering purchasing a Cuisinart bread maker. We plan to make bread early in the morning, so it is ready just in time for our breakfast. It is not clear to me however if I can cancel all beeps, or just mix-ins. We don’t want to be woken up at 5am when the bread maker announces that the paddle can be taken out… Could someone who has one of Cuisinart CBK-200 bread makers tell me if ALL the beeps can be muted?
Thomas July 4th, 2009 at 9:37 amI am walking this bread maker back tomorrow as I have made, or tried to make four loaves and none have been edible. I had a B & D and was completely satisfied with it. Put in the ingreds. and push the button and got a perfect tall loaf each time, perfectly baked and I didn’t have trouble getting it out of the pan. I thought after nearly twenty years that I would just upgrade and get a new one as it was getting a bit old looking. This is bread maker is a huge disappointment. Why would anyone want to have to take the dough out and fiddle around with all the paddles and so on if it is supposed to make bread with the touch of a button and can be left alone for four hours. The old one was quiet. I will take this back and get a Black and Decker bread maker again. I paid approx. $128.+ tax.
Elizabeth Morgan July 7th, 2009 at 5:38 pmBread Machine Review Cuisanart CBK200
Whatever you do, do not buy a refurbished Cuisanart CBK200 machine & do not buy one through Ebay! I paid $80 for it & received it on July 10. On August 15 it quit working altogether.
I am a very experienced bread machine baker & all-around cook. This was my 4th bread machine in about 20 years. My previous bread machines were Toastmasters which were all excellent.
The first three loaves (white & wheat) were okay. The next was Banana Walnut Loaf, per their recipe—the Quick Bread/cake cycle. It burned at least 3/4″ deep on the bottom and both sides. Thinking perhaps there was an error in the recipe book, I baked a second loaf using the Sweet Bread cycle. Since I had trouble with the previous loaf, I watched it very carefully. It also began burning. When it cooked enough that I could remove it from the pan I did, then finished cooking it in my oven which took another 40 minutes. Then last Saturday, Aug 15, it started humming loudly & quit working altogether.
The book that came with it stated a 90 day limited warranty. When I contacted Cuisanart they refused any help, saying they would not honor a warranty on anything purchased through EBay as they had had so many problems with items purchased there.
I emailed the seller, Abe’s Gourmet Kitchen, yesterday, requested a refund and am waiting on their reply.
Starzysmom
Suretta Blair August 19th, 2009 at 11:21 amThis Cuisinart convection breadmaker has been total frustration. I was relieved to see how many people were having the same problems I was. The pan pops out continually. My husband adjusted the side brackets which seemed to help, but then the paddle started coming off its shaft. After twice taking out the dough and finishing the loaf the old-fashioned way, I’m giving up, and as I can’t return the machine it will wind up at the recycle depot. As for other Cuisinart products though, I have the Prep 7 food processor which I love. I does everything it’s supposed to, no problems. It even mixes bread dough and that’s how I’ll be doing it from now on!
Linda Falk October 4th, 2009 at 11:07 amHi folks,
Thanks for all the posts about the Cuisinart CBK-200 bread maker. I was contemplating picking one up at Costco, but will opt for a Breadman instead. Thanks for saving me the frustration! I have an Oster (they make the Breadman too) that I picked up at a thrift store several years ago, and I’ve nearly worn it out. I never liked the quality of the full cycle (baked) bread, so I just use it to knead and proof. Posters at other sites seem to use them the same way as well.
Becky October 6th, 2009 at 3:08 pmCame to this site to see if anyone had info about fixing a WestBend Automatic Bread and Dough Maker, bread maker…i’ve had mine since 1998 and had not one problem with it until now. Beautiful loaves in 2 sizes, beautiful mixing, no paddles in bread, beautiful color baking, and EXCELLENT texture, and totally problem free, till now,10 YEARS OF USE…PROBLEM FREE. I thought about getting another bread machine….but after reading this site…i’m getting mine fixed..yes, the parts are still available. I’ve had 3 cuisinart coffee makers in the past year…and everyone of them has turned out to be a piece of CRAP and had to be returned. I will NEVER buy another cuisinart product again. They used to be known as the best..now as far as i’m concerned, they are the best crap on the market.
Marina October 7th, 2009 at 10:15 pmI was given a cuisinart CBK-200C bread maker for my birthday a month and a half ago. So far I have made six loaves and only two have turned out. The kneed cycle seems to be so rough it pops the pan out before it is mixed properly. I find the recipes not to be user friendly and can’t rely on it to have a loaf ready for morning breakfast or to have bread ready for lunches in the morning. I had a Black and Decker bread maker for 14 years and never had a problem with it and if it wasn’t for my mother cleaning and knocking it off the counter I would still be using it.
Connie October 12th, 2009 at 8:42 amI picked up a cuisinart 100 bread maker on sale at BJ’s and am making my first loaf. it looks fine, and I have been baking this bread in a ABM since 1991, this is my 4th bread maker. I have a problem with the manual….since the beeps are almost inaudible, I wander if any one can tell me about when on a regular loaf, you can take out the bread and shape it, for cooking without the paddle.
Will let you know how I do/
Elaine
Elaine R October 16th, 2009 at 11:23 amIve had my bread machine 3 years the only problems ive had is the pan jumping out of the catches and the mixing paddle wore out. for the pan i just gently bent the side tabs till they hooked the pan again, the paddle cost $2.50 cdn got 4. its loud but no more then others ive seen. i think it looks cool and easy to clean. i will buy another one, gonna try the waffle iron.
bruce November 4th, 2009 at 1:24 pmThe only loafs that have turned out so far are the white bread. I’m getting to the point where the money I’m wasting on ingredients will surpass the price of the bread maker. The recipes are somewhat silly, for example, try to find a realistic rye bread and all you get are esoteric recipes some they must have collected from some artisan baker’s site on the internet. If you make the 2lb loafs their size is puzzling no matter how you try to cut them. I certainly will not feel guilty about taking this this inferior product back.
Tom Sellers December 6th, 2009 at 6:58 pmMy two biggest complaints with this bread maker is that neither myself nor my husband can remove the bread pan after the loaf is ready. The pan is stuck in there and it takes the two of us a good 15 minutes of reefing on it to get it out. And my other complaint is that it’s *really* really noisy. With the grinding and thumping during the mixing steps, then the incessant beeping all the time for every stupid little step in each cycle, we won’t set it up to have fresh bread in the mornings… it’ll wake the whole house up!! I miss my old machine!
E Matwiy December 13th, 2009 at 9:33 amI got one just recently from Costco for about $70, and LOVE it. It’s about my fifth, and I like this one the best. It fits in with the decor of my kitchen, and I find it very easy to operate. I must be different from a lot of the posters, in that I like the beeps, and easily remove the paddle from the bread. Right now I’m making many recipes of the sweet potato rolls, and every recipe is turning out better than anything else I’ve done like that. I recommend it.
Rachel B. December 24th, 2009 at 7:34 amJust purchased a Cuisinart cbk-200 bread maker and am very happy with it except I had a hard time to remove the pan and had to force it this time. Please let me know any tips re removing it with ease -does it need to be on a certain setting? Thanks, Sean Daly
Sean Daly December 31st, 2009 at 5:45 pmI just purchased this bread machine, made two loaves, and when I plugged the bread machine in for the third loaf, (after I measured all the ingredients) and the machine failed to power up. I tried several outlets to make sure it wasn’t the outlet, but obviously its the machine. I will be returning this machine and I am hesitant about replacing it. It came highly recommended by a friend who had no problems for an entire year. I am very disappointed in the product purchased.
