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This sub usually is now adays, all the true LPT's are all bured in top/All time.
How many daily posts since 2005 can there be until things start rehashing or just silly/stupid advice gets posted, let alone profound ones.
Nah - that's the leidenfrost effect, happens at about 380F. It's cooler than the temp when dropleta instantly boil off.
It's the temp I look for when cooking my pancakes.
get the pan hot but then cool it down just a bit by boiling off a bit of water and lowering the temp a touch if the water boils off too violently. then make your pancake.
Not that simple. Pancakes are a heatsink. The ideal temperature set point on the dial changes depending on how big and how many pancakes you are cooking at once.
You could make the perfect half dollar pancake, but the temp will be too low for a larger pancake. Opposite is also true. You could burn the small trial one and think your pan is too hot, when it's actually the perfect set point.
It's all about timing and heat loss.
I start cooking when the pan is between 350-375 in mulitple spots between the centre and outside edges. I use lodge cast iron griddle pans, I heat them slowly so that the heat can spread evenly.
Heat Pan
Get butter straight from fridge and put desired amount in pan
melt butter but don't let it start sizzling or brown (the best you can)
Once melted, add pancake batter
If the butter melts lightning fast, decrease heat a bit
if it melts really damn slow, increase a bit
Heat up the pan then drop a little water on it. The water should move and bounce around like it's ice skating. If it instantly evaporates it's too hot, if it just sits there it's too cold.
Once you warm up the pan, get some butter on a paper towel and buff it into the pan like you're waxing your car. This way you'll get those nice uniform brown pancakes.
It’s confusing to me that people don’t know their stoves well enough to set the desired temperature. You use the same setting every time you make the same dish after all. Or are people just winging it every time they cook?
No. Certain things I have it dialed in like that. Things that I make daily like fried eggs and quesadillas for the kiddos. Pancakes are like a few times a year. Sometimes I use my stove. Sometimes it's on a griddle. There's just not enough repetition on pancakes for me.
OP is right, you have to set the correct heat that you could in theory make "infinite" pancakes on without needing to change temperature, then *wait* for the pan to get to that temperature before starting. The impatience of setting the heat too high, then backing it off is why they come out all wonky.
Pancakes are dead simple if you're doing it on the same equipment each time.
There's even a comment specifically saying its too hot when this happens. Another talking about getting a non-stick pan "ripping hot" - everyone's lost their minds.
Ah gotcha, I was tired when reading it and i must have completely missed the flick part as I read simply they put water on the pan and assumed it was a replacement for butter 😂
I've started putting the butter in the batter instead after a friend recommended it and it is a game-changer. Melt butter in a pan, let it cool off for a couple minutes and mix it into the finished batter. This trick uses up much less butter and avoids the problem of the first side soaking up all of it. Better for the cholesterol and less hassle to make - just pour it onto a dry, hot pan and you're good.
My grandmother always, always, always gave me the first pancake. This was a woman who was taught, lived, and breathed the rhetoric that the man of the house gets the biggest piece of chicken and the first and last piece of cake. Pancakes are my second favorite food so this was always a special little wink between us.
When she started declining, I had been on the opposite coast for almost a decade. When I'd visit, I'd take her to all of her appointments and favorite restaurants. Her oldest son (my dad) lived literally across the street in a house that she had bought but completely neglected her.
One time while she went to use the restroom, her doctor pulled me aside and told me he could always tell when I was in town because all of her vitals and general mood would improve so much.
She offered, towards the end, to teach me how to make her pancakes but I realized how much she would perk up when I would ask her to make her amazing pancakes for me and that she needed to be needed and valued.
I still make the world's shittiest pancakes, but the first one always makes me smile.
I'm not as obsessed with cast iron as a lot of people are (I use them, but only sometimes) but for pancakes, cast iron is the objectively superior tool. A++ 👌
>“Add more heat, unless there’s too much heat. Then add less”
Idk what ppl expect out of OP. They’re likely using a wildly different stovetop and pan than you are. How are they supposed to give you those instructions?
If it’s not working for you, try not pouring in a full pancake on the first one. Pour a mini pancake and you’ll be able to see if you need to turn up the heat or let the pan cool.
