When Pancake Day approaches, with it comes the pressure to turn out the perfect pancake with every flip. There are many areas of debate – savoury or sweet, thin or thick, oil or butter – and there are no hard and fast rules. So to make things a little easier on Shrove Tuesday, we’ve gathered together our expert advice to create Good Food's ultimate pancake guide.
When it comes to the most important piece of kitchen kit for pancake making, the clue is in the name. A really good, non-stick frying pan is a crucial tool according to Good Food's cookery team, who insist it'll make flipping a whole lot easier.
Aside from pans, there’s a whole host of gadgets that can help the process – including a whisk, palette knife and a reliable set of kitchen scales. Read our guide on the best tools for pancake day.
How to make pancake batter
Traditionalists will insist that a standard Yorkshire pudding batter is a classic, fool-proof necessity and that the finishing touches are all in the filling. However, senior food editor Cassie Best, along with many of our readers, recommends adding spices, citrus zest, vanilla extract or herbs to the batter for an extra layer of flavour. Our top-rated perfect pancakes recipe should work well as a base from which you can start to experiment.
To help you remember the ratios for the basic ingredients, we’ve also put together the perfect pancake formula as a handy image.
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Chefs may also use buttermilk as an addition to the batter, or you can even add ricotta or soured cream in place of some of the milk. Many of our readers recommend adding oil or melted butter to your batter as a way to safeguard against sticking. Our cookery team also suggest your choice of flour can make a difference – try using wholemeal for savoury fillings and white flour for sweet.
How to cook pancakes
Before you cook your pancakes, you should allow your batter to ‘settle’. 24 hours in the fridge is ample time, but it may have thickened up a little when you take it back out, so just loosen up with a splash of milk.When you come to cook the perfect pancakes, the temperature of your pan is crucial. You can make sure your pan is the right temperature before you start frying by dropping a small spoon of mixture into the pan. If it turns golden on the underside after around 30 seconds, you’re good to go.
The most contentious point on Pancake Day is the filling. Reader feedback suggests sweet rules over savoury, with berries and pie fillings amongst your favourites. There are lots of pancake fillings you can make in minutes – for all our recipes, visit our Pancake Day collection.
A little bit of oil, butter, or nonstick cooking spray should be used on the pan so your pancakes don't stick. Even if you're using a nonstick pan, you should still use a little grease. Don't let the grease burn in the pan.
While the griddles themselves likely vary from one diner chain to the next, diners are pretty much all working with a waffle iron or griddle that's already piping hot. IHOP, for instance, requires its pans to be heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and uses Crisco instead of butter to grease them, says Grimm.
A – Ideally make your batter and let it rest for about 30 minutes before cooking. This allows the flour to absorb the liquid, making the pancakes lighter and fluffier. Q – Why buttermilk? The acidity of buttermilk reacts with the raising agents to make you pancakes lighter and fluffier.
Either way, it's obvious that delicious pancakes require an ideal griddle temperature (and a little bit of patience) to get that nice, fluffy texture. Simply put: the best temperature for cooking pancakes is 375°F on a griddle or medium to medium high heat on the stove.
How to Get the Best Pancake Batter Consistency. The first thing you will need to do when creating the perfect pancake batter is to leave out all the ingredients until they reach room temperature.
In an interview with Delish, IHOP's vice president of culinary innovation revealed that the pancake house keeps the wet ingredients “ice cold” in the prepared batter. This eliminates any heat interaction with the glutens that might cause the batter to rise prematurely.
If your pancake mix simply calls for water, substitute the same amount of milk and enjoy an airier texture. For guaranteed moisture and richness, add some melted butter to your batter. A few tablespoons of Greek yogurt or ricotta cheese will give your pancakes a richer flavor.
Thus, buttermilk can give pancakes a better texture and make them tender in your mouth. Buttermilk pancakes may also make your pancakes have more flavor layers. The buttermilk adds tang, which compliments the other ingredients well, making your pancakes more robust and gourmet.
The secret to fluffy restaurant style pancakes? Buttermilk! The acid in the buttermilk reacts to the leavening agents in the pancake batter, creating air bubbles that make the pancakes tall and fluffy. It's a simple switch that makes all the difference.
Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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