Full Round Pan for Cakes

After using my Redi-Set-Go for a few weeks, I soon longed for a way to remove the bottom of the grill pan (to make pouring contents easier and way less messy).  So, I decided to invest in the "Full Round Pan" from Xpress.  It was probably the best investment I've made when it comes to my Redi-Set-Go.  It enabled me to make awesome little "mini cakes."  For examples, see Cinnamon Apple Cake and Peanut Butter & Jelly Cake.

But what if you don't have a full round pan?  Can you still make those cool little cakes?  You betcha!  You can simply use your Divider Pan.  Bake the cake as the instructions say (filling both Divider pan wells), and when the cakes have cooked and cooled, just push the 2 halves together to form a circle.  Frosting will hide the seam.  :) 

But why can't you just use the base unit since it's a full circle?  I guess you could try if you're feeling adventurous, but there are a couple reasons that the base unit has never worked for me when baking cakes or cookies: (1) the outside cooks too fast, and the inside never seems done enough (the full round pan is raised ever-so-slightly so you don't get the "full heat" of the base unit), and (2) the cake is hard to remove and prone to breaking (the full round pan allows you to easily flip the cake onto a plate without ever having to use utensils).

Cakes are not the only dish that the Full Round Pan makes easier, though.  It's also ideal for soups, stews, sauces, gravies, or any dish that requires a bit of liquid for cooking.  You can simply remove the pan, and pour the contents neatly onto a plate or into a bowl.

So, where can you get a Full Round Pan?  The pan sells for $12.95 (plus S&H) right from the Xpress website (see the bottom of the page for the Full Round Pan).  If you're diligent and patient, you may even be able to find them used on Ebay for a lower price.  But for the record, they usually sell for around $19 (new) on Ebay.

Surface Wearing or Scratched On Your Grill?

After you use your Redi-Set-Go grill for so long, the non-stick surface will begin to wear.  It's inevitable.  It happens to all non-stick surfaces after regular use.  There is no "cure," but there is a temporary fix so you can keep using your grill until your new one arrives.  You can cover the surface with aluminum foil.

This fix will keep the "teflon" from wearing off onto your food, but there are a few things you should know before using this method:

• The foil will be hot - even if the foil is outside of the cooking well, so be very careful!
• The cooking time will most likely need to be adjusted (by adding a minute or few) because the heat will be dispersed throughout the entire area the foil covers - the less foil you use, the less time you'll have to add to cooking
• The foil should be replaced after each use
• The foil rips easily, so be careful when using utensils
• Always use nonstick spray with the foil

And remember, this fix is only temporary.  I really do suggest investing in another unit.  Of course, if you've ordered the Redi-Set-Go recently, you probably were able to take advantage of their "2nd Grill Free" offer and received 2 grill units with your order!  Lucky you!  :)

Lost Your Instruction Manual?

I've seen the Xpress Redi-Set-Go grill (and the GT Xpress 101) at garage sales, secondhand shops, on Ebay, on Amazon, and many other places.  Most of the time they are gently used, but occasionally you can find one brand new.  If you purchased your grill used, or if you just simply lost your instruction manual - there is hope!  Thanks to the Internet Archive (one of my best friends), you can find the instruction manual for the GT Xpress 101 (an earlier version of the Redi-Set-Go).  To view the instruction manual online, simply click here.  I don't know if this will be around forever, so I urge you to save the file to your computer.  To save, just right click on the link and go to "Save Target As..." (for Internet Explorer users) or "Save Link As..." (for Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome users).

The instruction manual also includes ALL of the following recipes (72 total!): 

• Mixed Berry Corn Pancakes
• Breakfast Pigs-in-a-Blanket
• French Toast and Ham Wrap
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Muffin Mix
• Sloppy Joe and Egg Breakfast Pie
• Breakfast "On-the-Go" Burritos
• Biscuit Breakfast Bake
• Xpress Breakfast
• Breakfast Hash
• Breakfast Bagel Nosh
• Steak and Egg Omelet
• Huevos Ranchero
• Fried Eggs
• Poached Eggs
• Tortillas and Eggs
• Veggie and Cheese Omelet
• Asparagus and Beef Rollups
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• Seafood Stuffed Salmon
• Meat Lovers Omelet
• Egg, Cheese, and Canadian Bacon Bake
• Monte Cristo Sandwich
• Roasted Red Pepper Turkey, Ham, and Cheese Wraps
• Grilled Turkey Bacon Ranch Rollup
• Greek Pitawich
• Reuban Wrap
• Veggie Pitawich
• Spinach Vegetarian Wrap
• Whole Wheat Pitawich
• Pepperoni Pizza Wrap
• Melted Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches
• Grilled Meatloaf Sandwich
• Stuffed Chicken Breasts
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Veal Birds
• Stuffed Beef Rolls
• Mexican Grilled Stuffed Burritos
• Pizza Burritos
• Shrimp Stuffed Salmon Patties
• Tartar Sauce
• "Doggie Bag" Burritos
• "Pie" Batter
• Pizza Burger Pies
• Traditional Pizza Pies
• Veggie Pizza Pies
• Beef Stew and Biscuit Bake
• Pizza Pita
• Quiche Lorraine
• Polenta, Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Stacks
• Calzones
• Xpress Rice
• Stuffed Soup
• Tostada Bowls
• Chili Taco Bowls
• Tuna Puffs
• Hot Dog and Mashed Potato Bake
• Corn Dogs
• Hawaiian Cornbread
• Garlic Spread
• Garlic Bread
• Crusty Dinner Rolls
• Eggplant Vegetable Boats
• Crispy Baked Potatoes
• Lemon Cherry Pies
• Angel Food Cake
• Chocolate Cake for 4
• Cake for 2
• Ice Cream Cakewich
• Pineapple Outside-In Cake
• Fruit-Filled No-Roll Crepes
• "Almost Instant" Coconut Custard Pies

