The Brownie Pan Buzz

  • By Lisa Amstutz
  • December 8, 2010
  • 359
                        
“As seen on Oprah’s ‘Favorite Things’ show last week!” was the message Lehman’s posted on its Facebook page December 6. “Don't eat another brownie until you try this nifty pan--the only one of its kind! Brownies bake evenly with those delicious chewy edges we all love!” The Baker’s Edge brownie pan made Oprah’s Favorite Things for 2010 list a few weeks ago, and the talk show queen handed them out to audience members during her show along with myriad other gifts. The pan has a unique sidewall design that makes every piece an ‘edge piece,’ with crunchy, chewy edges. Lehman’s has carried the Baker’s Edge brownie pan in their store and catalog for several years. “The thing we’re always trying to do is to be on the leading edge, and this is just one example of that,” said store president Galen Lehman. Lehman said sales of the pan have been really taken off in the last few weeks, but he can’t be certain if it’s related to the Oprah show or simply a seasonal trend. Either way, it’s clear that he is a fan of this particular product—and of brownies in general. “The second I saw it I knew this would be a really cool thing for us to carry,” said Lehman. “I did have a debate in my mind for a brief moment—which is better, the soft gooey middle, or the chewy edge?—but I decided it was definitely the edge.” Others in his office didn’t seem to fully appreciate the possibilities presented by the brownie pan, however. “Some people just don’t have the everlasting, deep, committed love for brownies that I have,” Lehman joked. “About a third of them went, ‘Huh?’ Another third were opposed because they like the middle of the brownie better, and the remaining third were passionate about the edge. I fought to my dying breath to convince them all that the brownie edges are better!” Lehman’s colleagues eventually had to concede that his instincts were right as the item proved popular with their customers. “He wanted us to carry it, and everyone told him he was crazy,” said his sister Glenda Lehman Ervin, who is vice president of marketing at Lehman’s. “But I guess he was right!” “We were probably one of the first people around to carry the pan,” said Lehman. “It’s a unique idea. It has been a good seller for us; the people who buy it really like it. Of course, it has a limited market—only those one-third of people who are passionate about the edges!” The Baker’s Edge pan is made in the United States and retails at $34.95. “It’s a nice, heavy pan and you will have it for a lifetime. It’s nonstick and it even comes with a little spatula that fits right in the little path. It comes with a recipe booklet too,” Lehman said. He noted that Lehman’s now also carries a deeper lasagna pan from the same manufacturer that is designed for those who prefer the chewier lasagna edges. A standard lasagna noodle fits neatly in each slot. Lehman’s has a homemade brownie recipe and review of the brownie pan on their Country Life blog at http://countrylife.lehmans.com/2007/10/29/brownie-edge-recipe. Both Baker’s Edge pans are available in the store and catalog.


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