Hi all,
Everytime I make pancakes, the first two always stick to the pan, but
after those the rest are fine. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, or should
I just think of it as a sacrifice to the gods of flat food?

"cockle_thing" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hi all,
> Everytime I make pancakes, the first two always stick to the pan, but
> after those the rest are fine. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, or should
> I just think of it as a sacrifice to the gods of flat food?
>

While that is pretty common, I think your pan is probably too hot. If it
was a problem with too little oil, then the subsequent pancakes would also
stick. Too much oil wouldn't result in sticking. If the batter was the
issue, all of them would stick.

What kind of pan are you using? Cast Iron, Stainless Steel, non-stick?
What are you using to coat the pan? Butter?

I'm just using vegetable oil on a non-stick pan (well, it's supposed to
be non-stick!).

cockle_thing wrote:
> Hi all,
> Everytime I make pancakes, the first two always stick to the pan, but
> after those the rest are fine. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, or
should
> I just think of it as a sacrifice to the gods of flat food?


Are you using a packaged mix or are you making your own batter? What
kind of a pan are we talking about here? Are you seasoning the pan in
any way?

I generally add 1-2 tblspoons of clarified butter to my batter. I also
brush the pan with a little butter before the first and then for every
4th.

I use the packaged mix (not quite sure how to make my own batter). Can
you recommend a recipe for pancake batter?

"cockle_thing" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> I'm just using vegetable oil on a non-stick pan (well, it's supposed to
> be non-stick!).

Put a drop or 2 of oil in the center and wipe the oil around with a crumpled
paper towel.

OR

Roll a piece of bacon onto a fork and wipe the bacon all over the pan
quickly.

Dimitri

cockle_thing wrote:
> I use the packaged mix (not quite sure how to make my own batter).
Can
> you recommend a recipe for pancake batter?

We love pancakes but we don't drink milk and seldom have it. We used
to have to go buy milk whenever we wanted pancakes. Then we found Saco
cultured buttermilk blend, a powdered product in a round package in the
baking section of the market. There's a recipe for buttermilk pancakes
on the package. You need an egg, but not milk. So now we get pancakes
whenever the mood strikes.

Sift 1 Cup flour, 1 TB sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, =BD tsp baking soda,
=BC tsp salt together into a bowl, mix. Add 1 beaten egg, 1 cup
buttermilk, and 2 TB vegetable oil (not olive). [or 4 TB Saco and 1
cup water for the buttermilk] Beat with a spoon until mostly smooth,
don't overdo it.

We sometimes substitute a bit of club soda for some of the water. And
we usually let the batter sit for a while before cooking the pancakes.
Without having done a controlled experiment, which could be fun, we
think we get lighter, taller cakes.

We find it easy to use the nonstick electric frypan for these, set at
350=B0F. Top with pure grade B maple syrup, of course.

-aem

Looks like you got quite a few good recipes so I'll try to tempt you
with crepes instead of pancakes:

You need:
====================
1 cup flower
3 eggs
1 bup milk
pinch of sugar
1 tblsp of clarified butter

Make sure all ingredients are room temperature. Mix together and let
the batter sit for an hour. Having a good pan is half the job - I use a
heavy non-stick fry pan. Generally you need a heavy one (even heat
distribution) with sloping sides (flipping).

Heat the pan on medium and brush with a little butter. To make the
crepes transfer the batter into a pouring cup of some kind and pour
with your right hand while moving\rotating vertically the pan with your
wrist so that the mixture spreads evenly in a circle. Shoot for as thin
a crepe as you can get. One side should be done in about 60 seconds. If
the batter is right and the pan is right the sides of the crepe will
seperate from the pan. Help it out with a spatula if you need to. Then
flip to the other side and cook for another 20-30 seconds. Flipping is
not tough at all - I move the pan back and forth a couple of times just
o make sure that the crepe is fully seperated and then make a sharp
flick with my wrist. The first few may end up on the floor or in a
sorry bunch in the middle of the pan but it's easy to master. Just in
case keep a pair of utensils near so that you can use them to unbundle
the pile in the middle of the pan if you have to.

Improvise with the filling - honey is good, any jam is good, I love
fetta with them, etc.

Wow, these recipes sound brilliant! I can't wait to try them! Thanks
for your time typing them out- I'll try all of them so your efforts
have been worth it.
Many thanks!

That's a great idea to use the buttermilk stuff! I have a similar
problem, I drink skim milk for less fat, but it doesn't make very good
pancakes. Will have to see if I can find something like that in Denver.
Where are you located? This sounds like it might be a local product.

I find that heating a tbsp. water in the pan until it disappears
before adding the butter, oil or whatever you use seems to solve this
problem - everyone a winner!
Joan






On 8 Feb 2005 13:29:29 -0800, "cockle_thing" >
wrote:

>Hi all,
>Everytime I make pancakes, the first two always stick to the pan, but
>after those the rest are fine. Any idea what I'm doing wrong, or should
>I just think of it as a sacrifice to the gods of flat food?

salgud wrote:
> That's a great idea to use the buttermilk stuff! I have a similar
> problem, I drink skim milk for less fat, but it doesn't make very
good
> pancakes. Will have to see if I can find something like that in
Denver.
> Where are you located? This sounds like it might be a local product.

No, I'm pretty sure it's a nationwide (US) product. Saco buttermilk
blend, in a round package in the baking section. Should be at your
supermarket. Keep it in the 'fridge after it's open. It's not as good
as real buttermilk, of course, but it serves the purpose of having
something always on hand for those unplanned meals. You can use it for
biscuits as well.

-aem

"aem" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> salgud wrote:
> > That's a great idea to use the buttermilk stuff! I have a similar
> > problem, I drink skim milk for less fat, but it doesn't make very
> good
> > pancakes. Will have to see if I can find something like that in
> Denver.
> > Where are you located? This sounds like it might be a local product.
>
> No, I'm pretty sure it's a nationwide (US) product. Saco buttermilk
> blend, in a round package in the baking section. Should be at your
> supermarket. Keep it in the 'fridge after it's open. It's not as good
> as real buttermilk, of course, but it serves the purpose of having
> something always on hand for those unplanned meals. You can use it for
> biscuits as well.


You can also order dried buttermilk powder from the Baker's Catalog at the
King Arthur Flours site:
http://shop.bakerscatalogue.com/items/item1158.html