Pancake day

There was a time that I made pancakes on a regular basis.  It was always a cosy affair.  I would prepare the batter, the Teflon pans would be oiled, the house would be filled with a wonderful aroma, and once the pancakes were ready family and friend would gather around the table.

Then I learned that Teflon pans can be poisonous.  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-risks-of-using-teflon-pans.htm

I didn’t hesitate, I threw my pans out and for the longest time that was the end of making pancakes.

Then a friend recommended that I use a stainless steel pan instead.  I had a look at stainless steel pans and … oh dear, they were rather pricy.

I waited patiently and eventually my patience was rewarded.  Canadian Tire put their stainless steel pans on special and I was quick to snatch one up. 

The following Saturday was D-day, or shall I say P-day for pancake day.  I prepared the batter, heated up the new pan and spooned some batter on it.  At first it looked okay, but when I wanted to turn the pancake over, it stuck to the pan like glue.  

Keeping in mind the saying “When at first you don’t succeed, try again” I scrubbed the pan clean and gave it another shot.  Unfortunately, with the same result.

I tried another pan, one that I had used before to fry eggs.  At the time the eggs slid smoothly off the pan, so I figured, maybe the pancake would be just as easy to remove.  I was wrong, the pan held on to the pancake for dear life.

Damn I thought, now what?  I had my heart set on eating pancakes that day and I knew I wasn’t the only one.  I had to make a plan.

Then I remembered … my cookware is Lagostina and the pans are supposed to be non-stick.  Maybe I should put it to the test.  If it didn’t get any better, it certainly couldn’t get any worse.

I grabbed the pan, oiled it, spooned batter on to it and waited.  When the time came to turn the pancake over I held my breath … would it work?  To my utter surprise, I was able to effortlessly turn the pancake.  Well I be damned.  If I had known this, I could have made pancakes years ago and didn’t have to buy a stainless steel pan that didn’t work.

With this success in mind, I’m ready to try my hand at some other baking projects: cookies – cupcakes and bread.  I’ll keep you posted how that goes.  Given my previous flops I’ll put 911 on speed dial, just in case ...