A bread maker, though not essential, is a handy appliance for the modern bachelor. Carb count all you want.  Follow Dr. Atkins over a cliff. We at G@H love bread and refuse to live without it. Accordingly, we own a bread maker. We own the Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso, the best damn bread machine that money can buy.

We sense your skepticism. We get it. Your Aunt Patty had a bread maker. That alone shouldn’t disqualify the appliance from a gentleman’s kitchen. She had an oven, right? A microwave? A toaster? Aunt Patty may not be “of our generation,” but wisdom comes with experience. She grasped the age-old truth that nothing beats a freshly baked loaf.

Unlike its single-paddled competitors, the Zojirushi has dual blades. It produces bread in classic rectangular loaves, not strange square loaves. The dual paddles prevent pockets of unmixed ingredients and handle varieties, such as banana and sweet breads, which befuddle lesser devices.  The Zojirushi is programmable. It has 10 pre-programed settings; it allows you to customize three others. You can even set the delay timer to have the aroma of baking bread wake you in the morning.

Occasionally, when we prefer an artesian-looking loaf, we let the Zojirushi prepare the dough, then oven bake it on our Emile Henry Rectangular Baking Stone. We also use the Zojirushi to make dough for pizza, pasta and pretzels. Want to impress a date? Serve homemade fettuccine and garlic bread. Need a game day snack? Try G@H’s soft pretzel bites (recipe forthcoming).

The Zojirushi’s has one final surprise. It cooks fruit preserves.  We comb our weekly farmers’ market for the choicest fruit. In June, we make strawberry jam. In August, we make peach chutney.  In October, we make apple butter.

You needn’t rely on Aunt Patty’s fashion advice, but she was correct about the bread maker. Invest in a Zojirushi Home Bakery Virtuoso. And, of course, turn to G@H for innovative recipes, including Pecorino Romano Herb Beer Bread and Greek Yogurt Bread.