As we stated earlier in our preview, the Xpress RediSetGo (www.redisetgo.com) is an indoor electric cooker. The Redi-Set-Go is the new incarnation of the venerable GT Xpress 101 which has been on TV for years. Both are infomercial products which we always eye with a healthy dose of suspicion. The new grill is already catching GTX bloggers interest. Cathy Mitchell, pitch woman for the Xpress Redi-Set-Go, claims the cooker can help anyone make quick, delicious, inexpensive and healthy meals at home.

We put our evaluation unit through the grueling paces at Gonzo Kitchens to see if the unit can deliver on that infomercial promise.

First Impressions

The cooker looks good for starters – the design folks definitely improved on the bland and somewhat cheap look of the GT Xpress 101. The Express ReadySetGo has a fire engine red finish and sweeping ‘handles’ on the sides. We were initially disappointed by the plastic cover – it feels well-constructed but we just hoped it would be metal like it’s color-mate the Kitchenaid. However a lighter cover makes sense as the cooker has a floating hinge to allow foods to rise while cooking. On the bright side we immediately dug the arrangement of controls on the lid – the timer and on/off switch are simple but appealing. Our cooker came with two insertable pans – a divider pan and a “mini food” pan (for making appetizers, mini-treats, etc). You can remove these to serve food and they are dishwasher safe.

The unit also comes with a recipe book with lots of recipes plus a foldout recipe mini-booklet with a handful more. Some are the ones you see in the infomercial itself. Finally you get a space age double-sided spatula to retrieve meals from the Redi-Set-Go.

Fast Healthy Meal #1: Pizza

We hit the grocery store to test out the Express RediSetGo. We brushed a small amount of olive oil in the base of the unit (no insertable pan was used) and hit “On” to pre-heat the unit. The pre-heat was very fast – roughly 45 seconds.

Here’s the Gonzo Pizza recipe: Place a wheat pita bread, about 6″ wide, in the pre-heated RediSetGo. Top with a few spoonfuls of pizza sauce. Add pepperoni slices, banana peppers and shredded cheese. Very simple! Close the lid, set the timer to 7 minutes and wait.

It smelled great after only a few minutes – but we were still surprised at the results when the timer went “Ding!” The crust had gotten perfectly crispy without being burnt and the toppings were well cooked but not over-cooked.

The final verdict? A delicious personal pizza.

Fast Healthy Meal #2: German Puffy Pancake

This is a favorite at Gonzo Kitchens, but nothing like it is in Cathy Mitchell’s included recipe book. So we figured this might very well be a failure. A German Pancake rises like a souffle and sinks in the center as it cools.

Mix 4 eggs, 1 cup milk (we used Skim), 1 cup flour, 1 tsp vanilla. To cook, add just enough batter to cover the base of the Xpress Redi-Set-Go with a thin layer.

We guessed and set the timer to 7 minutes. This recipe takes 30 minutes in a normal oven at 350 degrees!

The first pancake turned out great. It puffed up within the unit and browned on top and bottom, just like in an oven. This results in a light and crispy pancake breakfast. Top with a little butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice, or just use some melted butter/margarine and maple syrup like a normal pancake.

Next we added a favorite spin – we thinly sliced & peeled a Gala apple. We added batter as above to the unit, then placed a few apple slices on top, along with a sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar. Not bad with our double latte from our other Gonzo Kitchen’s favorite – the DeLonghi Magnifica ESAM3300 espresso machine.

The final verdict? Delicious and easy breakfast and wayfaster than baking in an oven!

Summary & Recommendation

As you probably guessed, we enjoyed cooking with Cathy’s Mitchell’s Express Ready-Set-Go. Our first two meals were unqualified successes and got us thinking about new things to try. The Redi-Set-Go truly makes quick food, and it’s versatile with the insertable pans and ability to cook, bake, steam and grill all in one small unit which is easy to store. We like that it pre-heats so quickly and it cooks quickly. This is the perfect solution when cooking for yourself or for two.

We were very happy with our experience with the Xpress Redi-Set-Go and we will admit that this is one infomercial product that delivers the goods. See below for more photos of our tests.

Highly recommended!

For now the Xpress Redi-Set-Go appears to be available only at the Xpress Redi-Set-Go official site or via 800 number (see site for details).

Check popular Xpress Redi Set Go Coupons sites for additional savings or bundle deals.

Introduction

The M-Gears toy construction sets are the M-Gears Building Set and 2 remote-controlled vehicle sets (see below).  Each comes with instructions to build multiple creations which may remind readers of our perennial favorite – Lego. M-Gears distinction is the intricate interplay of many many gears instead of simple building blocks. But without the difficulties of below).  Each comes with instructions to build multiple creations which may remind readers of our perennial favorite – Lego. M-Gears distinction is the intricate interplay of many many gears instead of simple building blocks. But without the difficulties of Lego Technic. Children will find M Gears far more forgiving, and likely more fun to create with.