Jenna C. January 1st, 2010 at 4:59 pmFinally rec the bread maker as a gift only it is the noisiest thing I’ve ever heard and the basket constantly pops uot during the kneading process so I have to sit there and hold it down.
Jeanne L January 7th, 2010 at 2:33 pmI bought my wife the Cuisinart Bread Machine. First of all the
Michael January 9th, 2010 at 6:43 pmbread pan popped up during the first loaf being kneaded.
I blame this on cheap Chinese crap. (thanks greedy
manufacturer’s looking for cheap labor abroad). It ended
up not kneading the dough thoroughly in my opinion.
The second problem is that I did tell my wife to make
sure she had the ingredients the recipes called for.
She told me she did…and when it came to making the
first loaf….you guessed it. Not exact. And I figure
these people have figured out these recipes. No one
needs to get creative with substitutions. Yup…first
loaf came out like a brick and very “crusty” on the
medium crust setting. So next loaf I made sure we had
“bread flour” and not “all purpose flour” And wife
said because she used salted butter….she did not add
any salt the recipe called for. Big mistake! If you
have not already guessed…I am anal for following
instructions. Well….second loaf came out pretty
good with proper ingredients. But still to “heavy”
still too “crusty” even on the light crust setting.
I want to try to take it out a few minutes before end
of baking cycle…but wonder if the inside will be
under-baked? Any way to make the bread “fluffier”
as opposed to it being dense?
I believe from reading all the different comments that
these machines are made “inconsistantly”. No quality
control. We need to start making more things here in
America… I am willing to pay more for that. But I
don’t think the government will listen.
All I can say is thank God for the three-year warranty. After our THIRD replacement, we’ll be buying another brand when this one goes.
The problem? A cheap motor. If used daily, it will fail prematurely. I’m sure they marketed this to the average user who may only get the machine out every once in a while, but given the fact that all three of our machines have this flaw, I would conclude that it is an engineering flaw.
I don’t have any complaints about the bread we make with this. Matter of fact, it’s some of the best we’ve had from a machine.
One tip for using this machine: after the final knead(punch down equivalent), pause the machine, dump the dough out and take the paddle out. Replace the dough and continue the cycle. If you don’t do this, you will ALWAYS have trouble getting the bread out of the pan.
Another hint: It tends to bake smaller loaves better than the two-pound loaf.
I also concur from other comments that this machine is noisy. Don’t make a loaf at bedtime!
Michael January 11th, 2010 at 12:49 amThe Cuisinart really is a pretty good bread machine when you consider what it can do. I do like some of the different features, especially the fact that you get a chance to take out the paddle before the baking cycle. This way I have a tendency not to bake bread in the oven so often. Thanks for a great and honest review. Lots of great comments, too.
Cuisinart Reviewer January 13th, 2010 at 8:56 pmjust wanted to let those of you who are complaining about BRICK loaves, when the bread is done take it out and brush (bbq sauce brush)the whole loaf with water then put it back in the machine or on a board to cool as usual. this makes the loaf way better, not so crunchy!
british columbia January 17th, 2010 at 11:45 amJust got the 400 model for Xmas, can’t say I’m very impressed. EXTREMELY noisy, the dough cycle takes a very long time and only rises once, and their own recipes from the booklet don’t work well! It did make great bread from my old white bread recipe (from my B & D machine).
This is my 4th bread machine, and I make bread several times a week. I’m ending up making lots of adjustments to try to make good bread. I wanted a new machine bc my old one (Oster, excellent!) wouldn’t make whole wheat any more, something wrong with the timing. I refuse to have two bread machines, one for white and one for whole grain!
And it better not break down, bc I’m not paying to have it shipped back to the manufacturer. They must be having a TON of problems if the retailers won’t take them back any more!
Karen in Montreal January 22nd, 2010 at 3:20 pmThis is the third cuisinart convection bread maker we have owned. The first one lasted at least 5 years and made countless numbers of loafs, jams and chutneys. We replaced it because it was just looking so shoddy and it was difficult to get some of the stains out of it. Also all the print for the cycles had started to dissapear from continual cleaning. The second bread maker made it about 3 years and we replaced it for the same reason. We had one new pan replaced under warranty for that one. Now we have the third and it looks the same but it is a piece of crap. The pan pops out all the time. Although customer service explainded that you must pull the sides of the pan out to make it fit tighter or bend the tabs up inside the machine. I notice the inside of the baking chamber is very feeble compared to the first one we owned. Cuisinart convection bread maker, NEVER AGAIN.
James In Tofino British Columbia January 26th, 2010 at 12:59 pmI make bread every day and this machine has worked PERFECTLY for me. The recipes in the booklet work very well and I have tried a good number of them. The beer bread is delicious and the moz/tomato bread is great for making garlic bread. The white bread comes out very well and the sweet breads I have tried are all quite good. I have not made wheat bread due to the fact bread/all purpose flour costs 1 dollar for a 5 lb and wheat flour costs 3-4 dollars.
To anyone having trouble with floury loaves simple take a mixing spoon and gently stir the four corners during the mixing cycle. If you are trying to make your bread overnight use a more liquidy dough (such as the beer bread) or adjust the recipe to have a bit more liquid.
In terms of yeast make sure you take your yeast out measure and pour it and make sure you immeadiately put the yeast back into the freezer. Improper storage of yeast will impact your breads. Make sure the water and sugar are in the bottom of the pan with the flour above it and yeast on top so that the yeast does not touch sugar or water until it all gets mixed up.
Make sure you set the pan into the machine directly in the middle. Sounds like people are just loading it in wrong if they are popping out.
Nate January 26th, 2010 at 9:01 pmWe have had this breadmaker for over a year and loved it. Every loaf we have made has been perfectly baked and tasty. I have not bought bread since we got this machine. Yesterday I made rolls and then after taking out the dough and forming the buns to bake in the oven I started a loaf. When I went to remove the paddle upon hearing the signal I was surprised to see that the dough had not mixed. It seems the paddle motor gave up part way through the cycle. I tried starting again but only heard a clicking sound when it should have been kneading the dough. Fortunately we bought it at Costco and I was able to return it. They no longer carry this machine so I’m now looking for another. After reading all the comments here I am wondering if it should be a different brand.
Vicki in Burnaby BC February 21st, 2010 at 6:10 pmI started my bread machine and left the house, when I got home my bread machine was upside down on the floor, it must have shook so much it walked off the counter. It was a Xmas gift so I’m waiting for my son to find the receipt so I can exchange it. It makes excellemt bread
kerry March 3rd, 2010 at 1:04 pmI bought a Sunbeam Bread Maker and love it. It’s half the price. The bread is lighter using the same recipe. The time to make a whole wheat love is an hour less. It comes out of the pan easily without tearing a hole in the bread.
Vicki in Burnaby BC March 5th, 2010 at 12:00 pmI am joining the fray here, with my complaint about this bread machine. I actually like the look of it, and when the pan of my Breadman bread machine started to pop out during kneading (after only abou 8 months of use), I decided to buy the Cuisinart bread machine based on a number of reviews on various websites, and the sort of retro look, which I liked. I had strongly considered the Zojirushi bread machine, but it was $100 more. When the Cuisinart arrived, I was a little disappointed to see that the inside works looked identical to the Breadman’s – the pan, paddle, and even all the cycle numbers were the same, which leads me to believe that they ARE the same, but that the Cuisinart’s has a fancier “box”. I was really dismayed that on the very first use, the pan started to pop out during the knead cycle. I couldn’t believe it was happening again, with a brand new machine. I made a whole wheat bread that has come out perfectly numerous times in the Breadman, and it was, no surprise, a charred brick in the morning. It also seems that my machine has it’s own unique flaw, in that the paddle doesn’t fit as snugly on the pin as the Breadman’s did, so that there is a little bit of “play”. This causes bread dough to get stuck between the pin and the paddle, and prevents the paddle from being released when I try to take the bread OUT of the machine (and I’ve also really struggled to pull the pan out of the baking chamber as others have noted), so that when I finally wrenched the bread from the pan, the paddle, and about a fistful of the loaf remained stuck in the bottom of the pan. Oh yes, I also caught the thing as it was about to waltz off the counter and land on the kitchen floor. I’ve never been so disappointed with any product I’ve purchased before. I bought it from Amazon, and they’ve sent me a return shipping label, so I don’t have to pay to ship it back. And I did just order a Zojirushi after all. They make great products, and I’m hoping the bread machine will be at least as good as my rice cooker is!
