Small Size a Drawback
for Otherwise Fun Cooker
We'll be honest: The GT Xpress 101 is just the type of gadget we love playing with, and we loved playing with the GT Xpress 101, too. In fact, we'll keep playing with it even though our "test period" is long over.
Notice we said "playing" with it rather than "cooking" with it. Because let's make something clear: the GT Xpress 101 won't cook food better that what you already use to cook, and it won't cook food faster than what you already use to cook. In fact, in some cases (such as baked goods) the food that comes out of the GT Xpress 101 clearly doesn't measure up to food cooked in "normal" ways.
What we mean when we say we loved "playing" with it is that is it fun to use. We had fun using the GT Xpress 101.
There is one major drawback to the GT Xpress 101, and that is the little cooker's minor size. It's a small gadget. In fact, the limited size of the cooking area was a bit of a shock when we first took it out of the box.
A word of advice: Unless you have at least four GT Xpress 101 units all going at the same time, don't try to cook a full family meal using the thing.
The GT Xpress 101 is a two-chamber cooking device that, similar to the George Foreman Grill, utilizes a dual-cooking approach: the food you place into the cooking chambers is heated from both above and below.
However, there is no temperature control - you have to learn to trust the cooking times suggested in the instructional/recipe booklet that accompanies the unit. Or, learning through trial-and-error, perfect the cooking times on your own. Also, this little unit doesn't have much power, so it doesn't cook all that quickly even though the items in its cooking chambers are being heated from above and below.
The company calls this product a "meal, snack and dessert maker." We would put the emphasis on the "snack" part of it, and less so on the "meal" part of it. The GT Xpress 101 can certainly cook the main dish in a meal - as long as it's a meal for one, and for one who isn't all that hungry!
Take a look at the photo to the right. That's a plain ol' slice of white bread sitting on top of the lower cooking chambers of the GT Xpress 101. The bread slice nearly covers the entire lower half of the machine. In fact, the cooking areas are even smaller, because the bottom and top cooking chambers are divided into two "pockets."
This gives you an idea of how limited the unit is in size. If you are cooking weiners (frankfurters) or sausage links, for example, you'll probably have to cut them in half and place the halves side-by-side in the chamber, because the full item won't fit lengthwise.
Is this a drawback? Certainly. Does it ruin the GT Xpress 101 for some? It certainly will. But it didn't for us. We loved the convenience of the cooker (which is nonstick so long as you follow the directions and prime the cooking surface prior to its first use) - the ability to toss in several different items of leftovers and combine them into something much better tasting that you'd expect.
The recipes provided are varied and full of good suggestions. More fun is coming up with your own recipes. You're only limited by your imagination ... and the small size of the GT Xpress 101.
If you approach this product with the right attitude - not expecting great food, or great quantities of food, but willing to play with it, then you might enjoy it the way we have.
If you want gourmet dishes or a great improvement over cooking methods you're already using, then don't bother.
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