Building the M-Gears plans included with the sets is a lot of fun but watching them move is mesmerizing.

M-Gears is sturdy and colorful. While they don’t advertise it loudly, M-Gears is compatible with Lego and other popular building blocks. We tested this out you can plug Lego blocks right onto your vehicles!

While younger kids can enjoy Elmo Live – if Mom and Dad can find one that is – M-Gears is perfect for a slightly older and more inquisitive child.

M-Gears Building Set

M-Gears Building Set

The M-Gears Building Set can serve as both the starter set and the expert set.  We recommend it for two reasons: it comes with a lot of parts (300!) and it contains instructions for many creations which helps children better understand the kinds of cool things that can be built with M-Gears. So it’s a great place to begin and the best set to use for all-new creations.

We got a little worried checking out the box art up close – all those gears and colors looked fun but also complicated and potentially frustrating. It only took a few minutes with the parts to change our minds. Learning Resources designed M-Gears very well.  Parts are sturdy, fit together smoothly and the instructions are visual, clear and make building process simple. As with all building sets we had a few lapses when ‘reading’ the instructions but we were still learning the gears concept. After a few minutes it became second nature. As we moved past our first creation this problem seemed to go away. It does take time to build some of the larger sets. This probably isn’t the kind of toy you want to take traveling to eat up a few minutes here and there, aside from the fear of losing precious parts!

When we finished our first Building Set creation, the airplane, we were impressed with the pure kinetic joy of the thing. Aim the finished toy and watch the hundreds of gears and parts do their thing. Seeing all those gears we placed move in every direction was both fun in itself and a good reward for the time and concentration we put in. It’s a great pay-off.

Note, the Building Set is motorized but not remote-controlled like the two vehicle sets we researched below.

M-Gears Remote Control Vehicle Sets

M-Gears Grand Prix

The remote-control M Gears sets are fairly similar but both are sold separately from the Building Set above. They are the Remote Control Grand Prix Car and the Remote Control Off-Road Racer.  Each comes with 200 pieces. The Off-Road Set comes with instructions to also build a Tow Truck while the Grand Prix Set comes with instructions to build a Moon Buggy.  Guess they have a thing for moon buggies! But this time the result is larger and of course remote controlled.

The remote control chassis in both sets can support many kinds of vehicles and with even more parts from the M-Gears Building Set – and maybe some Lego blocks as well – you are able to create with very little limitation other than your child’s own imagination.

You’ll probably want to get at least one of these if your son or daughter enjoys M-Gears as it’s the perfect complement to the M-Gears Building Set.

Note that the vehicles are not blazingly fast. Dad’s won’t need to fear one of these rushing under his slippers while he walks to get the paper Sunday morning. And that’s a good thing.

Where To Get It

K-Bee Toys and other online stores like Amazon.

Target online or in stores. But be aware that availability may be a problem as Target doesn’t stock M-Gears sets in all stores.

Recommended Ages

Learning Resources recommends M-Gears for children 7 to 12 years of age. With children it really all depends on your son or daughter and their aptitude to this kind of play. The smallish parts and need to read instructions (at least to get the result shown on the box) might frustrate the younger set. Younger children will enjoy this most when accompanied by an adult for assistance. Really, this is the best way to play anyway! We think M-Gears is a well designed and thought-out line of toys and that most children – and their parents and grandparents – will find plenty  to enjoy here.

M-Gears Photos

Handpresso; Buy Once, Drink Anywhere

Mobile phones, portable electronics and of course – portable Java. We love anything that lets us get our geek on – and our drink on – when away from home and Starbucks. So understandably this little beauty caught our eye. It’s a caffeine-serving portable gadget for crying out loud.

The Handpresso (ThinkGeek), also known as the Handpresso Wild, is a coffee press on steroids shot by a shrink ray. Or something. Whether camping, at work or geocaching this lets you take a quick break for a consistently good, professional-grade Espresso drink. Just the thing to keep you going in a harsh world.

This portable expresso machine weighs less than two and a half iPhones. How they did this is beyond us but we’re happy they did. Handpresso generates all the pressure – courtesy of a hand pump – to make a great shot of espresso. Add hot water, place an Espresso pod in the device and release the switch.  Voila: Java Anywhere.  Uses Gaggia Coffee Pods

(Sun Microsystems is still working on the portability of their implementation)

Quality Espresso

The build quality of the Handpresso is impressive. Make sure you have very hot water. An office water dispenser will suffice. Don’t expect oodles of crema (the brown foam on top of espresso) but we were very happy with the taste of the Gaggia coffee pods and the overall results are excellent.

More

Here’s some more info about our favorite drink (Espresso @ Wikipedia)

The Well-Traveled Barista

Handpresso