Well, I feel better having found this group of sad souls!
Lyn March 19th, 2010 at 8:48 amLyn
I bought a (re-conditioned) CBK200 bread maker because of its ability to bake “artisan” loaves. The pan didn’t fit in properly and bounced around. I phoned up the customer service number and was told that because I’d bought a re-conditioned one the warranty did not apply even though it was well within the 90 days(when I bought it it came with a 90 day warranty). I bought a replacement pan from Cuisinart and it didn’t work any better. I left the handle up on the pan to kind of lock it into place. That worked for awhile, though it interfered with the baking of the bread.
Finally the thing just died after maybe a dozen uses. Live and learn.
Margaret March 20th, 2010 at 8:53 pmThis bread machine sucks! I have always loved Cuisinart products but this is a definite dud. Even on the lightest setting, the bread is overcooked and hard. Today, I left it alone while kneading (bad mistake). It fell over and broke the hinge on the lid. I’m going back to B&D.
Tami March 22nd, 2010 at 7:28 pmI have been making bread in our bread machine almost everyday since Christmas. I’ve only had 2 loaves not turn out – the rest have been very tasty. No complaints here!
Nancy March 27th, 2010 at 3:42 pmJ’utilise cette machine depuis bientôt 3 ans, 6 jours/7. Après quelques tâtonnements, j’ai réussi à trouver une recette qui me permet d’obtenir un pain parfait à tous les coups. (recette sur demande 😉
François March 29th, 2010 at 1:35 pmSeul problème: le moule amovible. J’ai du le changer trois fois (sous garantie) pour l’instant. Et je vais devoir le changer une quatrième fois dans la période de garantie de la machine.
Le clip qui maintien l’axe dans lequel s’emboîte la pale de pétrissage est sujet à la corrosion très rapidement. Même en séchant le moule après chaque nettoyage. Cette petite pièce finit par ne plus remplir sa fonction de maintien de l’axe. L’eau commence à s’infiltrer dans la machine lors du pétrissage. Cette eau salée accélère le processus de corrosion du clip. Le clip du moule finit par se désintégrer, l’axe n’est plus maintenu et passe au travers du moule au lieu de rester en place.
Les remplacements du moule ont été fait sans discuter. Les moules de remplacement ont tous la même conception et finissent par être hors d’usage les 9 mois pour un usage quasi-quotidien.
La machine elle-même subit des dommages du fait de ces infiltrations répétées (je ne me lève pas la nuit pour éponger les fuites).
La machine sait faire du bon pain, mais un défaut majeur de conception du moule en fait un modèle à éviter. Même si, en faisant son pain soi-même, l’investissement est amorti au bout de quelques mois.
Dommage car elle fait du très bon pain entre deux réparations. Du côté de Cusinart, c’est le mutisme complet quand à ce défaut. Le produit est toujours commercialisé.
http://www.cuisinart.ca/cuisinart_product.php?product_id=8&item_id=11&cat_id=24
Bonjour François,
nicolas April 6th, 2010 at 6:50 amMême prob ici.
Mais là l’entrainement (engrenage ou courroie) est brisé, je dois l’ouvrir et voir si c’est réparable.
Avez-vous eu le problème d’entrainement vous?
merci
I have had the same problem with the pan popping out every couple of minutes. After tweeking the clips and that not solving my problem, I went out to the garden and got a brick…not kidding…yes a standard brick and put it in a ziplock bag and placed it across the top of the pan. The lid closed 90% of the way and the brick held the pan in place during the kneading cycle. I removed the brick before the baking cycle. I can no longer use the delay feature with this method but at least I do not have to babysit the machine any more. Insane I know but it worked.
Deb April 6th, 2010 at 9:33 pmDeb
My Cuisinart bread maker CBK-200 is now 2 1/2 years old. Within first eight months I had to purchase new bread pan. The shaft for the paddle was extremely hard to turn and the seal finally give up. It was impossible to make bread with leaking pan. Second pan lasted longer due to leaving few drops of cooking oil in the pan after each bake. A week ago machine drive belt (the connection between the motor and paddle drive @ the bottom of machine) droped off the pulleys.
Replacing drive belt takes five to ten minutes if you can find a belt anywhere in Canada. Cuisinart WILL NOT PROVIDE YOU WITH A NEW BELT!! Also, they will NOT GIVE YOU SERVICE TELEPHONE NUMBER!! Imagine, YOU CAN NOT PURCHASE drive belt for the machine!! Machine still looks like new and the representative @ Cuisinart is telling me to ship the bread maker to them.
Due to the fact that I CAN NOT PURCHASE a new drive belt for Cuisinart bread maker I will have to dispose of otherwise reasonably good machine.
IT IS A CRIME TO THROW $175.00 IN THE GARBAGE BECAUSE OF EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE @ Cuisinart.
CUISINART TODAY AND NEVER AGAIN!!
Robert April 14th, 2010 at 10:30 amGot this bread machine for Christmas this year, and absolutely LOVE it. I have had none – and I mean NONE of the problems I have read about above. Noise? A simple food processor is MUCH less noisy. Not a problem at all.
PJB May 20th, 2010 at 12:24 pmI’ve tried 20 or so recipes and all have turned out wonderfully. No problem with pan popping out, it hasn’t walked off the counter top (!), the paddle blade works and fits and works just fine. Maybe they’ve made some improvements on the the newer models. Myself, I just leave the paddle in for entire duration – the little hole it leave in the bottom of the loaf bothers me not at all. I highly recommend this wonderful bread machine, and I’ve owned four different ones!
Sorry – above comment should read ‘a simple food processor is much MORE noisy…..
PJB May 20th, 2010 at 12:25 pmhi there i got this bread maker. i like it but i got 1 problem. My dough STICKS also it burn my bread.. any thing i can do?
nicky June 16th, 2010 at 10:03 pmCuisinart CBK-200 Programable bread Machine …
Robert Haggerty June 19th, 2010 at 1:51 amI use it about 1-2 each month and I’ve had it for over 2 years without any mechanical trouble. I agree it is a little noisy, and the display is difficult to read/set. I usually use only the setting for a light crust (especially when using sugar, honey or milk in a recipe). I tend to monitor the kneading process, adding a little flour if necessary, scraping the corners when I mistakenly put the dry ingredients in ahead of the wet ingredients (from some of the complaints I’ve read, some users may not be reading the instruction manual when they complain of flour sticking in the corners), and a final spritz of olive oil and I’ve gotten great breads everytime. Robert Haggerty
I only wish I had read these reviews before my husband went out and bought this bread machine – what a disaster! Problem is, where I live, there is only this brand, nothing else available. I agree with many of the comments above and I am also very disappointed with it. On my second machine too – the first one didn’t even make proper bread. Biggest problem: Cannot get the pan out after making the bread – need a strong man to do it and even then, feel as though the machine is going to break. Cuisineart – this is very bad publicity for you.
