Pancakes enjoy popularity throughout the world.
They are eaten at different times, and have slightly different ingredients, but in the end, they are still ‘pancakes’. Because so many people eat them, it is customary to try and make them as a family treat. Despite their looking so easy to make, they can be burnt, or have a heavy, chewy texture etc.
Results like these are undesirable, so here are some useful tips to remember when trying to make the perfect pancake:-
1. Spend time measuring out all the ingredients as precisely as you can. When members of the family who don’t normally cook decide to make these treats, they are usually a roaring success, purely and simply because they pay careful attention to every detail written in the recipe!
2. Don’t forget to shake the flour through a sieve to trap air into it. That action will give the pancakes a light texture.
3. The recipe will instruct you not to over-mix the ingredients. Follow the instructions precisely, allowing time for the batter to stand in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, before cooking. Don’t keep mixing if you still see lumps. Lumps are acceptable!
4. Use oil or butter sparingly in the pan while cooking them. Only a thin coating is needed, so that they won’t stick. This is where a cooking spray comes into its own if you have it, only, don’t breathe it in!
5. Ensure that the griddle or pan is at the correct temperature before dropping batter in. This is checked by dripping water onto the pan. If the water bounces around and evaporates quickly, the correct temperature has been reached. A common mistake is to have the temperature too high.
6. When transferring the batter onto the pan, do so promptly so that they will all be cooked at the same time. Also, make sure that there is at least a 2” gap between the circles, so that they will not meet.
7. Don’t be hasty in flipping them over. Wait until you see bubbles forming and popping through the batter, before attempting to turn them.
8. Don’t be tempted to squash them down while they are cooking. They will become thin and doughy, when they should be fluffy and light-textured.
9. A cardinal rule to follow if they’re not being eaten right away is to set them out separately on a cooling rack, at 200oF. Piling them on top of each other turns them into a soggy mess, unless you eat them immediately.
Try these tips out and you are sure to enjoy perfect pancakes!
