Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker (Proofer w/Accessory Shelf), White

Usually I give 4 stars to a new product when I don't know how long it will hold up. This product is so good that I'm giving it 5 stars right away.Experienced bakers say that temperature shouldn't be an afterthought. I found that they're right — as some of them say, temperature is an actual _ingredient_ in bread-making.I had a lot of trouble with temperature in my kitchen and often ended up with under- or over-fermented dough. As every novice baker learns, failure is just part of the learning process but it can be disheartening. Finally I decided to take the temperature "variable" out of the equation once and for all. I don't regret it.Build quality —Seems good, although the box is lightweight by design, and you have to be careful about how you handle the folding mechanism inside.Portability —The box folds up to a nice compact size, making it easy to store. Thumbs up for this design.Front panel/controls —Couldn't be simpler. You probably won't need the instructions to get started.Accuracy —I assume it's accurate. I could measure the air temperature inside. But there's no point, because as they note in the instructions, the temperature setting on the control panel reflects not the air temperature, but the intended internal temperature of the dough or whatever is inside the box.The temperature maintenance is clearly _consistent_. If I set the box to 75° F. and leave dough to rise in it overnight, I'm confident I'll get the desired results in the morning every time. Since I began using this product, I have not had a seriously under- or over-proofed loaf. (Of course getting it right also involves some judgment calls.)Instructions —Clear and well-written. Considering how lousy so many products' documentation is, thumbs up to B&T for this.The supplied water tray is a nice touch. You don't need to keep the dough covered as long as there's moisture in the air coming from the tray, at least in the first few hours of bulk fermentation. If you're doing a long bulk ferment, it's probably good to cover the bowl after a few hours—eventually the water in the tray will evaporate.Nice job, B&T.

We've been making bread for a long time, and this proofer was a game changer.The Proofer arrived very securely packed. Included were very complete instructions, an offer to register and get three years warranty coverage, and a very nice recipe book. I unpacked the Proofer, read the manual and per the instructions, set it up for bread making, which was so easy I felt like I must have missed something, and we started the bread making process right then and there to see how the Proofer would do.Let me say that the bread that came out of the oven was the best we'd ever made. All we could say was; WOW! it was a new and very enjoyable experience not to have to cover the bread pans with plastic wrap, and letting the water in the tray provide humidity instead, which is much better for the bread dough.To be able to look through the window on top of the Proofer to see the dough rising was a new and great experience, which also made it much easier to know when to take it out of the Proofer, and put it in the oven.Set up, operation, and take down were very very simple and easy. This is a very quality built appliance, and is a must-have for our bread making. The engineering and thought that went into this Proofer is remarkable and commendable, and very much appreciated.I've read some reviews that mentioned the cost, inferring it was a bit expensive. Our feeling is that it is worth every penny and more. As stated before, this is a fine, high quality appliance and meets the highest standards of quality build, spot-on performance, and operational ease, and great results.In short; we absolutely love this Brod & Taylor Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker, and are looking forward to trying some of it's other culinary capabilities. Thank you Brod and Taylor for offering such a fine product.

I was initially skeptical about using this, but the fact is that it made my sourdough baking better. I have a much more lively starter and proofing is working much better. Having a constant temperature is an essential part of the baking process. Even shelf space isn’t a problem as it folds up and stores really easily.I recommend getting this.