Suzanne August 1st, 2010 at 1:54 pmWe’ve had this bread maker for about 7 months now, making whole wheat and gluten free breads, generally of spectacular quality. However, the pan is junk as the red rubber seal cracked and leaks in grease, leaks out wet dough. The pan is very flexible and gets bent during washing, which is why many people experience the pan popping out during kneading. Simply bend it outwards with two hands with a few pounds of force and it will seat nicely in the tabs again. To remove the pan, don’t yank on it!! It’s supposed to be ‘locked’ in there so that it won’t jump out during kneading. To remove it, just push back on one of the chrome tabs at a time (with an oven mitt on). But, about 2 weeks ago, it simply started making bricks out of our gluten free loaves which is extremely disappointing. We purchased this machine so we could make gluten free bread rather than buy crumbly commercial loaves at $ 8.00 apiece. We can’t figure out why the bricks now, being extra careful with ingredients, replacing the yeast. But, whole wheat loaves are still coming out fluffy and light. We’ve never had a burnt loaf, and they’re always uniformly baked inside and out. At least the bricks are uniform…..
Percy August 4th, 2010 at 9:11 pmWe have had this Cuisinart cbk-200 bread machine for a few years now. It is our 5th or 6th bread machine, dating back to our first old round “R2D2” glass domed machine. In our opinion, Cuisinart has very nearly perfected it. We use this machine a lot and it hasn’t had a problem. Lots of power (a problem with the early machines), and perfect loaves every time. We’ve had no problems with the pan like some of the other folks have had. It does occasionally require scraping the flour from the corners occasionally during mixing, but with the reversing mixing action, not as much as our previous machines. Based on our experience with it, we recommend it highly.
Steve September 3rd, 2010 at 11:18 pmAfter using a different bread machine for twenty years and having no problems I thought it would be the same with the cuisinart but no. I do not like the recipes in the book that comes with the machine but I guess that is me. I have a problem with the bread rising. The first two rises is great but after the third it sinks in the middle.Tried adding a little extra flour as sugested but still the same results. If i just set it on dough cycle then rise in loaf pan and bake in oven I get great bread but I do like the convenience of the machine doing it all. The name Cuisinart should be better than that.
Helen October 22nd, 2010 at 1:04 pmi just received this bread maker a few weeks ago and finally had the chance to make a loaf yesterday. As a personal chef, I think this machine does a WHOLE lot better than some of the other machines. At the end of the dough cycle, there was not a bit of flour or anything around the edges…the pan was pretty clean.
dallas covington October 25th, 2010 at 6:58 amI let the machine do all of the work while I tended to other duties in the kitchen. I give this a 5 star out or 5 star rating. It is a help in the kitchen–especially when the holidays get here.
As for the exterior design, I personally think it is perfectly fine. I accidentally got some flour dust on the machine and cleaning it off was a snap. Some people just have to find something wrong with the machine–job security you know… 🙂
hi..i tried the bread that my friend made using this bread machine, and i think the wheat bread she made is kinda dry. I would consider buying the machine but I dont want to have a dry bread. It taste good, but the texture is dry for me that I cant even finish one slice. Do you guys have similar experience????
hei October 27th, 2010 at 8:39 pmHas anyone actually made jam in the machine? I just purchased this machine after rave reviews from numerous friends. Haven’t actually received the machine yet but am excited to try out making my own bread when it does arrive. Wish me luck!
Tarah November 7th, 2010 at 5:30 pmI’ve liked my cuisinart but am now having trouble with grease coming up throught the mixing mechanism. Not sure what to do as I’m kind of dreading talking with customer service department after reading these comments. Machine is also VERY NOISY! Will likely not get another cuisinart bread machine.
Leanne November 8th, 2010 at 1:24 pmoh no…I should have read these reviews before I bought the machine…will be here in 4 weeks..used my points…so if it is as bad as many claim, I’m not out of pocket…fingers crossed it is not a dud!!
Gina November 9th, 2010 at 1:15 pmI am finding the Cuisinart CBK-200 Bread Machine overly knead the dough
for gluten free. I too, have to stand nearby and scrape the edges several times to get it all to mix. I have heard since purchasing this one, that
a true gluten free cycle should do only one kneading. Do you have a suggestion or is there another cycle that would do just this bypassing the gluten free cycle? It is expensive to have one that makes such solid
bread. Response?
Thank you –
Joan Bona November 9th, 2010 at 10:14 pmI came here looking for a replacement instruction booklet/recipes for a CBK200WS. The link above to the Canada Cuisinart site had a download link so you all have solved my problem. Sorry that so many are having so many problems. Mine is 3 years old and it is a dream machine compared to the last one (Panasonic) I had. Two pound French loves are the favorite here in North Carolina!
John Cook November 14th, 2010 at 10:19 amI got this bread machine for christmas las year and I am very dissatified with it. I have tried numerous times to make a loaf of white bread and each time it has come out like a brick. What a big waste of money. I do not recomend this to anyone.
Alicia December 19th, 2010 at 8:49 pmI use the bread machine almost once a week and I can say that it is not durable at all. This is the fourth Cuisinart breadmaker that I exchange under warranty due to problem with the breadmaker. The first time was the paddle that keep on falling of while kneading the bread. The second time was the bucket that was popping out from the motor coupling. The third was the beeper that wasn’t working. Now with the fourth Cuisinart breadmaker, the gasket between the paddle shaft and the bucket is brolen. Conclusion I am competely dissatisfied with this breadmachine.
Daniel Picard December 23rd, 2010 at 7:48 pmI got this bread machine for Christmas. I started my first loaf, within 10 minutes the loaf pan had popped out, and then popped out again another half dozen times over the next 10 minutes before I shut it down, read the above reviews, and put the whole thing back in the box to return it. I tossed the blob of dough and started a new loaf in my superior old Black and Decker.
Doug December 27th, 2010 at 4:38 pmI received this bread machine for Christmas. I have made several loaves of white bread and a couple loaves of cinnamon raisin bread. All have turned out very well. I have had the pan pop out a couple of times but none of the other problems. My problem with the machine is that the cycle indicator arrow does not work. I contacted Cuisinart and they are going to replace it.
Pam January 13th, 2011 at 9:18 pmOkay it has been 2 months with my bread machine at it is great. I use it weekly and have not had a problem with it. (Maybe those in Canada are made differently than in the US). I am loving it! Others at work who have the same machine have also had great success with this machine.
Gina January 14th, 2011 at 3:42 pmI am having a blast with this machine. I have made all homemade bread and the pizza dough is awesome…Just received it as a gift Christmas and have used it at least every three days…my neighbors love it as well! I am not having any issues. If you stick with the directions in the recipe book and make sure they are exactly right (including the type of flour you are using) you should be ok!!! LOVE THIS MACHINE!
karen January 16th, 2011 at 12:35 pmI just purchased a Cuisinart CBK bread Machine and I can not get the pan out. We have tried all kinds of things and it will NOT come out. Can anyone give me an idea as to how it comes out? I there a trick? Thanks.
Connie mazzucchi January 23rd, 2011 at 6:57 pmI posted a while back but have since received a replacement unit for the one that I was having a problem with. This one works perfectly. I LOVE IT!!
Pam January 25th, 2011 at 4:42 pmHave made white bread, white whole wheat bread, cinnamon raisin bread, french bread and hamburger buns. Every recipe has turned out very well, particularly considering I have to adjust for high altitude baking. I measure my ingredients very carefully using a digital scale for the flour. Having a lot of fun with this new bread machine. Would recommend it.