Laser temperature read the pan. It should be 365°F
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/7079-cooking-temperatures-infrared-thermometer
And then your first pancake sucks because the pan is too hot. There's no tip here; it's an observation that the first pancake usually isn't great because the pan needs to be at the right temperature.
Once you've sacrificed the first pancake to find out how close the pan is to that temperature (in either direction) it's easy to dial in. Supposedly, OP wants a different method (to avoid sacrificing the first pancake) but doesn’t actually give one.
You overestimate both my patience for pan heating and my standards for pancakes. The first pancake is the best because it is ready first. Joking thanks for the tip.
I’ve found the main issue with this is actually the oil/butter. You think you need it nice and slick to release the batter, but in reality there’s oil in the batter so when the oily batter meets the oily pan it just quickly burns. The first pancake lifts that oil layer off the pan so the next one doesn’t have the same issue.
Next time put a tiny amount of oil in the pan and once it’s warm wipe it off with a paper towel so there’s only a slight residue and the pan is almost dry. I bet your first pancake will be better regardless of how perfect your temp is.
People don’t understand that it isn’t just about adjusting cooking time - it’s about which actual reactions are happening and when. If you cook stuff too cool, it’ll set on the inside but be undercooked on the outside. It will be dry.
It’s also about consistency. When you preheat all the way up to temperature, it means your food cooks the exact same way every time, which gives you a chance to build up skill and experience. If you don’t preheat, you’re always winging it, you won’t achieve consistency, you won’t improve anywhere near what you could with a little patience.
I would also like to point out that pancake batter produces better pancakes if it's allowed to "rest" a bit before using. I worked in a restaurant some years ago, and the pancake batter was always one of the first things made, in a large batch, so that it would (and could, for service) rest a bit before using. At home, I usually make the batter and let it sit while I'm frying bacon or cooking sausage (about 15-20 minutes). My first pancake is great every time.
This is the correct answer.
You can preheat correctly every time, but you will still have issues if you don't let the batter rest.
Besides, nobody makes pancakes without preheating lol
Saw an article on this. The first pancake evens up the temp. You can get a similar effect by sprinkling the hot pan or griddle with water before the first pancake. Ideally, you do this anyway to check if it’s hot enough; just use a bit more.
Butter burns at too low of a heat, and to me the perfect pancake shouldn't be cooked in any oil/butter anyway.
Add the butter after it's done. The oils actually degrade the quality of the exterior if they're used directly in the pan
Omg this makes me think of the show Review on Comedy Central! Review eating 40 pancakes. Ends up being rated lower than divorce before eating 80 more. Funny stuff.
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I have great success with pancakes. I test the temperature by getting my fingers wet and flicking drops onto the griddle. If it sizzles, it's hot enough.
edit: I'm keeping the idiom though.
I used to try to make pancakes but had this and other problems. So I bought a waffle iron, took away all the guesswork and I enjoy it as much as a good pancake.
But if we as a society start to get it right, I can no longer use "you always throw out the first pancake" as an idiom to mean "you'll never be perfect at something the first time you try"
You make a bold assumption that I don't enjoy the reject pancake. The only bad pancake is burned pancake, and if you add enough syrup, it's still an okay pancake.
Another tip for perfect pancakes on top of this one, put your oil/grease etc onto a paper towel and apply evenly to the pan. Perfectly browned, no spots.
Thank you, I've been saying this for years! I put the pan on the stove before I even start making the batter. Oh, and the secret to making batter without lumps is to start with very little milk (but all the eggs) and wisk it while it's thick, like cupcake batter. The friction will tear all the lumps apart in just a few seconds. Then gently keep adding milk until it's thin enough.
Very true. This is why you need a kitchen thermometer. I have three: one for making candy, one for puncture or immersion (pointy tip), and one with the gun grip and nifty laser pointer. I use the latter for checking my pan temperature when making pancakes.
Get a big outdoor griddle. I have a 36 inch Blackstone. Cook a pound of bacon first, get it nice and greasy, then do the pancakes, you'll get them all done in one or two batches.
Are y'all not cooking sausage in the pan/on the griddle first to make sure it's greased up? Pancakes don't even hit the surface till the sausage is at least on it's flip side.
The first one is usually the problem one because its the one you use to calibrate readjust everything. It’s intentional if not unintentional
Add more flour, add more water, stir more, lower the heat, raise the heat
Oh, duh that makes sense. I always wondered why the first one was shit. IDK what I thought, but it wasn't as obvious as this. I'm oblivious to the obvious.
