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Unevenly colored first-batch pancakes are caused by cooking on an improperly heated and oiled griddle, says Jon Liss, the corporate chef for the Original Pancake House Franchising Inc.
To prepare a griddle for making pancakes, Liss says, it should be heated up and coated with some grease. Let the grease heat for a few minutes, then wipe down the griddle with more fat. But wipe the griddle dry before pouring the batter. Because the surface of a griddle or pan is pocked, this process fills in the holes with grease, making the surface heat more evenly and be more nonstick, Liss says.
Steve Siegelman, coauthor of The Pancake Handbook, agrees that the surface should be only lightly greased: “First-pancake makers might well be making the mistake of overgreasing on the theory that more grease will mean less sticking. This may be true, but it will also mean less even browning, as the surface of the pancake will fry and absorb the grease, rather than ‘baking’ to a golden brown, greaseless finish.”
Siegelman also offers the following tips for getting a good first pancake:
• Let the batter sit 5 to 10 minutes before cooking it so the leavening process starts and the wet and dry ingredients meld.
• The griddle should be 375 degrees Fahrenheit for proper browning. Use an electric griddle with a thermostat, or sprinkle a few drops of water on a stovetop to test the temperature. “If they dance in a sprightly way for a few seconds, you’re good to go.”
• Make sure your batter is at room temperature. Cold batter will affect the temperature of the cooking surface.
• Do not peek at the underside of the pancake while it’s cooking. “Let it sit for two to three minutes, until the surface of the pancake is covered with bubbles and the edges look dry,” before you flip it.
“Made with care—and a little optimism,” says Siegelman, “the first should be as perfect as the last.”
In Pieces of April, Katie Holmes described herself (her character) as the 'first pancake.' One of hte best lines in a surprisingly good movie.
Cast iron skillet I don't have a problem it is with non stick pans the first always is the worst
OK I thought everyone has a "sacrificial pancake" first time out. I follow all the things you recommend and it still happens.
That is, until I started using a seasoned cast iron frying pan. Now the first one doesn't stick.
Am I the only one whose first pancakes always stick? I have a great new WMF frying pan, but it does not seem to have solved the problem, no matter what amount of butter or oil I use.
LadyInTheKitchen: Don't be nervous, just try it! After all, if it messes up, you can just eat it...
When I was young, I worked at a place that used pancake batter for their stupidly-popular French Toast... and cooked said French Toast swimming in a pool of clarified butter. The edges were super crispy and I (very occasionally) use this technique today with my pancakes. Different result, but...+READ
LadyInTheKitchen: Don't be nervous, just try it! After all, if it messes up, you can just eat it...
When I was young, I worked at a place that used pancake batter for their stupidly-popular French Toast... and cooked said French Toast swimming in a pool of clarified butter. The edges were super crispy and I (very occasionally) use this technique today with my pancakes. Different result, but artery-clogging delicious.-COLLAPSE
PS
Ruth - I didnt know that about figureskating - that is pretty cool!
PS
Ruth - I didnt know that about figureskating - that is pretty cool!
Am I the only one here who LOVES the first pancake???
Sure they are misshapen and blobby - but they taste the best!
They are buttery and doughy and delicious!
I will only eat the first pancake!
I tried Steve's method above about greasing the griddle and...drumroll...every pancake turned out beautifully! They were all nicely shaped and equally browned. Thanks again!
Throughout our school years, my brothers, sisters, and I joked about "the sacrificial pancake"... whoever wasn't entirely awake would inevitably get it.
Getting the skillet temperature just right was also part of it... but over the years discovered, as mentioned in other posts that the oil method works!
Thanks you guys!
I should have known...because I use the same oil method when I do cornbread in my cast iron skillet. For some reason, never made the jump to my griddle. Doh!
And for the record, Jon Liss says: "Clarified butter!! Our only cooking/curing medium in the restaurant." He says that the reason clarified butter works so well is that it "both imparts no flavor to the pancake, and has a higher burn temp than unclarified butter--though lower than oils--that is perfect for not having the butter burn before the cakes are ready."
When I make crepes, I heat 1 tsp of oil and 1 Tblespn of butter then whisk it back into the batter. Then I never have to grease the pan as I cook them.
Perfect crepes every time!
This approach should work for pancakes, too, methinks.
Hi cuccubear--
I followed up with Steve Siegelman about what type of grease he recommends and he said: "I use vegetable oil, and a small amount (like a teaspoon) on a wadded paper towel...If that's not available, an equally spare amount of butter works well, but can burn at 375 degrees."
I’ve never really cared that the first pancakes didn’t turn out like the others, I still ate them. I have been experimenting with the right amount of grease: too much and it burns or the pancakes are soggy with it, or not enough and the pancakes burn and stick.
This method above makes total sense to me and I’ll try it tonight for dinner! But which grease is recommended? Butter seems to burn...+READ
I’ve never really cared that the first pancakes didn’t turn out like the others, I still ate them. I have been experimenting with the right amount of grease: too much and it burns or the pancakes are soggy with it, or not enough and the pancakes burn and stick.
This method above makes total sense to me and I’ll try it tonight for dinner! But which grease is recommended? Butter seems to burn before all the pancakes are done; I don’t like sprays; margerine might work, but isn’t it mostly water? I might try lard and see how that works.-COLLAPSE
Reading this article makes me even more nervous to make pancakes...I would be afraid that I would mess up and it wouldn't turn out right. But you won't know until you try....
Hey, for once an interesting question!
This phenomenon is so well known that "first pancake" has actually become an expression among figure skating fans. One of the Russian ex-pat coaches (Tamara Moskvina, I think), once described a less-than-wonderful early season program by one of her teams as "the first pancake" (as in, the first one is messed up but the following ones will be better) and it...+READ
Hey, for once an interesting question!
This phenomenon is so well known that "first pancake" has actually become an expression among figure skating fans. One of the Russian ex-pat coaches (Tamara Moskvina, I think), once described a less-than-wonderful early season program by one of her teams as "the first pancake" (as in, the first one is messed up but the following ones will be better) and it was such a useful expression that it stuck. "What did you think of Skater X's new program?" "Pretty rough, but it's just the first pancake."-COLLAPSE
I'd believe anything someone affilitated with OPH told me about the proper baking of pancakes; I grew up eating theirs in the Grosse Pointe Woods store and they've remained the standard by which all pancakes are judged.