To all of the recent posters…just wait. It’s not IF the machine will fail but WHEN. My second replacement is failing after only a few months. I plan on running it into the ground and then off to the recycling depot where hopefully it will be made into something useful.
David February 10th, 2011 at 9:24 amI’ve had the machine a year now, and bake one loaf a week. On occasion, I’ll make two loaves. I make the challah loaf from the recipe book, which is utterly delicious. Fluffy, light and buttery, the kids just tear into it. Mostly I make a loaf with some whole wheat flour. The whole wheat loaves are usually pretty good, sometimes they come out denser but by and large I’ve been happy with the results. No problems with the clips or pans so far, and the bread pops out after a small shake. I would guess the teflon coating on the problem machines from other posters are defective some way. I’ve had a few problems with the flour in the corners, but since I monitor the liquid/flour ratio during the initial knead stage, it hasn’t been an issue at all.
I do agree the crusts are a bit harder than optimal, but mine havn’t burnt (yet!) I always bake at light crust, and with whole wheat the bottom crust can become dark. Interestingly, a friend who ate a hunk of of my bread told me that my crust was much better than hers on the same machine. So there must be quality control issues in general.
Anyway I do like my machine and would recommend it. Tomato bread made with fresh ripe tomatoes in this machine is a real summer treat.
BTW I did not know convection was an option! off to look at the controls now. Right now I’m making Portugese corn bread for the first time.
Catherine February 19th, 2011 at 10:57 amThis is my first bread machine, but what a disappointment! The ingredients simply do not mix together, and I end up with loaves that don’t look like loaves at all, but more like lumpy bricks. If I’m not around to remove the paddle, the loaf becomes even more unattractive because it’s impossible to dig it out of the bottom. I’ve tried everything to get the ingredients to mix together, and they simply will not. It’s like the paddle needs to be bigger or something. Hugely dissatisfied!
Kristina February 25th, 2011 at 10:13 amI was making “bricks” like Kristina until I found that if I really packed the flour into the measuring cup, the bread turned out perfectly. My problem is that on the weekend, I wanted to make a sweet bread. I used program #12 for the first time. I pressed program #12, 1.5lb, medium crust. It beeped at the correct time for the add-ins; however it beeped at 1:47min for me to take out the paddle. It should have beeped at 1:24min, according to the book. After it cooked and I removed the loaf from the pan, I thought the crust came out too dark. I made a second sweet bread, program #12, light crust, 1.5lb. It beeped at 2:59 for the add-ins, the correct time; it beeped to have the paddle removed at 1:44, and NOT 1:24 as it should have. I can only wonder what other programs are not working/timed correctly. I definitely did NOT use program 13, the Rapid Sweet Bread. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it worth going to the trouble of sending the breadmaker back to the company?
Gail O February 25th, 2011 at 4:01 pmResponding to Gail. It is definitely worth calling Cuisinart about your problem. They sent me a new machine without any problem. When all the ingredients are used correctly and your machine is working properly this machine makes a delicious loaf of bread. Measuring correctly (preferable weighing ingredients) is critical. I’ve only been baking machine bread for about two months now and we will not eat store bought anymore. (Including hamburger buns)
Pam February 27th, 2011 at 7:53 pmI’ve since also tried the French bread loaf from the Cuisinart recipe book. It is just delicious, the crust was crunchy and thick, and the crumb was chewy and really tasty. So far, everything I’ve tried from the recipe book was good. The adjustment I make though, is that I rarely use more than one teaspoon of yeast, even when the recipe indicates 2+ teaspoons. I don’t notice any change at all in the rise of the dough. I did have a bit more of an issue releasing this recipe from the pan, but a good whack did the trick. So for me, I still would recommend the machine.
Catherine March 3rd, 2011 at 6:01 pmI’m responding to Catherine regarding the french bread loaf. The last time I tried to make it, a total flop. Tried two batches that day and both were put in the garbage can. The liquid was way too much and even adding add’l flour could never get it right. Any suggestions on what the problem may have been? I had made it one time before and it was a little wet but nothing like this. It did rise and bake even though it was not perfect it was edible.
Pam March 3rd, 2011 at 6:47 pmHi Pam. I always use the Light Crust Settings for all my breads. I believe I did add a bit more flour than called for, but not not significantly so. I always adjust the flour/water in the machine once it starts mixing, so I’ve never had an unsuccessful loaf. Was it a wet humid day? I did start with the full amount of water called for, and only 1 tsp of yeast. It rose above the pan, almost but not quite to the window. I used 1 tsp of salt, I don’t believe in adding much salt or yeast to my breads. The loaf was seriously delicious with a wonderful chewy salty crumb.
Catherine March 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 pmCatherine, no I don’t believe it was a humid day. We live in the mountains of NC and we have particularly dry air in the wintertime. I do have to adjust my ingredients for high altitude baking and have been successful with other recipes. Like I said before, I did make it one time and it was decent. It rose and baked but as I remember it was a little more wet than it should have been. I have come a long way with my bread baking since I baked the first loaf and have learned how to get the consistency right during the initial kneading stage so I will just have to try again. I wanted to make sure the recipe was correct before trying again. I’m having really good luck with bread using half white whole wheat flour and half bread flour. It comes out perfect.
Pam March 4th, 2011 at 6:24 pmPam, good luck with that. Sometimes the bread gremlin just dictates the loaf. When you get a good French loaf, you’ll love it. The other bread I really enjoy from the recipe book is the Challah, if you havn’t tried it yet. It’s really more of a brioche loaf, but it is so light and buttery, I can’t stop eating it. Sometimes I add a few dried cranberries to the dough. Again, even for a 2 pound loaf I only use 1 1/2 tsp of yeast and it rises very nicely. I also have good luck with partial whole wheat loaves. Maple syrup makes a very nice combination. Glad both of you are having fun with our machines, especially when reading the comments of bakers less fortunate than us with the Cuisinart quality.
Catherine March 4th, 2011 at 8:46 pmWe’ve had our bread machine for two years and have had lots of success. We generally remove the bread from the bucket at the remove paddle stage and shape and bake it in oven. We just like the shape of the loaves better. The gasket at the bottom of the bucket where the paddle fits has deteriorated. Can we get a replacement?
Dell Mitchell March 5th, 2011 at 4:00 pmCatherine if you haven’t been to the King Arthur website for recipes, you should. They have some really good bread recipes. I just made a loaf of white bread from their King Arthur baking book today (also on website) which turned out great. I used King Arthur all-purpose flour. Most of their bread recipes call for all-purpose. Try their website, you’ll enjoy it.
Pam March 6th, 2011 at 3:47 pmHi Pam, I’ve been to the website, but havn’t tried any of the recipes yet. I did buy the Beth Hensberger book, but the recipes overall don’t look that appealing to me, although I’ve read raves about them. She seems to require a lot of dried buttermilk powder and lots of yeast. I think I’ll have more luck on King Arthur or Robin Hood.
Catherine March 6th, 2011 at 10:46 pmI have been doing a lot of practicing with the Cuisinart. I find that I get a far nicer “whole wheat” loaf if I substitute two cups of white flour for two cups of the whole wheat flour. My problem now is that the seal is leaking grease. I have never put the pan in the dishwaher and have not even immersed it in water, even thought the book says you can. I am disappointed, esp since I have not even had it one year.
Gail O March 19th, 2011 at 11:18 amthe last two times I also noticed the grease coming from the paddle. Very disappointed, I’ve had the the machine for just over a year, and have also never immersed the pan in water. I’m also looking for ideas on how to fix this.
