Hamilton Beach 29882 vs T-fal PF311E: Bread Maker Comparison

Owning a bread maker can make your life easier. There is no longer any need to worry about getting to the shops before they run out of bread. Making your loaves will also save you money. This is especially the case if you enjoy artisan bread or someone in your family has special dietary needs. However, you are only going to be able to enjoy these benefits if you buy the right bread maker. They are not all the same. Some are missing vital features, while others are tricky to use or fail after very little use.

Hamilton Beach 29882 vs T-fal PF311E: Bread Maker Comparison

Hamilton Beach (29882)

Fortunately, both the Hamilton Beach 29882 and T-fal PF311E bread machines make a nice bread. But, as you will see, there are important differences between them. Understanding what these differences will help you to make the best choice for you and your family.

A choice of automatic programs

Hamilton Beach 29882
Making soft, tasty bread requires precision. To get good results you need to use the right combination and amounts of each ingredient. More importantly, everything has to be cooked for exactly the right amount of time. Automatic programs help you to do this.

It is a feature you need. This particular Hamilton bread maker offers you a choice of 12 automatic programs.

T-fal PF311E vs Hamilton Beach 29882: Bread Maker Comparison

T-fal PF311E

T-fal PF311E
However, when it comes to automatic programs, the T-fal PF311E edges out the Hamilton Beach model. It offers you 15 instead of 12 pre-set programs.

Importantly, it offers three instead of just one gluten-free bread making option. This is something that could be very important for those of you who have celiac disease or who are gluten intolerant. However, sadly, you cannot use the delay start function when you make gluten-free bread.

Conclusion: Generally speaking the more automatic programs you have available, the better. So, in this case, the T-Fal is better than the Hamilton Beach model.

However, before making your final decision, it is worth going through each of the programs and confirming which of them you need. We suggest this because there is a fair chance that you may not actually use the functionality that the T-Fal offers.

Hamilton Beach 29882 vs T-fal PF311E

Hamilton Beach (29882)

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Loaf size setting

Hamilton Beach 29882
Being able to choose what size loaf you make is handy. If you live alone or as a couple, you are likely to want to be able to make a smaller loaf than you would if you were a larger family. With this bread maker, you can choose between making 1.5Ib loaves or 2Ib ones.

T-fal PF311E
With this machine, you get a bit more choice. You can make a 1, 1.5, or 2 lb loaf. This makes it a particularly good option for a single person who will rarely get through a larger loaf before it starts to go stale.

Conclusion: When it comes to loaf size functionality, the T-Fal model offers more choice. It provides you with three variations rather than just two.

T-fal PF311E vs Hamilton Beach 29882

T-fal PF311E

A choice of crust settings

Hamilton Beach 29882
Being able to make the exact style of bread that you and your family like to eat is what you really want. So, being able to choose the style and texture of the crust is definitely a bonus. The Hamilton allows you to make bread with a light, medium or dark crust.

T-fal PF311E
The T-fal gives you a choice of 3 crust settings. It also offers light, medium or dark settings.

Conclusion: At first glance, when it comes to this feature there is no difference between the two machines. However, the T-fal tends to overcook the bread when it is set to dark. So, the bread can burn, and it may be difficult to make a good light crust loaf.

Regardless of which model you choose, it is worth experimenting with the crust settings. If you cannot find one that you like to try adjusting the ingredients slightly to achieve the desired result.

Hamilton Beach 29882

Hamilton Beach (29882)

Delayed start

Hamilton Beach 29882
Being able to delay the start of your loaf making allows you to arrive home to the smell of freshly cooked bread. With this model, you can delay the start of the cooking process by up to 13 hours, and you can do so in one-hour increments.

T-fal PF311E
You can delay the start of the cooking process by up to 15 hours with this automatic bread maker. However, surprisingly, this function is not available for every program.

Conclusion: Again, initially you would think that the T-fal is the better choice. But, the fact that you cannot delay the start of some of the programs is potentially a big drawback.

Plus, you need to bear in mind that very few people will actually need to hold back the start of the baking process by as much as 15 hours. Only those who have a long work day and commute would really need that level of delay.

T-fal PF311E

T-fal PF311E

Audible ingredient alarms

Hamilton Beach 29882
If you are making items like fruit loaves, you will need to add additional ingredients to the mix, part way through the cooking process. Being reminded of when you need to do this is very helpful. The Hamilton Beach machine sounds an alarm each time you need to add the extra ingredients.

T-fal PF311E
Unfortunately, the T-fal Actibread does not come with these additional ingredient alarms. However, this is not the end of the world. After all, you can easily get around this by using a kitchen timer or setting the alarm on your Smartphone.

Conclusion: If you only plan to make plain loaves you will not need to worry about being notified of when to add extra flavorings or ingredients. However, if you do feel it is a useful function, it makes sense for you to buy the Hamilton Beach machine.

Hamilton Beach 29882 vs T-fal PF311E: Bread Maker Comparison

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Overall conclusion

As you can see, there is not a lot of difference between these two bread makers. However, the T-fal does offer slightly more functionality. Some of it is not actually that beneficial, but some are. For example, being able to make a 1Ib loaf is something any user or family could find useful.

If you need to make gluten- free bread the fact that the T-fal PF311E bread machine allows you to make three different types is also an important advantage. One of the gluten-free settings is a cake one, which is great because buying this type of baked goods is very expensive.

Being able to make cakes, jam, pasta, pizza dough and other baked goods can make a huge difference to how often you use your bread maker. So, when deciding which one to buy, it makes sense to look for the one that allows you to make the foods you like to eat.

T-fal PF311E vs Hamilton Beach 29882: Bread Maker Comparison

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