Terri – Berkeley, CA

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Folding Proofer, ever since I read about it on Rose Levy Beranbaum’s blog. As a grad student living in a small rental place, I have neither the money nor the space for a single-use appliance. This Folding Proofer is a dream come true! My first test was to melt chocolate for some brownies. While it took longer to melt the chocolate than with more conventional methods (I normally set a bowl in a pan of simmering water), it was actually an advantage. Instead of having to watch the chocolate closely to see that it didn’t burn (or seize up because of the steam condensing into the bowl), I could just stir it occasionally as I passed by while preparing the pan and measuring out the other ingredients. Next, I decided to try making my own yogurt for the first time. I couldn’t believe how easy it was—I just put it in the pre-heated proofer, walked away, and 4 hours later I had yogurt!

The arrival of my proofer coincided with the annual warm-up in the normally chilly and foggy Bay Area so I haven’t been able to let a loaf of bread rise in it yet, but now that the cooler weather has returned, I’m looking forward to trying it! I also expect that it will be perfect for bringing butter up to “room temperature” when the thin, uninsulated walls of this rental place mean that the indoor temperature is 60 degrees.

The engineering on this proofer so that it folds into a compact space is absolutely amazing! Thank you again for the opportunity to be a tester!