Catherine March 24th, 2011 at 7:22 pmI’m a real fan of this bread machine. I bake a loaf literally every day. Have done for 8 years, 5+ years with the Cuisinart. I only buy the Cuisinart machines now. Are very well built, and last the longest by far in my experience. Yes, the paddle is always hard to get out so I don’t bother trying. I just turn the pan with the loaf upside down and shake out the bread. The paddle stays in the pan, then I just add enough water to cover the paddle, let it soak for 10 minutes, then scrape off bread stuck to the paddle. I just never totally remove it. Slight nuisance but not a big deal to me.
I’m big into healthy bread and this machine does a fantastic job. I modify the white bread recipe: 2 cups white flour, 1 cup whole wheat, and one more cup of little bits of everything, usually 1/4 each of bran, flax meal, flax seed & sunflower seeds. Then 2 tsp. salt, 3 tbspn oil & sugar (molasses for me) & 2 tsp of yeast and VOILA!!! wholesome, delicious, nutritious loaf every time on setting # one. NOTE: seeds don’t absorb as much water as flour in which case I might need to add another Tblsp or 2 of flour otherwise too wet. Until the ball is just slightly tacky. Not wet.
They stand behind their warranty well. Am now looking for new machine. After about 3-4 years my machine has finally died after daily use. My family is in shock without their tasty toast in the morning. And we pretty much spit out the store bought junk as uneatable in comparison.
Oh, about the seal in the pan. Yes, thats the one WEAKSPOT on the unit that wears prematurely if water left in it. Initially I would load up the breadmaker at night and use the timer to start baking at 5 a.m. I found I went through a lot of pan’s this way. Seal kept breaking and then leaking. So I switched to just starting the loaf before bedtime every night – no sitting in the pan- and now the pans last for ages without leaks. That’s many years of experience talking.
To those having problems with the pan popping out while baking, I fixed that easily by pulling up the metal tabs at either end that hold the pan in place. Do that and problem fixed.
Ted April 3rd, 2011 at 3:17 pmSo I’ve become verrrry attached to this machine, its few foibles notwithstanding. Happy baking to all!!!!
My husband and I love this machine. We use it ever day (we’ve had it for 5 months), have never had a problem and the bread is great. We try different variations and different recipes and have only had one bad loaf – but that was because of some subsititutions we made on our own. The only time this machine might be considered a little noisy is when it is kneading, but i find it a comforting sound. We have had the basket pop out while kneading a couple of times but we think it’s because we didn’t snap it in properly. I highly recommend this machine – well worth the money.
Georgi Abbott May 14th, 2011 at 3:43 pmTed, You need to taste real bread. Cuisinart’s bread is garbage.
Mitch Allaby June 17th, 2011 at 3:00 pmI’m still waiting after all these years to hear from Cuisinart. PURE CRAP
Mitch Allaby June 17th, 2011 at 3:01 pmMitch, The Cuisinart bread machine makes “real” bread if you know how to bake with it. I’m fairly new to using this bread machine and it makes delicious bread every time. Maybe you just don’t know how to use it!
Pam June 22nd, 2011 at 6:14 pmI just bought this model off of craigslist and omg….i wish i would have researched this first. What a piece of shit. A day and a half later the motor has gone out. I hate myself for not researching this model and after reading everything on it I would have never gotten this. Waste of $ and now I am pissed and without a bread machine. The bread I did get to make was only ok. Nothing to get super excited over. I guess you live and you learn and never buy Cuisinart!!!
jen June 24th, 2011 at 3:41 pmI wonder if all the machines are not made in the same place. I’ve been using mine for about 6 months and it does a great job for me. It makes delicious bread and I have had no mechanical problems. Those who have problems and post it makes all the others look bad.
Pam June 24th, 2011 at 6:05 pmPam,
Mitch June 25th, 2011 at 4:16 pmI made bread for years with my old B&D and had no problems. I know how to make bread. Cuisinart has a big problem making bread makers. I will never buy anything with their name on it because of this. NEVER! If you go back through the posts you wiil find over two thirds of the respondants are unhappy. That’s a huge number!
BTW…I bought a used Sanyo bread maker at a yard sale and I can hardly hear it running. It runs fine and the bread is great. It cost me just over $11 for the machine.
A few months ago I posted how disappointed i was that my nearly new (15 month old) bread pan was leaking oil. What I found, was that if I didn’t remove the paddle, then the bread dough that was stuck between the paddle and the red seal in effect blocked the oil. So I’ve been using it that way since March, although I don’t like the big hole it creates in the bread. via email, Cuisinart customer service (Conair in Ontario, Canada) advised me to mail in my bread pan with the receipt and $10 for return postage. I wasn’t too keen on that, since I’d also have to pay for the outgoing postage! Would have been $20 for a warranty covered product. So I procrastinated.
Yesterday I called customer service and and pleasant surprise! The clerk said that due to Canadian postal strike, they would just send me a new paddle and pan, no charge. Boy am I happy ! They also called me back a few hours later to give me the shipping number of the pan. I’m impressed.
Today I made the Swiss Zopt (sp??) egg bread from the Beth Hensberger book. Came out beautifull and the paddle slipped straight out from the bread with only a sharp little tear. Minimal damage. Beautiful.
Catherine June 29th, 2011 at 5:44 pmI just received the Cuisinart CBK-200 and I am returning it. It is very noisy and burns the bread no matter what setting of darkness I put it on. I do not like it.
Stephanie July 7th, 2011 at 6:53 pmHey Stephanie…maybe some of these folks who love their Cuisincrap breadmakers will offer to buy it off you.
Mitch July 22nd, 2011 at 10:42 pmYeah, I’m regretting my purchase…thought I had done enough homework, but now I realize that I had not.
I’m having three problems with the bread itself. The pan has popped out of the clips. I have had to push the ingredients down on the corners of the machine, and I’ve had a few burnt loaves.
However my biggest frustration contradicts what others have reported here. I think these recipes with their ridiculous esoteric ingredients are nearly impossible to make. I can’t even find most of the speciality ingredients at my large local grocer. Who’s even heard of garfava flour or sorghum flour. How completely impractical !! Even the less speciality ingredients like barley flour and potato starch, are a pain. Even if you can find half these ingredients, they’re stinking expensive.
I like bread making as a hobby, and it’s certainly not about saving money by making my own bread so me thinks this bread maker isn’t long for my kitchen. 🙁
Brent August 2nd, 2011 at 3:24 amMy son bought me this bread machine at a garage sale for 25.00. I love it. The first time I used it I used cold milk and it was like a brick. Now I let it come to room temp and never have any problems. It is a little noisy but I like that as I know it is working.
Terry September 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pmI use a panasonic breadmaker and love it. My daughter got this Cuisinart model for a gift and she thought she had a good one. She cannot make bread in it so dumps it on me and it is very difficult to use. I spent a lot of time reading all the information but the bread is a mess. Did not rise and the one basic receipt is what I followed. When she received it the leg was missing the the store would not replace it and the company sen her another one but she could never bake the bread. The store would not replace it. I find that strange as my coffee maker (Cuisinart) quit after seven months and Canadian Tire replaced it. Also, my friend purchased the breadmaker at a small store and was displeased and they gave her money back. they did say they were having a lot of problems with the breadmakers so did not want to replace it. They value their customers. When you buy an appliance of top quality you expect it to work.
Andrea Hale September 13th, 2011 at 3:42 pmWill my Cuisanart Bread machine alarm at the end of the sweet bread rising cycle so that I can make cinnamon rolls?