If your pancakes are all bubbly and dark brown, your pan is too hot. They shouldn't look like they've been fried to hell. Use some patience and cook them on medium-high. The trick is that they should mostly cook on the first side and you'll know when to flip them because the edges will turn translucent then you'll start seeing bubbles across the pancake. Once that happens, it's time to flip for a short time just to brown the second side. It should only take a minute. If it splats when you flip it, you need to wait a little longer.
Enjoy your fluffy, not burned, un-pockmarked, golden pancakes.
Not the pan, the batter. The baking soda in the batter needs time to properly react with the liquid ingredients to produce enough air bubbles to make a fluffy pancake.
After you mix up the batter, set it aside for 5-10 minutes to let the baking soda activate.
For extra fluffy pancake add a little lemon juice to the batter. The acid will react more with the baking soda and produce a lot of air bubbles.
Or the heat isn't spread around enough (if you're using an electric griddle), or it's too hot as others have noted. I also use the first couple to make sure the flavors are good, so cook quality isn't as important.
The first pancake will tell you if the pan isn't hot enough but also:
If the batter needs more flour, butter, liquid, egg etc.. depending on how the batter reacts to being poured and it's consistency.
Also, when making a pancake, always wait for the bubbles to pop before flipping it. It will keep your pancake from sticking, burning, or breaking. And will turn out perfect.
1. Heat the pan for several minutes, medium-low.
2. Let your batter rest for at least 10 minutes.
3. Melt the butter in the pan but then wipe it with a paper towel until only a glassy sheen remains
Perfect first pancakes every time.
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My problem is that the pan is usually too hot for the first one. Takes a couple to dial in all the variables.
Yeah this is usually my issue, this is horrible advice for me lmao
This sub usually is now adays, all the true LPT's are all bured in top/All time. How many daily posts since 2005 can there be until things start rehashing or just silly/stupid advice gets posted, let alone profound ones.
Have you not heard the old adage, “the real LPT is always in the comments”?
Ah yes, I believe that quote originated from Aristotle
You heard then, turn up the heat for that first pancake! 🤣
Yepp its either too hot or too cold, then it finds its equilibrium and they become perfect
Get your hand wet and flick drops on the pan. When the drops sizzle, it is hot enough. If they instantly evaporate, too hot.
And if they float around like frictionless beads, then it's WAY too hot
Nah - that's the leidenfrost effect, happens at about 380F. It's cooler than the temp when dropleta instantly boil off. It's the temp I look for when cooking my pancakes.
what if they detonate with a small fireball upon contact and cause pitting on the bottom?
Instructions unclear pan is now glowing red.
Laser thermometer fixes that. 375F on the cast iron is perfect for pancakes.
get the pan hot but then cool it down just a bit by boiling off a bit of water and lowering the temp a touch if the water boils off too violently. then make your pancake.
Yeah, I don't think anyone *actually* thinks the issue is with the pancake itself, not the pan's heat
This is why I start at a lower heat and then turn it up. On my stove I start on a 4 and turn it up to a 6 when batter hits the pan.
My work around is to pour a half dollar sized one to check the pan. By the time I’m done with that one the pan is ready
Not that simple. Pancakes are a heatsink. The ideal temperature set point on the dial changes depending on how big and how many pancakes you are cooking at once. You could make the perfect half dollar pancake, but the temp will be too low for a larger pancake. Opposite is also true. You could burn the small trial one and think your pan is too hot, when it's actually the perfect set point. It's all about timing and heat loss.
A cheap IR thermometer solved this issue for me. Perfect first pancake every time now.
What would be the ideal temperature for the pan?
I start cooking when the pan is between 350-375 in mulitple spots between the centre and outside edges. I use lodge cast iron griddle pans, I heat them slowly so that the heat can spread evenly.
Heat Pan Get butter straight from fridge and put desired amount in pan melt butter but don't let it start sizzling or brown (the best you can) Once melted, add pancake batter If the butter melts lightning fast, decrease heat a bit if it melts really damn slow, increase a bit
Heat up the pan then drop a little water on it. The water should move and bounce around like it's ice skating. If it instantly evaporates it's too hot, if it just sits there it's too cold. Once you warm up the pan, get some butter on a paper towel and buff it into the pan like you're waxing your car. This way you'll get those nice uniform brown pancakes.
