Thursday, November 3, 2011

Ready, Set, Go Machine

At the last of the summer garage sale season, I found the above kitchen appliance on sale at a senior center.  For $4, I got the cooker and an insert pan with multiple wells and nothing else.

I thought it would be a good thing because:
  • we cook only for the two of us
  • it had a timer - I get distracted easily when cooking
  • it wouldn't heat up the house on hot summer afternoons
  • the TV ads made the product look convenient
I got it home and washed it up.  I knew it didn't have the several other insert pans that was shown on TV and no recipe booklet.  So it sat in my cupboard awaiting my inspiration.

Sunday after the Garden of the Gods, we spotted a garage sale at Manitou Springs.  We always like talking to locals, and garage sales are good opportunities.  And guess what:  they had a Ready, Set, Go Machine for $5 that had the rest of the insert pans.

I offered then $4 as it was pretty dirty, and they accepted.  As a last-minute thought, I asked if they had the recipe booklet, and they fetched it from the house.  

Yesterday, I got out my old machine added one of the insert pans from Manitou Springs using the recipe bookley and made up some meat balls - easy, peasy.  

The recipe was simple enough.

Ingredients
1 cup stuffing mix - I like Pepperidge Farms
20 oz. ground turkey or chicken
1 beaten egg

Mix together.  Use an ice-cream scoop to shape meat balls use the insert pan with no dividers.  Grease pan and top inside of appliance (where tall food will touch with lid closed.  It made 8 meatballs with enough left over to make another batch.

The recipe booklet says cook 10 minutes.  Since there was lots of meat in the pan, I checked it with a meat thermometer at the 10-minute point, and it wasn't done.  It took 20 minutes.

The bottom line is that husband liked the meatballs, and I like how quick I could make supper.  Add some fruit and a veggie, and it was table ready in a jiffy.

One thing about this small appliance that disappointed me: the timer and the heat on/off are not connected.  The timer is a reminder only.  The food continues to cook.

Ready Set Go machine

meatballs










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