Late-Night Infomercials, Foodies & A Double Meal Maker!
Written: Apr 23 '05 (Updated Apr 23 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Expansion hinges allow more tasty filling, stores on side, handy cord wrap.
Cons: Outside shell gets very warm, nonstick coating will scratch with metal utensils.
The Bottom Line: Have a ball whipping up your own pocket omelets, sandwiches, turnovers and pies with this handy, dandy As-Seen-On_TV 4 pocket version of the GT Xpress meal maker!
|
|
|
| kcfoxy's Full Review: GT Xpress Deluxe 4 Pocket Meal, Snack & Dessert Ma... |
How fondly I remember those late night infomercials, with that rotund, beaming gal Cathy, rounding on the gustatory virtues of the original GT Xpress 2 Pocket Meal Maker. Glorious concoctions heaped onto slices of bread, tortillas or what have you, and all for a low, low price!
GT Xpress Deluxe 4 Pocket Meal, Snack & Dessert Maker
I hesitated to buy that original model, if only because my own Mr. Big, and holder of the all-important remote control kept turning the channel before I was in full drool. "We've got enough gadgets and gizmos you've ordered from these darned shopping channels. Now if only there was a good way to make use of all these cardboard boxes..."
There was, I gave him the name and address of a helpful local recycling plant, and I'd nearly forgotten Cathy and her scrumptious pocket apple pies, pigs in a blanket and kitchen sink omelets. Luckily, one of my favorite on-air and on-line shopping venues, QVC, was good enough to bring back not only the original GT Xpress but this new 4 Pocket version.
The silvertone and dark gray model was light for it's 17" x 11" x 4-1/2" size and the lids felt rather loose on initial examination. The included recipe booklet/guide indicated those floating lid hinges were there for a purpose. First, they'd let your pocket meal, snack and dessert maker hold a lot more fillings than say, Brand S. Secondly, the expansion hinge would accommodate the normal rising action of baked goods.
The durable nonstick lining didn't have a Teflon or other name brand sticker, but lived up to its slip and slide properties once seasoned with a bit of cooking oil. I choose to use a bit of nonstick spray before tackling extra gooey, (read: 80-90% of what I make), fillings, but then again I like the buttery flavor this imparts.
An included, curved black plastic spatula works well at both lifting said pocket goodies from each of 4 medium-sized, half-moon shaped wells, and avoiding scratches to the non-stick coating; other non-metallic utensils can be used as well.
The unit should not be immersed in water, but clean-up's no hassle with either a slightly dampened sponge or that ever handy paper towel.Both this Deluxe 4 Pocket, and the original 101,(2 Pocket) versions do come with a 1 year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty, which covers any defects in workmanship. This model is made in China.
Care should be taken that most fillings reach to the top of each well, so that adequate contact with each heating element, (both top and bottom), cooks and browns your goodies on each side.
This both decreases cooking time and saves on energy. The unit itself features an on-off indicator light on each (divided) half of the meal maker which goes off when the unit is fully heated.
This sandwich maker does become verywarm to the touch, especially the silvertone portion which houses the upper heating elements, though the handles stayed cool, a thoughtful feature. Our laminate counter top did become warm, though not alarmingly so. Care should be exercised, with young children requiring supervision in the use of this product.
It's nice to be able to make 4 sandwiches, turnovers, omelets or what have you, at once with this larger Deluxe 4 Pocket model, though if you want to use just one or two cooking wells, that's possible as well, thanks to the handy split lid feature.
The guide suggests you use only the right side of the unit if doing so, though I'm not exactly sure the reasoning behind this. The entire unit, once cool, takes up little space, as the 2 1/2 ft. ERL cord wraps neatly around the plastic footing, while the sandwich maker itself stores on it's relatively slim side-a positive consideration in these days of countertop-hogging appliances.
The recipe book is a good starting off point for your own culinary adventures, and we've enjoyed experimenting with fillings, wrappers and seasonings. Like the ever-helpful Cathy once said, leftovers become new again in the Gt Xpress.
One small size package of snack cake, or 1/2 regular sized cake mix, (about 1 1/2 Cups dry ingredients), is just right to fill the 4 nonstick wells here. One pleasant surprise? The recipes call for no added oil, which will save 50-100 calories per serving, which can, of course, be put to good use with helpful additions, say half a peanut butter cup, per portion.
Another interesting combination couples a can of chunky style chicken corn chowder, (a personal favorite!), with packaged stuffing mix, and I've already tried pigs in a (packaged baking mix) blanket, though I'd substituted Lil' Smokies smoked link sausages in place of the hot dogs recommended and perked things up with about 1/2 Cup of shredded pepper Jack cheese divided between the 4 wells.
There are a goodly number of omelet recipes. Mr Big loved the Meat Lover's version and after whipping up the egg-hash browns-cheese-sausage hash we were once again glad to have purchased the double sandwich maker, and glad for the 'add a bunch of filling' capacity-not found in just any such product.
The list price was $81.00, though we paid little more than half of that. With warmer weather approaching, it's nice we can make tart shells to be packed with Summer's fruit, cooling lemon filling or the like, without heating up our entire kitchen.
That's double economy in not having to use the energy-grabbing main oven, while at the same time not making our equally kilowatt twirling AC work overtime. Plus, no one's the wiser if I get the midnight munchies and decide to whip up a single Vienna sandwich, (egg batter dipped bread with a simple currant jelly filling, sprinkled with powdered sugar).
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
So far I haven't encountered any cons, though if the GT Xpress folks plan to add an Ice Cream making attachment, I'll gladly snatch that up as well.
I'd recommend the original GT Xpress for singles or couples, especially with even more limited storage space than we have, and this Deluxe 4 Pocket Meal, Snack and Dessert Maker as the perfect family size, or just for those with larger appetites, like the two of us.
The learning curve on this Bad Boy was thankfully shallow, and it's fun to see those leftovers disappear then reappear in a tasty new guise. 4 Stars for a specialty product that deserves consideration in your own busy, on-the-go Lifestyle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My warm thanks to Pogomom, Fearless Home & Garden (CL) Leader, for so quickly and graciously adding this product to the data base.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
kcfoxy
|
 - Top 200 |
|
Member: Casey Stewart
Location: West Coast Of Mars
Reviews written: 935
Trusted by: 644 members
About Me:
Save the Earth...it's the only planet with Chocolate!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.