The sturdy lid locks down during canning or cooking; an inner sealing ring keeps the steam in. In addition to a pop-up pressure indicator and a simple steam release mechanism, there is an overpressure plug that will let off steam if it builds up excessively. The pressure dial gauge gives an accurate reading so that pressure can be kept constant during canning. This pressure canner is also a cooker that's useful for weeknight dinners or for any meal that needs to come together quickly. An accompanying booklet contains more than 50 recipes, ranging from basic soup stocks to stews and pot roasts--even sweets like English Plum Pudding or Brown Bread! Tenderize lean cuts of beef or pork, or cook chicken, fish, or vegetables faster than you can in a microwave, and without losing moisture.

Built with a durable plastic body, the Home Bakery Supreme has many structural plusses, including twin kneading paddles, a broad viewing window, and an angled control panel. A welcome alternative to the cylinder-shaped bread maker pans, the nonstick baking pan here turns out traditionally shaped, 2-pound loaves. Streamlined and manageable, the unit measures 16-3/4 by 12 by 8-1/2 inches and comes with a detailed manual, a recipe booklet, and a how-to video. Zojirushi includes a limited 1-year warranty.--Emily Bedard

From the Manufacturer

What Makes the Home Bakery Supreme Special?

Bread made in Zojirushi's Home Bakery Supreme appeals to all your senses. The horizontal shape makes it look like an oven-baked loaf, and the crust control function allows you to select light, medium, or dark crust. The two kneading blades knead the ingredients more thoroughly to make it taste better, and waking up to the smell of freshly baked bread has never been easier with the timer function. You can also prepare the dough in the Home Bakery Supreme and shape it yourself to bake in the oven. The loaf of bread you bake at home should look like a regular loaf of bread. Unlike other bread makers that produce vertical loaves, Zojirushi's Home Bakery Supreme bakes a large traditional-shaped 2-pound loaf, so the bread comes out the way it should, horizontally, and doesn't have to be sliced on its side. The Home Bakery Supreme makes it easy to prepare and enjoy the delicious taste of freshly baked all-natural breads in the convenience of your own home. Never again will you need to wonder if that store-bought loaf contains preservatives or additives.

For Beginners and Experts

Not only is the Home Bakery Supreme an excellent breadmaker for beginning bakers, it's also a useful tool for expert bakers. Because it controls the temperature while the dough is rising, it takes the guesswork out of the leavening process. Additionally, the two kneading blades and the enclosed temperature-controlled environment knead the yeast dough better than any other method. Whether you're baking in the scorching sun or during a blizzard, the Home Bakery Supreme will give you consistent results. All the bread cycles on the Home Bakery Supreme automatically preheat the ingredients to bring them to room temperature. However, if you find it unnecessary, you have the "Preheat Off" option to save time and immediately begin the kneading process.

Two Are Better than One

The Home Bakery Supreme features two kneading blades instead of one to make sure all ingredients are thoroughly kneaded. Additionally, the two blades knead yeast dough better than any other method. Not only does thorough kneading make the bread taste better, but it also prevents unsightly flour on the side of the bread.

A Host of Amazing Features

• Recipes
  Not only does the Home Bakery Supreme come with an instruction video, it also comes with lots of recipes. The recipes range from basic white bread to raisin bread, whole wheat and fat-free bread, pizza, pretzels, cinnamon-raisin rolls, strawberry jam, chocolate cake, sourdough bread, and Zojirushi's original Meatloaf Miracle. More recipes are available at Zojirushi's Web site at www.zojirushi.com.

• Easy Gluten-Free Baking
  If you are allergic to gluten, you can make gluten-free bread in the Home Bakery Supreme. No more rock-hard gluten-free bread bought at the store. Experiment to create your own new recipes.

