I’ve never claimed to be an expert cook. In fact, I’ve been pretty straightforward about how I merely muddle along in the kitchen. So while I’m clearly not the next Julia Child, I can generally get by– with one exception. I cannot, for the life of me, make a decent pancake.
It doesn’t matter if I make them from scratch, from a “just add water” mix, or anything in between. They invariably come out burned, heavy, and doughy in the middle. Upon eating them, one immediately needs to return to bed, curl up into a little ball, and just nurse the rock that is now sitting in his or her stomach.
I’ll fully admit that I need new pans, and that the ones I have are probably not ideal for pancake-making. In fact, I should probably get a griddle. However, this is not a recent occurrence. This is something that has been going on over a period of years with myriad pans in myriad homes. And while a griddle may be better, I refuse to believe that I shouldn’t be able to cook a freaking pancake in a pan.
But, hope springs eternal, so I attempted to make pancakes again over the weekend. I paid extra attention to the directions, and made sure to use medium-low heat, so I wouldn’t burn them. As you can see from the picture above, it didn’t work.
I half-heartedly tried to eat some, and gave some to Cooper, as well. They were as disgusting as I knew they would be, but he seemed to enjoy them. He’s jut a baby though, so he clearly doesn’t know any better. My dog, Buckley, also scarfed down some pancakes, but she’s also been known to eat tinfoil and entire bars of soap, so once again: not the most discerning palate.
With my failed experiment behind me, and half a dozen pancakes in the trash, I did what any sane, reasonable person would do; what I should have done years ago. I went to the store and bought a waffle iron.
Clacked by Kona Gallagher 
on Aug 17, 2009 @ 14:35 EST5EDT
If you ever get the nerve to try again, this is a little tip that always works for me: pour your batter onto the pan and then watch for small bubbles to start forming on the uncooked top surface of the flapjack. When you start seeing them, along with the edges of the pancake just starting to lift off the pan, flip those suckers. Then, they usually only need a minute or two on the other side, but the good thing is they usually have enough structural stability that you can get a spatula under them and do the “peak” test for doneness.
Also: always, always, always make buttermilk pancakes. They are. so. good.
Oh, I know all about the bubbles. IT DOESN’T MATTER.