Keep Bread Fresh

Sometimes we get cravings for foods/meals that require "irregular" bread products: english muffins, bagels, hoagies, buns, pitas, et cetera.  When we buy these breads (or any bread, for that matter), we immediately seperate them into singles or pairs and store them in zippered sandwich bags - then freeze 'em up.  No more wanting a sandwich only to discover the bread has gone bad!  The freezer keeps bread products for up to 3 months!  When you want to use one, just pull it out of the freezer, sit it on the counter, and give it 30-60 minutes to thaw.  If you just can't wait, your toaster or microwave may even have a "thaw" setting (both of ours do).

If you're a green household and are reluctant to try this method, keep the following in mind:

• Sandwich bags can be reused many times over, and can be easily cleaned with a little bit of warm, soapy water
• If cleaning bags is not your "bag", you can recycle these kinds of plastics in specific locations - just save them up and make a monthly trip to save on gas  :)

Easy Cleanup with Glad Press'n Seal

I absolutely love Glad's Press'nSeal wrap.  It's wonderful for food storage, but I also use it for easy cleanup in my kitchen.  I line the table or counter with it, and when I'm done making a mess, I just pull it up and toss it out.  It's great for when I don't have much time to dedicate to cleaning up.  It's especially nice because our kitchen table is incredibly small (think ice cream parlor or French bistro), and we need the table leaves up at all times.  This wrap covers the seams so crumbs don't fall down into them.  :)

Full Round Pan vs. Base Unit

I just wanted to talk for a minute about the difference between using the base unit and the full round pan.  Both hold the same quantity of food, but there is one major difference that you need to account for when using either of them.  The base unit cooks faster.  If you make a grilled sandwich in the full round pan, it could take up to 15 minutes.  The same sandwich can be done in the base unit in under 4.  So, if you want something to cook a little slower, use the pan.  If you want it to cook a little faster, use the base unit.  Generally speaking, the base unit is ideal for grilling and frying; the full round pan is best for baking and simmering.  Use the following chart for reference:

FOR	USE
Sandwiches	Base Unit
French Toast	Base Unit
Large Cookies	Full Round Pan
Cakes & Brownies	Full Round Pan
Meats	Base Unit
Large Pancakes	Base Unit
Soups & Stews	Full Round Pan
Potatoes & Veggies	Base Unit
Eggs	Full Round Pan
Pizzas	Base Unit

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Always use non-stick cooking spray on your pan inserts for easier food removal. Even if you use butter or margarine for frying, a light spritz of non-stick cooking spray will help. If you're afraid of the spray flavor mingling with your butter/margarine, use butter-flavored spray.  

Non-stick cooking spray comes in a variety of flavors: butter, olive oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, and vegetable oil.  Some specialty flavors are best found online, but always check your local grocer first.  If they don't carry the flavor you want, you could always ask them to.  Sometimes all they need is a little nudge.

Seasoning Your Pan Inserts

In order to get the best flavor from your Redi-Set-Go, you should season all of the pan inserts before you use them. This task is relatively simple: 

1. Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray (or you can use margarine) and then lightly salt. 
2. Turn the grill on and let "cook" for about 5 minutes. 
3. Cool and clean the pan insert. 

If you prefer, you can do this once (or even twice) more. This will get rid of the metallic or "teflon" taste of your pan inserts.

"Healthify" Your Recipes

The most wonderful thing about the Redi-Set-Go grill is that you can control portion sizes.  But portion control alone does not a healthy diet make.  ;)  Any dish you make in your Redi-Set-Go Grill can easily be made healthier by making simple ingredient swaps. The following is just a short list of some examples. You can find more extensive lists online, but this is a nice start.

• Granulated Sugar --->  Splenda Granulated
• All Purpose Flour ---> Whole Wheat Flour
• Eggs (with yolk) ---> Egg Substitute or Powdered Egg Whites
• Soy Sauce --->  Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• Regular Syrup --->  Sugar-Free Syrup
• Mayonnaise  --->  Light Mayonnaise
• Ground Beef  --->  Ground Turkey
• Bacon ---> Turkey Bacon
• White Bread  --->  Whole Grain Bread
• Bread Crumbs  --->  Rolled Oats
• Cream Cheese  --->  Neufchatel
• Fruit in Syrup  --->  Fruit in Juice or Water
• Whole Milk  --->  Skim Milk or Almond Milk
• Sour Cream  --->  Low-Fat Sour Cream
• Table Salt  --->  Herbs, Spices, or Vinegar
• Canned Meats  --->  Low-Sodium Canned Meat
• Peanut Butter  --->  Almond Butter
• Butter or Oil (for Baking)  --->  Applesauce
• Ice Cream  --->  Fat-Free Frozen Yogurt
• Broth  --->  Low-Sodium Broth
• Oil Packed Tuna  --->  Water Packed Tuna
• Butter (for frying)  --->  Olive or Canola Oil
• Regular Cheese  --->  Low-Fat Cheese
• Chocolate Chips  --->  Mini Chocolate Chips (at half the quantity)
• White Rice  --->  Brown Rice