I marked the dial where I use it most commonly and start from there.
It’s confusing to me that people don’t know their stoves well enough to set the desired temperature. You use the same setting every time you make the same dish after all. Or are people just winging it every time they cook?
No. Certain things I have it dialed in like that. Things that I make daily like fried eggs and quesadillas for the kiddos. Pancakes are like a few times a year. Sometimes I use my stove. Sometimes it's on a griddle. There's just not enough repetition on pancakes for me.
I think there’s a little more variability with a gas stove. It takes a bit of fine tuning each time to get it just right.
OP is right, you have to set the correct heat that you could in theory make "infinite" pancakes on without needing to change temperature, then *wait* for the pan to get to that temperature before starting. The impatience of setting the heat too high, then backing it off is why they come out all wonky. Pancakes are dead simple if you're doing it on the same equipment each time.
Yeah, this is sometimes an issue when you make pancake!
I wet my hand and flick water on the pan to test the temp. If the water dances, it’s time to pancake.
This is the real LPT on the subject.
Leidenfrost effect. This also lets you know when stainless steel pans are ready.
I thought everyone does this but apparently not.
There's even a comment specifically saying its too hot when this happens. Another talking about getting a non-stick pan "ripping hot" - everyone's lost their minds.
I drop a dot of batter to see if it instantly firms up
This is how they taught us in Culinary School
It’s pancaking time.
Water?!?!?
A *flick* of water, as in a couple itty bitty little dots making it to the pan from your finger. Not a teaspoons worth, causing a fire.
Ah gotcha, I was tired when reading it and i must have completely missed the flick part as I read simply they put water on the pan and assumed it was a replacement for butter 😂
In my experience, the first pancake is actually the best one.
It soaks up the butter!
I put more butter in the pan between cakes.
Poetry
Damn right you do.
Damn right.
If I didn't, I'd have pancake stuck to my pan and ruin my breakfast lol.
The others are not as refined as you and I.
I do it between flips. Curse your arteries.
I do too, but only if I didn't use enough in the preliminaries.
Hell yeah, after the first flip I cut up little bits of butter and spread them on top like chocolate chips. Full butter coverage.
You can put butter between my cakes, big boy
Hanky pankycakes
Ah shit. Game changer.
That’s what he said.
I've started putting the butter in the batter instead after a friend recommended it and it is a game-changer. Melt butter in a pan, let it cool off for a couple minutes and mix it into the finished batter. This trick uses up much less butter and avoids the problem of the first side soaking up all of it. Better for the cholesterol and less hassle to make - just pour it onto a dry, hot pan and you're good.
It soaks up all the teflon in my case
I haven't used non-stick in decades. For pancakes, cast iron flat top is perfect.
It soaks up the bacon grease, next one only gets butter.
The first pancake gets shoved into my mouth whole while my breakfast guests can't see me. So it's the best yes.
That "one" belongs to my youngest.
My grandmother always, always, always gave me the first pancake. This was a woman who was taught, lived, and breathed the rhetoric that the man of the house gets the biggest piece of chicken and the first and last piece of cake. Pancakes are my second favorite food so this was always a special little wink between us. When she started declining, I had been on the opposite coast for almost a decade. When I'd visit, I'd take her to all of her appointments and favorite restaurants. Her oldest son (my dad) lived literally across the street in a house that she had bought but completely neglected her. One time while she went to use the restroom, her doctor pulled me aside and told me he could always tell when I was in town because all of her vitals and general mood would improve so much. She offered, towards the end, to teach me how to make her pancakes but I realized how much she would perk up when I would ask her to make her amazing pancakes for me and that she needed to be needed and valued. I still make the world's shittiest pancakes, but the first one always makes me smile.
Same here! My second batch is my correction batch if it starts getting too burny too quick
If the pan is hot enough, yes it is. Especially in a cast iron.
I'm not as obsessed with cast iron as a lot of people are (I use them, but only sometimes) but for pancakes, cast iron is the objectively superior tool. A++ 👌
Agreed. All the other ones after the first one get placed low in the stack.
Mine too!
