Pancake Problems

[Alan Saunders]

Inspired by the living on a boat in winter topic I decided to make some pancakes. They were the first thing I learned to cook at the age of ~10, and can be filled with sweet or savoury fillings. Flour is a convenient variation on potato and pasta store cupboard ingredients.

 

So, I made up some batter; 4oz of flour sieved with ½ tsp salt, beat in one egg and ½ pint of milk, left to stand for half an hour. Meanwhile I thoroughly cleaned my 9", 'non-stick' pan.

 

With the gas ring on maximum I swirled sunflower oil around the pan then drained the excess into a cup. The first pancake stuck and burned. The next four were acceptable but rather thick. I seem to remember getting ten pancakes from a ½ pint (10 fluid oz) of batter.

 

I am a poor cook but I can toss a pancake, what am I doing wrong?

 

Alan

 

[Alf Roberts]

less flour.

[the barnacle]

maybe a bit to hot?

[Dalslandia]

More egg

[Athy]

Make a Yorkshire pudding instead. It's the same mixture and you don't need to toss it.

[patty-ann]

And much nicer than pancakes

[Phil Ambrose]

You are all wrong, there is only one pancake problem....................getting enough of them!

 

Phil

[MarkHez]

Do 'em on the stove top! ( I have since finished making the fireplace!)

 

Edited January 30, 2015 by MarkHez

[Machpoint005]

maybe a bit to hot?

 

Not hot enough

[Grebe]

I sometimes to revert to ready made from Morrisons. Just nuke 'em and eat 'em.

Edited January 30, 2015 by Grebe

[the barnacle]

Do 'em on the stove top! ( I have since finished making the fireplace!)

 

Nice square meal

[Machpoint005]

I sometimes to revert to ready made from Morrisons. Just nuke 'em and eat 'em.

 

Philistine!

(And you from Yorkshire too -- well, nearly...)

[madcat]

Good heavy well seasoned cast iron pan , works well for pancakes and omelettes

[cuthound]

How do you get the pancake residue of the deck head when they are tossed too high?

[Athy]

How do you get the pancake residue of the deck head when they are tossed too high?

 

How do you get the pancake residue of the deck head when they are tossed too high?

I'm sure that furry creature in your avatar would be pleased to lick it off.

[cuthound]

I'm sure that furry creature in your avatar would be pleased to lick it off.

Too true, his eyes and ears are failing but his nose can detect food a mile away!

[Alan Saunders]

Thank you for all your suggestions. In the cold light of day I thought the problem may have been too much Whisky. Yesterday I purchased another bottle of whisky, drank half of it and cooked another batch of pancakes.

 

I did not wash the pan, just wiped it with paper kitchen towel.

The above recipe amounted to 16 fl oz of batter.

I allowed the oil to get 'smoking' - CO alarm at 13ppm, opened a door.

Made eight nice pancakes, even the first one was OK.

 

Yes, cast iron pans make the best pancakes, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes etc. etc., especially the Le-Cruset enameled pans.

 

Even in a boat the pancake will never get anywhere near the ceiling (or deckhead); you 'flip' it over the curved edge of a skillet; if it lands folded, you flip it again.

 

Thank you, Alan

[Peter X]

I made some pancakes this evening using a similar recipe as in the OP, except two eggs instead of one which gave me a nice runny mix, and a little butter not vegetable oil. I only used a normal non-stick frying pan, not heavy, but they came out well.

It sounds to me as if the OP was getting thick pancakes partly because without the second egg his mix wasn't runny enough, and/or because he put too much mix at a time into the pan.

The first one burning suggests the pan was too hot at the start.

I toss my pancakes to a little above head height, so would feel a bit inhibited under a typical narrow boat ceiling; my kitchen (in bricks and mortar) has a height of about 7' 6", maybe 8 feet.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Today is pancake day! So if you go across to the 'What a Gentleman is Eating Today' thread, you'll find how they made them in 1885.

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=72163&p=1511621

 

And if you have any snow, you can find out how to make them from that, earlier in the thread.

[little duck!]

i too used 2 eggs, it was a delia smith recipie and she suggested it would make 10 -12 panckakes, i used a brand new 20cm (small!) frying pan and got 6 nice thin pancakes nicely browned on both sides, i flipped it with a non stick frying pan to start with before tossing it properly but i dont go high i'm not brave enough! I used a tiny bit of olive oil wiped around pan with kitchen paper.

[Keeping Up]

Nobody has commented on the milk in the first recipe, but I always use mainly water with a little milk which makes a much thinner batter.

[Naughty Cal]

We always use milk in ours. Making sure your eggs and milk are fresh helps.

 

We had pancakes last night but a variation on them. Made some fresh pancakes and then filled them with haggis, rolled them up and baked them for half an hour.

 

[Mac of Cygnet]

You've mentioned haggis before, NC. Where did you get this taste for haggis, and can you get it in Yorkshire/Lincolnshire?

[Naughty Cal]

You've mentioned haggis before, NC. Where did you get this taste for haggis, and can you get it in Yorkshire/Lincolnshire?

When Liam's mum remarried she married a Scot. They have since moved up there so we get our supply sent down to us.

 

Love the stuff but it has to be a good one. Some of the supermarket efforts are a very poor show indeed.

[Mac of Cygnet]

Love the stuff but it has to be a good one. Some of the supermarket efforts are a very poor show indeed.

Agree entirely. Looking at supermarket haggis ingredients, most of them contain pork. Haggis should only contain sheep's innards, onion, oatmeal and seasoning. Even McSween's, the doyen of haggis makers, has never been the same since they moved from a little shop in Edinburgh's West End to an industrial estate on the outskirts. Thankfully, we have excellent haggis makers in Hawick and Jedburgh, the towns nearest to us.

 

Edited 'cos I forgot the onion!

Edited February 18, 2015 by Mac of Cygnet