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Preheating Key To Best Cooking
Results
(NAPSA)-Professional chefs say preheating a pan before cooking will produce the best
results. The question of how long to preheat isn't always clear. Placing a hand near the
heated surface? Touching a heated pan with a fingertip? Adding a drop of water and
watching it dance? The answer is somewhere between intuition and guesswork.
But the cookware maker T-Fal has its own solution. One of its cookware ranges, Perfection,
features T-Fal's Thermo-Spot¨, a visual heat indicator built into the nonstick coating.
The indicator is a 11Ú2"-diameter patterned red spot in the center of the pan.
As a Perfection pan is heated on a cooktop, the pattern gradually turns into a solid red
spot, the signal that the pan has been preheated to the optimal temperature for best
overall cooking results.
The cookware offers all the advantages of nonstick-easy cleanups and healthy, low-fat
cooking. With nonstick and its unique ability to release food effortlessly, little or no
oil or butter is needed in frying or sautŽing, so recipes can be easily modified to
reduce fat and calories.
Perfection features sautŽ pans that are deeper, with contoured sidewalls for greater
cooking capacity and reduced splattering. The pans have convenient pouring rims.
The cookware comes in two versions: Hard Enamel, with nonstick inside and durable hard
enamel outside, and Total Nonstick, with nonstick inside and out.
Here are two delicious recipes created especially for use with nonstick cookware.
VEAL WITH LEMON & CAPERS
Serves 2
4 veal scallops, about 4 oz. each
All-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and
pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken or veal stock
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1. Pound the meat with a mallet until it is 1/8 inch thick, then cut into thirds and coat
with the seasoned flour. Put the beaten egg in a bowl and mix together with 2 tablespoons
water. Coat the veal in the egg mixture, draining off any excess.
2. Preheat a T-Fal Perfection sautŽ pan until the Thermo-Spot pattern turns a solid
brick red spot. Add the oil and heat; add the veal and cook, in batches, for 3-5 minutes,
until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, cover and keep warm while cooking
the other veal slices.
3. Pour off the oil from the pan, add the wine and capers and cook for 8 minutes, or until
almost dry. Add the stock and cook for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Add 1
tablespoon lemon juice, then transfer the sauce to a small saucepan (keeping the
sautŽ pan on one side). Whisk in the butter, without allowing the sauce to boil.
Adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice if necessary.
4. Transfer the veal to the skillet, pour in the sauce, cover and leave for 2 minutes
before serving.
RATATOUILLE
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
4 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium-sized eggplant
(1-1/2 pounds), peeled and cubed
1 medium-sized zucchini, cubed
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf, Italian parsley
1. Preheat a T-Fal Perfection sautŽ pan until the Thermo-Spot pattern turns a solid
brick red spot. Add oil and heat. Add garlic, peppers and onion and sautŽ five
minutes. Add remaining ingredients except the parsley, mixing well. Cover and cook
approximately 45 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
2. Add parsley. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
For more T-Fal recipes, visit www.t-fal.com.
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