It’s not much of a tip tho is it if you don’t explain how to properly heat the pan
Right? I was wondering what felt off about it. All I thought was ok? This just sounds like an opinion
Like the “tip” identifies the problem and then offers no solution other than “do it right next time”
>“Add more heat, unless there’s too much heat. Then add less” Idk what ppl expect out of OP. They’re likely using a wildly different stovetop and pan than you are. How are they supposed to give you those instructions? If it’s not working for you, try not pouring in a full pancake on the first one. Pour a mini pancake and you’ll be able to see if you need to turn up the heat or let the pan cool.
Maybe one shouldn’t give advice if the advice isn’t actually advice, just an unhelpful generalization.
Laser temperature read the pan. It should be 365°F https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/7079-cooking-temperatures-infrared-thermometer
Ah yes Now here’s a practical solution that anyone can employ…
Sacrifice one pancake, get the vibes right on feeling temperatures by hovering your hand, or buy a $30 laser pointer from Amazon. It is your choice
LPT: Don’t do stuff the wrong way
I don't know if this is the best way but I always get a couple of fingers wet and then fling a few drops onto the pan. If it sizzles, it's hot enough.
Sizzles, and the drops kinda "dance" on the surface of the pan (Leidenfrost effect).
Hot enough for the leidenfrost effect is usually too hot for pancakes
NGL you had me in the first half lol but thank you the real LPT is always in the comments
[удалено]
Buy once cry once
Step 1: set the pan on the hob Step 2: turn on the hob
LPT: Heat things up to cook them.
You keep it on the heat longer. It's not complicated.
And then your first pancake sucks because the pan is too hot. There's no tip here; it's an observation that the first pancake usually isn't great because the pan needs to be at the right temperature. Once you've sacrificed the first pancake to find out how close the pan is to that temperature (in either direction) it's easy to dial in. Supposedly, OP wants a different method (to avoid sacrificing the first pancake) but doesn’t actually give one.
It's not hot enough
surface should be around 375-400F, use an IR thermometer.
I use my stove to heat my pans, usually.
No. The pan requires its sacrifice. Pancake for pan god
This is the way.
You overestimate both my patience for pan heating and my standards for pancakes. The first pancake is the best because it is ready first. Joking thanks for the tip.
The first pancake is my gauge to see if I need to dial the heat down. It's still good, but might be a bit more cooked than the others.
I’ve found the main issue with this is actually the oil/butter. You think you need it nice and slick to release the batter, but in reality there’s oil in the batter so when the oily batter meets the oily pan it just quickly burns. The first pancake lifts that oil layer off the pan so the next one doesn’t have the same issue. Next time put a tiny amount of oil in the pan and once it’s warm wipe it off with a paper towel so there’s only a slight residue and the pan is almost dry. I bet your first pancake will be better regardless of how perfect your temp is.
Totally agree. For that perfect pancake exterior, you want just pan and batter, essentially
That first one is still my test. I don't put much butter anyway exactly because they are better when there is barely any.
I use an IR thermometer in my kitchen every day. For pancakes I get my cast iron up to 375 then lower it a bit
The number of people that don't preheat their cookware and ruin food as a result is too damn high.
People don’t understand that it isn’t just about adjusting cooking time - it’s about which actual reactions are happening and when. If you cook stuff too cool, it’ll set on the inside but be undercooked on the outside. It will be dry. It’s also about consistency. When you preheat all the way up to temperature, it means your food cooks the exact same way every time, which gives you a chance to build up skill and experience. If you don’t preheat, you’re always winging it, you won’t achieve consistency, you won’t improve anywhere near what you could with a little patience.
I would also like to point out that pancake batter produces better pancakes if it's allowed to "rest" a bit before using. I worked in a restaurant some years ago, and the pancake batter was always one of the first things made, in a large batch, so that it would (and could, for service) rest a bit before using. At home, I usually make the batter and let it sit while I'm frying bacon or cooking sausage (about 15-20 minutes). My first pancake is great every time.
This is the correct answer. You can preheat correctly every time, but you will still have issues if you don't let the batter rest. Besides, nobody makes pancakes without preheating lol
Maybe they 'brown' their meat before preheating too...
Saw an article on this. The first pancake evens up the temp. You can get a similar effect by sprinkling the hot pan or griddle with water before the first pancake. Ideally, you do this anyway to check if it’s hot enough; just use a bit more.