• Some Like It Sour
  Sourdough starter is a form of the original "leaven" for bread. Traditional sourdough starter usually takes 7 to 10 days to prepare, but the Home Bakery Supreme comes with a Sourdough Starter cycle that prepares light sourdough starter in 2 hours

• Large Viewing Window
  The large viewing window allows you to watch the kneading, rising, and baking processes, so you can make adjustments if you find it necessary. If you need a better look, lifting the lid to peek won't stop the kneading or baking operation. Just be sure to close the lid when you are done looking.

• Wake Up to the Smell of Freshly Baked Bread
  It has never been easier with the 13-hour programmable timer. Just add the ingredients and set the timer before going to bed, and by the time that alarm clock sounds, you will smell the bread waiting for you. If you hit snooze, don't worry. The Home Bakery Supreme also has a Keep Warm feature to keep that bread warm up to an hour after baking.

• Beat the Clock
  In a hurry? Enjoy the aroma of freshly baked bread in just 2 hours with the Quick Bake cycle.

• More than Just Bread
  The Home Bakery Supreme can do more than just bake bread. It has a cycle for jam, cake, and sourdough starter. It also works as a portable oven, so you can make other dishes such as meatloaf or lasagna without heating up your larger oven.

• Easy Creativity
  If you like being creative, you will love the Home Bakery Supreme. The Home Made Menu function allows you to adjust each cycle to your preference and remember it, so you can make that perfect bread. If not bread, cake. Or meatloaf. Or anything you wish. Invent your own original recipes and see what you can make in the Home Bakery Supreme. With the three memory settings in the Home Made Menu setting, you have plenty of space for many of your favorites.

Zojirushi Quality and Innovation

It handles not only your DVD-Videos (both NTSC- and PAL-formatted discs, depending on your TV), but it plays your music, too--everything from standard CDs to home-burned CD-Rs, CD-RWs, and MP3-encoded CDs. Further, you can load a disc brimming with digital photos for custom slide shows in the comfort of your home theater.

An onscreen display simplifies setup and operation, and the unit comes with a compact, full-function remote control. Other features include parental controls (with PIN lock), frame-by-frame slow motion, picture zoom (2x, 4x), and multiple-angle viewing (with applicable discs).

Like to travel? The DVD-224 won't hog space in your bag, and an auto-switching universal power supply handles inputs from AC 110 to 220 volts (50/60 Hz) for use in most countries. Accordingly, the unit's onscreen display offers a choice of 5 setup languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

A composite-video output ensures compatibility with nearly any television and many newer computer monitors. Both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround-sound signals can be routed through the player's digital-audio outputs (choose from either optical or coaxial) for direct connection to a full-featured audio/video receiver. A set of standard left/right RCA analog outputs simplifies hookup with traditional integrated amplifiers and most televisions.

Features&Benefits

• Low profile design with ergonomic grip
• Random orbital action assures a swirl-free finish
• Variable air speed control
• 5mm orbit for rapid material removal
• 6" diameter premium urethane vinyl face pad

Horse Soldiersis the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban.

The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators, and overjoyed Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed. Dangerously outnumbered, they fought for their lives in the city's immense fortress, Qala-i-Janghi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed.

As the Americans struggled to hold the fortress, they faced some of the most intense urban warfare of our time. But until now the full story of the Horse Soldiers has never been told. Doug Stanton received unprecedented cooperation from the U.S. Army's Special Forces soldiers and Special Operations helicopter pilots, as well as access to voluminous after-battle reports. In addition, he interviewed more than one hundred participants and walked every inch of the climactic battleground.

This exciting story is filled with unforgettable characters: brave Special Forces soldiers, tough CIA operatives, cunning Afghan warlords, anxious stateside soldiers' wives who do not know where their husbands have gone, and humble Afghan boys spying on the Taliban.

Deeply researched and beautifully written, Stanton's account of America's quest to liberate an oppressed people touches the mythic. The Horse Soldiers combined ancient strategies of cavalry warfare with twenty-first-century aerial bombardment technology to perform a seemingly impossible feat. Moreover, their careful effort to win the hearts of local townspeople and avoid civilian casualties proved a valuable lesson for America's ongoing efforts in Afghanistan.