nlogax
Established Member
I thought the secret was the sacrificial First Pancake which is usually a disaster and clears the way for all the rest to be edible?
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Pancake day
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DarloRich
Veteran Member
A good quality, clean, non stick pan SHOULD remove the sacrificial first go. SHOULD.
The secret is that the sacrificial pancake is also perfectly edible, and the cook gets to eat it without it counting to their share
nlogax
Established Member
Other way round at my house. The first one was the best and I just couldn’t master the right amount of batter for the rest. The last one is always the worst for me because you either end up with too much, or not enough batter, depending how much is left in the jug at the end. I always use baking butter in the pan; never oil).
Fluid ounce is just a liquid measure. You get the measurements on the side of old school measuring jugs.
Both Mum and Nan always measured stuff in tablespoons and teaspoons. They would literally count spoons of flour into a bowl. When I'm baking with the kids I still count tablespoons before finger tapping the last spoon to get the more modern acruate measure.
Is baking butter a specific thing, or just the cheap stuff? I never think to use butter when I'm frying anything, which is a pity because it definitely has a better taste.
Just cheap spread. It’s available in various shops under names like Just For Cakes, or if it’s cheaper then “soft spread” in various shops.
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Truly I am blessed to be surrounded by Pancake Experts
I am no expert. I have learned from the best mind.
The problem with using butter for frying is that the solids burn at too low a temperature so it's difficult to avoid a burned taste. Ghee is much better suited than regular (or baking, I guess?) butter.
It isn’t actually real butter.
Busaholic
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If pancakes were just for Shrove Tuesday London would not have had multiple branches of both Tennessee Pancake House and Texas Pancake House for decades: Tennessee, for one, were also in the Home Counties. I believe ownership of these was tied in with Aberdeen Angus Steak Houses and another whose exact name I don't recall, but,unlike the others, a Tennessee Pancake House produced some quite edible, reasonably priced food, and weren't just tourist traps. The pancakes themselves were only of a sweet nature: rather good omelettes served for those, like me, with a savoury tooth. The first PROPER pancake house in London, maybe the U.K., was My Old Dutch in High Holborn, opposite a famous real ale pub, and opened in the late 1970s. I had many meals/snacks there, it being fine for the solitary lunchtime office worker diner as well as with mates.
Ah, okay. That makes a lot more sense. Though, I stick by the suggestion of using ghee for shallow frying - once you try it you're unlikely to go back to using hydrogenated vegetable oil spread.
It's not so much that pancakes are just for Shrove Tuesday as much as it is Shrove Tuesday is for pancakes - it was a way to use up all the odds and ends which wouldn't keep for six week that you had in the house before going onto a restricted menu for the Lenten season.
Got a little bit of bacon? That'll go nicely with some pancakes. Got a little bit of salt beef? Mmm, perfect with pancakes. Got a little bit of duck? Crisp that up and it would be lovely with some pancakes. And so on.
Now I feel like a fool for just sticking with the sugar and lemon. More meat on the pancakes next year
LSWR Cavalier
Established Member
Little Chef used to do good pancakes
I thought it was just me that did that!
Nope, it's quite traditional to say the first pancake is for the pan.
Never heard that, and I wasn’t taught the technique by my mum. I’ve learned it the hard way.
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
Maybe pancakes are for Shrove Tuesday in the same sense that hot cross buns are for Easter
A look at the first few results in a Google search suggests it's not uncommon: first pancake
Sure, but I’ve never needed to google pancakes! It’s about that much flour, an egg, around that much milk, mix it up, stick it in the pan (with some butter, noting your comments about ghee).
Neither have I, the search is for the term "first pancake" and shows that the idea that the first one is bad isn't uncommon - it's even used as an insult.
SHD
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There is a specific saying in Breton for the first crêpe: krampouezhenn ar c'hi, literally "the dog's crêpe".
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
The consequences of reading this thread finally appeared chez moi today... The BBC/DarloRich recipe worked a treat!
And yes I can confirm that. The first pancake (not featured in my picture) came out totally misshapen and left me wondering if I'd done something wrong (although it tasted just as good). It was quite a surprise when the 2nd one then just worked!
One problem I haven't seen mentioned yet... The time taken to cook each pancake is sufficient for the previous ones to start going cold. Which is a bit of a problem if you'd really rather do all the cooking first and then eat them all.
And yes I can confirm that. The first pancake (not featured in my picture) came out totally misshapen and left me wondering if I'd done something wrong (although it tasted just as good). It was quite a surprise when the 2nd one then just worked!
One problem I haven't seen mentioned yet... The time taken to cook each pancake is sufficient for the previous ones to start going cold. Which is a bit of a problem if you'd really rather do all the cooking first and then eat them all.
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Bang them on a plate in the oven at a low heat.
What? Is that a thing? Surely you eat one whilst cooking the next?
Thank goodness i'm not the only one. Pancakes, Eggy Bread etc, I thought that was just how it's done!
DynamicSpirit
Established Member
You uncivilized brute!
Next time I may try @takno's oven suggestion. I did also wonder how well the microwave works on heating up pancakes - might be worth an experiment.
You uncivilized brute!
Just to check. You have 4 cans of lager in the fridge. Do you take them all out at the same time before opening the first one, or take one out, drink it, and then the next, etc?
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