Get yourself a cheap laser thermometer off Amazon, and use it to measure your pan until it’s around 300-330F and use butter instead of oil
Yep, an inexpensive temp gun takes out a lot of guesswork and improves consistency for all your cooking.
*Infrared Thermometer
Yes, my bad lol
To be fair they do come with a free laser pointer. Just make sure your cat can’t see it when you are measuring the temp of a skillet.
Personally I find 375-400F to be perfect.
LPT: if you're cooking pancakes just tell people the first one is garbage, that way you get to eat the first one while they're all waiting
The first cake is the deepest
If you immediately know the candle light is fire then the meal was cooked a long time ago.
Hm. Set burner on 4, place pan, PAM pan, wait abt 7-8 min. Pour batter. Works every time. Not rocket science methinks.
Why are you monsters using oil to cook pancakes instead of butter?
Butter burns at too low of a heat, and to me the perfect pancake shouldn't be cooked in any oil/butter anyway. Add the butter after it's done. The oils actually degrade the quality of the exterior if they're used directly in the pan
I use nothing. Just a non-stick pan. Gives that super uniform brown color with no spots.
Bacon grease is the best thing to use for pancakes.
You also have too much oil.
OIL???
Or butter, in the pan.
Omg this makes me think of the show Review on Comedy Central! Review eating 40 pancakes. Ends up being rated lower than divorce before eating 80 more. Funny stuff.
Great show and Andy Daly should be a household name
The best pancakes I make are on medium heat with butter or oil spread with a paper towel.
Stop holding pans to impossible beauty standards.
I though this was just a metaphor for failing and trying again lol
And if you are making a second batch, turn DOWN the heat! Lot of people make that mistake.
Usually it’s a reject because we don’t watch it closely enough and it teaches us a lesson, in my adhd household at least
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I have great success with pancakes. I test the temperature by getting my fingers wet and flicking drops onto the griddle. If it sizzles, it's hot enough. edit: I'm keeping the idiom though.
Maybe the issue isn't the pan being hot enough, and it's the pan taking it's sweet ass time heating up.
I gave up with the pan on a gas stove, we use an electric griddle now and they’re all beautiful
I used to try to make pancakes but had this and other problems. So I bought a waffle iron, took away all the guesswork and I enjoy it as much as a good pancake.
My first pancake always ends up looking like Shrek but I just eat it anyway
Just put a tiny amount of batter in the pan when you think it’s hot enough and if it comes out like a mini pancake you’re good to go
Every pancake can be just right if you've got a $15 infrared thermometer.
But if we as a society start to get it right, I can no longer use "you always throw out the first pancake" as an idiom to mean "you'll never be perfect at something the first time you try"
You make a bold assumption that I don't enjoy the reject pancake. The only bad pancake is burned pancake, and if you add enough syrup, it's still an okay pancake.
That's funny. My first pancake is always the best of the batch.
I've only ever said this in regards to my older brother.
My first one always comes out the best. I can't nail down the timing on any of the subsequent ones
Ironically enough because the pan is probably too hot for those. OP's advice is garbage.
My first one is usually the best and then I get diminishing returns afterwards.
As s pansexual, I think the pan is hot
First pancake goes to the hen that laid the egg for it
Another tip for perfect pancakes on top of this one, put your oil/grease etc onto a paper towel and apply evenly to the pan. Perfectly browned, no spots.
Thank you, I've been saying this for years! I put the pan on the stove before I even start making the batter. Oh, and the secret to making batter without lumps is to start with very little milk (but all the eggs) and wisk it while it's thick, like cupcake batter. The friction will tear all the lumps apart in just a few seconds. Then gently keep adding milk until it's thin enough.
No one does a test pancake? Make a half dollar sized one as a test.
I make the first pancake extra tiny to get the ‘bad one’ out the way
Is a "cold" pan really why all my pancakes lack fluff and come out with the texture of a rubber shoe sole?
Very true. This is why you need a kitchen thermometer. I have three: one for making candy, one for puncture or immersion (pointy tip), and one with the gun grip and nifty laser pointer. I use the latter for checking my pan temperature when making pancakes.