Joyce SIgler September 13th, 2011 at 4:21 pmI got my cuisinart bread maker as a Christmas gift 9 months ago. I had an older one I got at a yard sale that worked great and was so easy but wanted this one because of the way it looked mostly and I knew cuisinart was a good name. Well…I HATE IT!!!!! And I think Cuisinart is an awful company who does not stand behind their products. I have never made a decent loaf of bread with this. The recipes are ridiculous with all the different ingredients you need. I followed the recipes completely and all I ever get is a blob of cooked dough! I tried to take it back to Home Hardware where it was purchased 2 weeks later and they wouldn’t and told me I had to go through Cuisinart. They were no help. They said I could send it back for repair which would cost money for shipping and probably wouldn’t make any difference. I even sent it to my mother’s to try to see if she would have any luck cause she makes bread in her black and decker bread machine all the time. She tried twice and said all she got was a blob of dough! I have other cuisinart appliances but because of such poor customer service I will never buy another cuisinart appliance. I don’t know what to do with this lemon of a bread maker, which by the way cost $150! I guess I’ll have to throw it in the garbage.
Linda Morse September 14th, 2011 at 12:52 amI have this machine. I bought it at Bed Bath & Beyond for $99. I purchased it to replace a never-quite-worked-right other brand. I love it. I’ve never had an issue with it leaving bits of flour in the corner or the paddle coming off in the bread. I don’t care what it looks like as I don’t leave it out on my counter (it sets on the counter in my laundry room) but I don’t mind the style at all and have no cleaning issues any different than any other model (have had two others). I have made jam in it and it’s delicious and easy. I think all-around it’s a good breadmaker. Not as great as the Mister Loaf that I still use for small loaves but right up there. I have had it for over two years. Three years this Christmas.
Bev Matheson October 4th, 2011 at 8:03 pmMy fiance and I found a west bend automatic bread & dough maker at a rummage sale for $.25 and we thought if it didn’t work it only cost us a quarter. I’m trying it right now for the first time and the first few minutes it made a clicking sound every few seconds. Does anybody know why? I’ve never used a bread machine and I am very nervous…
Laura Ehlers October 24th, 2011 at 8:32 pmHola, que tal, disculpe las molestias, necesitaria el manual de la maquina de pan cuisinart cbk-200 en castellano, si me podrian mandar a mi mail el pdf del mismo les agradeceria un monton. Gracias
Daniel October 25th, 2011 at 10:03 pmI received this bread maker as a wedding gift and want to make a loaf for Thanksgiving. My bread pan will NOT come out. What am I doing wrong?
Lindsay November 21st, 2011 at 4:39 pmI bought a Cuisineart CBK-200 Bread Machine about 2 to 3 years ago and just started using it last month. I have tried 3 recipes. The whole wheat with honey, the whole wheat with buttermilk and the white bread. I have made 6 loaves in total. The taste is O.K. but I believe that there is a flaw with the baking element. Every time I have baked a loaf, the crust at the sides of the bread was burnt and was hard like a rock. I don’t like the height of the medium loaf; it was so high that I had to cut the slices in two. I phoned the company and they said that I have to mail it back because they do not use service men. This is going to cost me a lot of money to mail. There is only a three year warranty and I can’t even find the bill and I am not sure when I bought it. I do not recommend the machine to anyone. Try another brand. I am really disappointed with this machine.
Angela December 11th, 2011 at 5:47 pmTo Linsay: Try pressing it down first.
Angela December 11th, 2011 at 5:48 pmI make (okay, made) great bread with this breadmaker. Now it’s leaking oil at the base of the paddle. I can replace the pan to address that, but there’s another problem, so I have a question: when using the dough cycle, I noticed that the paddle mixes for three minutes (as the manual says) but then it doesn’t move after that. The manual says it should be kneading for 27 minutes after the initial 3-minute mix. Same thing on the white bread cycle…it mixes for 3 or 4 minutes and then it seems to move straight into rising rather than the “knead” portion. The total time seems to be correct, but my ingredients are not getting mixed and the dough is not kneaded enough.
Am I right that these stages are not working the way they should? Do other users’ breadmakers run a decent, long kneading period near the start of the cycle as indicated by the manual? Or is it meant to run the paddle for the first 3 or 4 minutes only and then go directly to the first rise? I’ve usually used the timer and so have slept through the process most of the time!
Sandra December 19th, 2011 at 7:50 amMy wife has this machine for 2 years now (BKR-400C from costco) and she uses it every weak. Had to fine tune a few receipe to make the bread how she likes it but overall she is very satisfied with it. However the shaft/seal at the botom of the pan will eventually break making ingredients leak into the machine. Her mom has the same machine and it happened to her too. You can however order the pan from Cuisinart for about 20$ with shipping wich is pretty reasonable. I would prefer a better build but… I took the pan apart to see why it broke and think that if you hand wash the pan instead of putting into the dishwasher it should last longer. Water gets into the shaft from being upside down in the dishwasher. The retainers that hold the shaft in place then rust and brake making the shaft loose and not sealed. So we will try handwashing the next one and regularely lubricate the shaft with a non toxic lubricant and see what happens.
Louis December 19th, 2011 at 6:09 pmI’m amazed at how many problems some of you have had. We are on our second Cuisinart CBK-200 —we wore out the first one! We never buy bread any more because we make at least one loaf a week. It always bakes perfectly, and we haven’t had a bad loaf yet.
Adrienne December 31st, 2011 at 8:57 pmGot mine for a wedding gift in November and absolutely love it! We make bread a couple times a week, too. No issues and the bread comes out perfectly every time. It is a little noisy when it first is mixing ingredients, but nothing terrible.
Jessie January 6th, 2012 at 1:42 amGlad to see a couple of success stories with the Cuisinart bread machine. I’ve been using mine for a year now and have had great results. I make several different kinds of bread and they all turn out great. We do not buy store bought bread anymore, it just doesn’t compare. I haven’t had any of the problems mentioned above with this bread machine. I highly recommend the Cuisinart bread machine.
Pam January 7th, 2012 at 2:24 amThe electronics in mine just failed after about 2 years. The screen is blank and the buttons don’t beep. 🙁
tOM Trottier January 11th, 2012 at 8:02 amBurnt bread everytime, and this is not addressed in the troubleshooting portion of the guide…go figure!! What is the solution, please?!
julie January 14th, 2012 at 2:06 amI have the same problem with the shaft/seal. I’ve had the machine for 2 years and loving it. The shaft/seal was starting to get loose 3/4 months ago and some ingredient leak into the machine. It became so loose that water started to leak out the last time I used it. I’ve always washed it by hand. Hope they can improve this. Will have to order the pan. Didn’t keep the receipt and didn’t register on line when I bought it.
Zelda January 19th, 2012 at 8:23 pmI received the Cuisinart CBK-200C as a Christmas gift, and have yet to use it (thankfully). I was going to use it today but upon taking it out of the box and opening it up I was disappointed.. I really do not like how tall and narrow the pan is..
Angel January 28th, 2012 at 3:13 pmI was excited that it has a gluten-free setting, as I am gluten intolerant and allergic to wheat. But after reading all these reviews I think I’m just going to post it up on craigslist and find myself a better product!!
I’ve had the CBK-200C, for a couple of months.
And I’ve been doing fine untils now.
To start off, a lot of the above problems people are talking about, are user errors.
You can’t realy complain if your bread is not perfect.
Baking, is an extreemly precice activity, affected by the slightest variations, in room , water and mix temperature and freshness.
And not to mention, the little overlooked things, like the order of and time variations in adding flour and stuff to water, if the flour sits a little to long in the water, before putting in the rest of the stuff ect.
So, you should not complain about the baked product, the problem is you and your recipes, or your variations on, because you can’t follow a recipe without changing it. This machine workes as advertised BUT.
There is a problem or two that I am furious about.
1 The pan, was realy hard to remove the first time.
2 The pan, now will not stay locked and it pops out, making the machine USELESS. I can fix anything , but this is a design flaw and cannot be fixed without eventualy destroying the machine and voiding the waranty.
