(ARA) – How many times have you overheard someone say, “I can’t even cook eggs!” While this statement may sound like an exaggeration, it is often a truism coming directly from the inexperienced cook who is unacquainted with the first challenge of cooking — know when your pan is pre-heated.

Take two individuals with different culinary levels: 30-year old Page Greene, a mother of three and 47-year-old Russell Klettke, co-author of “A Guy’s Gotta Eat: The Regular Guy’s Guide to Eating Smart” (Marlow & Co., March 2004) and a recreational tri-athlete. These two have one thing in common; they feel they can perform better in the kitchen by improving their cooking techniques.

When questioning Greene about her cooking ambitions she stated, “I have a lot of experience in the kitchen and have participated in two cooking classes. However, raising three little ones, I’m constantly undercooking because I feel rushed when preparing meals. I always thought I knew the appropriate time to place meats, eggs or vegetables on the frying pan, but the recipes were not coming out right. I’ve been waiting for an option on the frying pan similar to “pre-heating the oven.”

The art of preparing a good home cooked meal requires a measure of forethought, access to solid kitchen utensils and careful attention to the temperature of the pan — which is why both individuals were presented with Ballarini’s Focus fry pan with the innovative ThermoPoint heating sensor technology.

The Focus fry pan is designed with a visual indicator that turns from dark (when the pan is cool) to red (when it reaches an optimal cooking temperature). It provides users with an unmistakable signal in color, which acts to alert the cook it’s time to begin cooking or sautéing. Now individuals can better gauge the cooking process. The meals of both skilled and newbie chefs alike will benefit from this simple visual image which ensures the proper pre-heating. After all, a delicate recipe, whether simple eggs or Chicken Florentine, will be best achieved at optimal heat.

“While I had all but given up on the notion of making meals for myself, when presented with the Ballarini fry pan, I was willing to give it a shot as the color coding system made the device seem interesting and capable of improving my skills in the kitchen.” said Klettke, who used the pan to make an original recipe from ingredients found in his refrigerator.

After cooking what he dubbed his multi-pepper frittata — a combination of three kinds of red yellow and green peppers, eggs, minced garlic, chopped onion, diced, tomatoes, fresh spinach, mustard, turmeric and salt and pepper to taste, in reference to the Focus fry pan, Klettke stated, “It did more than perform perfectly well; it truly delivered.”

Discussing one of the aspects he most appreciated, Klettke said,” While preparing the ingredients, I was able to concentrate without constantly trying to test if the pan was ready to use. And due to the pan’s broad cooking area, I was able to lightly brown the onions and peppers while waiting to add the eggs and tomato mixture.”

“Fear has left the building! Cooks should no longer lack confidence as they head into the kitchen faced with the challenge of whipping up a hot meal,” said Brian Melzer director of business development for Ballarini. “The Focus fry pan with ThermoPoint is an ally in the kitchen. The thermic paint located in the flame guard will turn red at around 300 to 310 degrees. Based on your type of stove it should take around three to four minutes.”

The successes of Greene and Klettke, attest to the benefit of Ballarini’s Focus fry pan. With ThermoPoint’s innovative technology at their disposal, the two participants are optimistic about their forthcoming cooking experiences, and have inspired many other cooks that a new level of culinary expertise can be easily achieved.

Available at Linens and Things nationwide, Ballarini’s ThermoPoint Heat Sensor fry pan is perfect as a housewarming or wedding and is also ideal as a complementary purchase for yourself as you attempt to build on your culinary skills.

For more information see Linens N Things Website www.lnt.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content