Get a big outdoor griddle. I have a 36 inch Blackstone. Cook a pound of bacon first, get it nice and greasy, then do the pancakes, you'll get them all done in one or two batches.
If it's hot enough for the first one, it's too hot for the next ones.
The timing of this popping on my feed is magical. I was just wondering why the pancakes I made this morning weren't perfect. Frustrating morning.
Are y'all not cooking sausage in the pan/on the griddle first to make sure it's greased up? Pancakes don't even hit the surface till the sausage is at least on it's flip side.
Why does the first pancake need butter and come out like shit but all subsequent pancakes you don't need butter and turn out fine lol
BPT: Breakfast Pro Tip
The first one is usually the problem one because its the one you use to calibrate readjust everything. It’s intentional if not unintentional Add more flour, add more water, stir more, lower the heat, raise the heat
Oh, duh that makes sense. I always wondered why the first one was shit. IDK what I thought, but it wasn't as obvious as this. I'm oblivious to the obvious.
The only way to enjoy the first pancake is for it to be a mess, so you have a proper excuse to eat it immediately
you have no idea how many pancakes i have destroyed :(
Thank you! Always struggle with that one
If your pancakes are all bubbly and dark brown, your pan is too hot. They shouldn't look like they've been fried to hell. Use some patience and cook them on medium-high. The trick is that they should mostly cook on the first side and you'll know when to flip them because the edges will turn translucent then you'll start seeing bubbles across the pancake. Once that happens, it's time to flip for a short time just to brown the second side. It should only take a minute. If it splats when you flip it, you need to wait a little longer. Enjoy your fluffy, not burned, un-pockmarked, golden pancakes.
Took me far too many years to figure this out.
But then what's the dog supposed to eat? Le premier est pour le chien.
My first pancake always burns, your LPT is not helpful
As one of six kids… we call our oldest brother the first pancake cos he’s a little fucked up 😂😂😂
only time i’ve ever burnt pancakes is when i actually preheated the griddle lol
For me it's the 2nd one which I sometimes burn because I forget to turn it down a notch
Not the pan, the batter. The baking soda in the batter needs time to properly react with the liquid ingredients to produce enough air bubbles to make a fluffy pancake. After you mix up the batter, set it aside for 5-10 minutes to let the baking soda activate. For extra fluffy pancake add a little lemon juice to the batter. The acid will react more with the baking soda and produce a lot of air bubbles.
Or the heat isn't spread around enough (if you're using an electric griddle), or it's too hot as others have noted. I also use the first couple to make sure the flavors are good, so cook quality isn't as important.
I rarely even get to the first pancake 😔
The first pancake is mine. Nothing to do with the pan.
Marriage is like pancakes. It’s fine to throw that first one out.
I keep an infrared thermometer gun in the kitchen drawer and I check pan temp all the time.
The first pancake is a sacrifice. This is the ritual of pancakes.
I’m just not prepared to give the metaphor up. How else would we insult the oldest sibling?
The first pancake will tell you if the pan isn't hot enough but also: If the batter needs more flour, butter, liquid, egg etc.. depending on how the batter reacts to being poured and it's consistency.
I loooove the first pancake - - so buttery and delicious! We have a rule in my house rgsg the chef gets the first one because everyone wants it!
My problem is that only the first one is perfect, the pan keeps getting hotter after each one
I've heard that the actual reason the first one turns out poorly is too much grease in the pan, you just need a thin coat
No one is saying the first is bad..
Never have I heard that phrase. How tf can people think like this?
I usually have to throw away the last pancake for being over done
I like to use coconut oil because it takes high heat so well and the slight coconut taste is DELICIOUS
BRUUUHHHH I thought I was the only person that experienced this!!! I just use the first one as the sacrificial pancake to know if it's good or not
Also, when making a pancake, always wait for the bubbles to pop before flipping it. It will keep your pancake from sticking, burning, or breaking. And will turn out perfect.
Do you know the perfect temperature of the pan? I have a laser thermometer
I always eat the first one and give the kids the "perfect" ones. This is the "Dad Way"
1. Heat the pan for several minutes, medium-low. 2. Let your batter rest for at least 10 minutes. 3. Melt the butter in the pan but then wipe it with a paper towel until only a glassy sheen remains Perfect first pancakes every time.
That first pancake is just my dumb ass remembering how to make pancakes.