Please give me a lesson in how to make the perfect pancake

[Anonymous]

Hello DCUMers, I am actually a pretty decent cook in many aspects of cooking, but I just cannot make good pancakes. It's embarrassing. They either come out burnt or underdone in the middle. I try to thin the batter out so they cook better and then when I flip them they are a big gloomy mess.

Hellllllllllppp...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hello DCUMers, I am actually a pretty decent cook in many aspects of cooking, but I just cannot make good pancakes. It's embarrassing. They either come out burnt or underdone in the middle. I try to thin the batter out so they cook better and then when I flip them they are a big gloomy mess.

Hellllllllllppp...

Sure.

I recommend starting with a mix if you're just looking to perfect your flipping techniques/cooking time. Add some lemon juice (maybe two teaspoons) to the batter and a pinch of baking power. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cop to spoon it into a griddle that already has some hot oil (grapeseed or Canola). Some people prefer Pam cooking spray, but I prefer the oil, even though it does make them less healthy. Once they begin to bubble, flip them. BTW, the lemon juice makes them fluffier.

Eventually you can make your own mix. I find the Joy of Cooking recipe has good ratios of flour, etc.

[Anonymous]

Is the oil the trick? I use butter. Also, how hot is the pan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is the oil the trick? I use butter. Also, how hot is the pan?

Yeah, oil is better for getting your pancakes to turn out the way you want them. I use a medium heat, but the pan is already hot when I put the batter in.

Takes maybe a minute to 90 seconds one side, a bit less the second side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use a medium heat, but the pan is already hot when I put the batter in.

+1 Make sure the pan is hot before you put in the batter in and use medium heat - too hot and it will burn, too low and they won't cook enough.

[Anonymous]

I use butter and get good results - using the recipe in Joy of Cooking.

It seems like you may have a problem with temperature - you need to adjust it if it is burning or being underdone.

Wait to flip till you have bubbles on the surface across most of the pancake.

[Anonymous]

Also, when doing blueberry pancakes, take the blueberries out of the fridge the night before so they are room temperature. I always forget this step and the cold blueberries keep the surrounding batter cold and so the batter doesn't cook there.

[Anonymous]

Oil or cooking spray are better for pancakes because unclarified butter has milk solids that burn easily.

[Anonymous]

Years ago I had an electric skillet that made PERFECT pancakes. The trick is even, steady heat.

And definitely not butter (unless clarified). It burns.

[Anonymous]

Use a good pan. Thin pans will burn more quickly. Also, you have to adjust the temp as you cook. my first batch cooks more slowly than the later ones, so i lower the flame after the second of third batch.

FWIW, I use butter with no problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oil or cooking spray are better for pancakes because unclarified butter has milk solids that burn easily.

Oil makes prettier pancakes but butter makes yummier ones.

[Anonymous]

I used to screw up pancakes too (bit could turn out pretty good baguettes back in the day). Get the Betty Crocker's Cookbook recipe for Perfect Pancakes (circa 1972?). They never fail. It's bizarre and wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oil or cooking spray are better for pancakes because unclarified butter has milk solids that burn easily.

Oil makes prettier pancakes but butter makes yummier ones.

If you really like the taste of butter, then just put some on the pancakes after they've cooked and before syrup. All the flavor with none of the cooking issues.

[Anonymous]

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in at the end to make them fluffy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them in at the end to make them fluffy.

Oops, or rather, soft peaks.