3 The machine can’t handle, experimenting with recipes, because your dough might get to heavy or sticky for the motor and it will burn. there is no warning, or feature to avoid this.
So you can only use prooven bread machine recipes. Or watch the machine like a HAWK IF BEING CREATIVE.
4 The darn thing is dangerous, because it can walk off the counter.
Note: This is my first machine, but I have many years experiance, in design, manufacturing and quality assurance.
The flaws that I find, are extreemly oubvious and this machine is still in early design stage, and is definatly not ready for market yet.
So, how can they sell this thing yet, it’s has more flaws, the a 7th grade school project.
I am returning mine to (Personal Edge),and they better not give me a hard time about it.
So good luck, and remember, baking is chemistry, don’t mess wih any part of the recipe, without first following it exactly, and that means, water temp ~85 deg. add things quickly and the same way every single time, answering the phone, while baking, will destroy the end product.
Mark
Mark March 7th, 2012 at 1:54 amHello, I have had this machine for at least 3 yrs, tho most of that time it wasnt used. recently I started using it at least once a week for the past couple months. Yesterday I was making a loaf and it kept just kneeding and kneeding and wouldnt kick into the rest of the cycle. I had to take the bread out and make it manually. Is there something I pushed by accident or something that would cause this??
Chari Alexander March 23rd, 2012 at 1:19 pmI own a cuisinart bread maker. I make bread for my family every three days. My problem is that the bread pan fails after less than a year’s use. The gasket and or the pin in the pan fail. I have replaced at least 3 pans in less than 2 yrs. Is there anything I can do to extent the life of the bread pan?
Wanda May 8th, 2012 at 9:34 pmThanks
I’ve had a CBK-200 for almost 2 years. I enjoy using it, and have good results with a variety of recipes. The only time I’ve had a failed loaf is where the water was too hot (killed the yeast) or too cold. Measuring the water temperature for bread baking is critical — water must be between 90-105 deg. F., or you will get a lump that did not rise. This is NOT the fault of the bread machine. Note that I ALWAYS wash the pan and paddle by hand to avoid problems — the non-stick coatings on them work well and I never need to use vegetable spray.
The CBK-200 bakes a variety of herb breads, and simple European breads (4 ingredients only — water, salt, flour and yeast) well. I’ve baked over 50 loaves without a problem.
I will likely purchase another one for our summer home, as our 15 year old Breadman’s motor appears to have died today.
Allan June 7th, 2012 at 10:25 amLike the last poster Allan, I LOVE my CBK200!!!
Absolutely the greatest breadmaker I’ve bought and I’ve had many.
Follow directions precisely and it won’t fail you.
Abbie
Abbie June 20th, 2012 at 1:39 pmYour machine is a piece of sh**. I want to make bread-not jam or any fancy crap-just bread. If a person doesn’t know how to make bread in the first place, they don’t need your machine. I’m going to file it in the garbage, pronto
Mike McSorley August 24th, 2012 at 6:57 pmafter the second machine gave up the gost I have decided to NEVER EVER buy another one!
joerg September 20th, 2012 at 6:32 amWorst breadmaker on the market. Have had to replace the pan twice [LEAKING] and is so noisy we had to move it down to the basement.
Marv December 3rd, 2012 at 10:56 amI have been using my Cuisinart bread machine for over 2 years now. I started having issues with it several months ago. It was as if the piece which the paddle sits on is freezing up. I started using a little vegetable oil on it each time before use and I haven’t had any more problems. Hope to get at least another year’s use out of it. I use it 2 to 3 times a week and it makes really good bread.
Pam January 22nd, 2013 at 3:09 pmHave a CBK 200 no problems or complaints at all. Bread is great….
Solo January 27th, 2013 at 7:15 pmEasy to clean. Easy to use…..
I last posted about a year ago, when I luckily got a free replacement pan from Cuisinart under Warranty. It still makes good bread, but I noticed that in the last few months, the paddle tends to stop moving during knead times. So I really can’t leave it when it’s baking, it might burn out or just fail. By pausing the machine and then starting it again, the machine usually re starts kneading. I’ll try Pam’s oil tip; I had actually thought it might be a motor problem. My friend is seeing the same problem, and she hardly ever uses hers. I bake once a week.
I am still getting good results from my bread. I am not very precise with my measurements. I’ll follow a basic recipe or use something from Beth Hensberger and then adjust the dough with more flour or liquid until I get a nice dough ball. I NEVER use more than one tsp of yeast and 1 tsp of salt in a two pound loaf, nor do I use vital wheat gluten. I am amazed that many recipes contain 2 and more tsp of yeast as that is clearly excessive based on my results. I cut down on the yeast after seeing another website with bread machine recipes years ago.
After this machine dies, I will consider a Zojirushi. I’m worth it 🙂
Catherine February 15th, 2013 at 7:23 pmHi,
I have had this machine for a couple of years, and I am disappointed because not 2 loaves come out the same. One if great in every way and the following is a complete flop!
It is a shame because I like the bread out of the machine…
Louise Demontigny February 18th, 2013 at 7:22 amI just got one of these for Christmas, as I wanted to make my own gluten-free bread. My bread turned out very well, but I here’s the issue I have with this machine. It’s very tall, and the controls are on the top. I am short (5′) and now I have to find a different spot for my machine. I can’t have it on the counter-top as I did with a previous machine. Why couldn’t the controls be placed on the front of the machine?
Marlene January 13th, 2014 at 10:30 amI just bought one of these at the Goodwill for $19.95. It was missing a paddle so I sent for one for under $9. I plan on taking it to Hawaii for my granddaughter next week. I used it and I absolutely love it and I know she will too. She loves to make bread, but in hot weather over there it heats up the whole house. This will solve that problem. Also by purchasing at the Goodwil, it won’t end up in the landfill.
patricia June 15th, 2014 at 7:39 pmI am extremely disappointed with this machine (made in China where else?). We used the machine last week for the first time and it worked ok. This week when we turned it on and hit start we have a clicking sound and nothing happens. Apparently a known problem and the service at Cuisineart is absolutely awful; the rep told me that there was nothing he could do. I purchased this with frequent flyer gift points and now have to get the airline involved to get it replaced. Actually I am thinking of returning it without having it replaced. Does any manufacturer still stands behind his product? Shame on you Cuisine not so artful.
Filiep Samyn October 21st, 2014 at 6:28 pmI have one of these things for years and I’m tossing into the garbage. I only made white for years and it does white perfect.. Switching to whole wheat I threw 7 loafs in a row into the trash. It’s a terrible bread machine.
The pan is so loose it makes a heck of a lot of noise in operation including a metallic banging that sounds like someone is taking a hammer to the unit. Then there is the rattling that can be heard in the hall (I am a condo dweller). It is totally screwed up on the whole wheat setting, makes a brick 100% of the time with an extra kneed and no beep for paddle removal. If you want to make whole wheat make dough and take it out, if you let the machine finish it will ruin the loaf. White is fine, the white cycle is the only cycle that actually produces a usable loaf, even when I make whole wheat now I use the white cycle and get a faaar better loaf than the FAIL whole wheat cycle. For the cost this machine is NOT worth the money, many far far far better machines including the sunbeam (which I now have) which makes PERFECT whole wheat even when you don’t do a good job measuring. Not so with the Cuisinart. Perfect measures and their own recipes produce more garbage than anything. This is the worse kitchen appliance I have ever purchased and could NOT recommend it LESS than I do. For $50 less you will get TWICE the bread maker from a sunbeam.
Jesse October 23rd, 2014 at 7:51 pm