The Pancakes of Philosophy

It's Monday but it's weird because my husband has taken the day off, so he's in the kitchen making pancakes right now and I feel a bit unnerved because he's home. I like having him home - well, of course - but I'm not used to having him around for several days in a row. Add to that our weird, unsettling weekend - oh, it's too long to go into everything that's happened - and I'm feeling rather jumpy and not much like myself.

I also feel like eating pancakes.

I AM SO HUNGRY.

My mother - and if you're related to me, you already know what I am going to say - makes the most freakishly delicious pancakes in the world. They were always what we would have for breakfast on Saturdays, eating startling numbers of pancakes on tv trays and watching HOURS of Saturday morning cartoons. My cousins schedule their trips through town so they can show up at my parent's house at breakfast. Several times a year - especially in the summer, when chokecherries are in season - my mom will phone us first thing in the morning and invite us over for breakfast, sending us whipping through farm country in our pajamas.

And my pancakes, irritatingly enough, did NOT measure up, especially if you like pancakes that don't weigh 500 pounds and that don't have big raw spots in the middle. Nasty. But my children perversely continued to insist that pancakes were part of their rights as children and I dislike feeling thwarted, so I continued to make batch after batch of rather gruesome pancakes.

Making the switch to using a griddle made a BIG difference. I use the Cuisinart Griddler and I've had a lot of success with it, but I've also learned how liquid the batter should be (liquid enough to pour quite easily) and when to turn the pancakes (before they scorch a dark, dark black, for one.).

This pancake, for example, is just about ready to turn. And that was an EXTREMELY difficult thing to take a picture of - as was this, a picture of pancakes cooking nicely on the griddle:

One of those pancakes is getting a bit friendly with another pancake. I'm sometimes an inaccurate flipper.

And I just ate a plate of pancakes prepared - and prepared very well - by my husband and YUM, THEY WERE GOOD. Finding a pancake recipe that I really felt was my own made a big, big difference, and we're all VERY fond of this sour cream pancake recipe, which requires nothing more difficult than separating eggs. I've taught The Baby how to separate eggs, which she does the way French chefs do, I've been told - by straining them through her fingers. So there's nothing daunting about separating eggs, should you have never done so - my three year old child does so calmly and effectively (and also messily, but whatEVER. The point of life is not to keep yourself as clean as possible.).

I think that if I had a manifesto, it would have a large section about cooking being not only a very essential skill (what on earth do you eat if you don't cook and how healthy can THAT be?) but also that cooking (for the most part) is VERY easy. One of life's startling revelations is that making pancakes from scratch is just as easy as making pancakes from a mix - and they are ASTONISHINGLY better. And the skills that you'll pick up from something like making pancakes (separating eggs, beating egg whites, folding batter and the like) will lead easily to bigger and better things, until one day relatives will drive fifty kilometers out of THEIR way first thing in the morning to eat something that you are famous for, which is a very pleasant state of affairs.

Now I'm going to go finish my breakfast.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Kath, please share your recipe!!!

[Elizabeth]

My father made fantastic pancakes. So good that kids in the neighbourhood would sit outside our door on pancake mornings waiting for an invite. I have never made a pancake I didn't burn. And dread Shrove Tuesday. :-(

[amreen]

i've heard that about the griddle before - that it totally changes the pancake experience! i think i'm going to get one!

Pancakes from a mix do not compare to made from scratch. We love pancakes here too. I love putting sour cream and fruit syrup on mine!

[Kath]

You inspired me, Beck! I made pancakes for my family this morning. I too prefer to make them from scratch, and I have a LOVELY recipe that uses whole wheat flour, wheat germ, oat flour and ground flax seeds. The kids LOVE them...but then I think they'd likely eat suet-flavoured pancakes if I made them all the size of a silver dollar!

[LoriD]

Mmmm, your pancakes look good. I agree on the merits of a griddle - makes a big difference. I make a decent whole wheat pancake. I always add vanilla and cinnamon to the dry ingredients.

[Megan (FriedOkra)]

That second to last line made you sound like A.A. Milne. Or Pooh, himself. Hope you enjoyed your pancakeys, all of you. And yes, I would love one day for my loved ones to drive out of their way for my cooking. What a huge compliment.

[edj]

YUM!
I have a good buttermilk from scratch recipe that Elliot can make all by himself. Sometimes he adds tablespoons of baking soda instead of teaspoons, but it's all part of the process, right?

[Angeline]

Oh I hate the last picture! My saliva literally flow out of the corner of my mouth!

They looked Yummilicious, I can only imagine the taste, damn! Fly some over, won't you? *wink*

(hey girl, there's an award for you over at my blog, go claim it!)

[Jennifer]

John is the pancake maker here. And can you believe it - I don't eat them.
They are delicious perfection, as far as pancakes go, but... I am not a breakfast eater, really. Toast and tea, a bowl of cereal? That is enough, thanks.

On Saturdays, John makes the blueberry pancakes and I...
stay upstairs in the quiet of my room. Ah. Quiet. One blessed morning of it.

I'm ready to hear about your weird weekend now...

Jen

[Jamie (Ohbecareful!)]

Mmm, pancakes.

I would love a griddle, but my small kitchen is already bursting at the seams. It's probably a good thing, as it keeps me from buying a whole army of kitchen appliances. For pancakes, I make due with my cast iron skillet; I love that piece of black medieval cookware.

[bren j.]

Yum....and I'm still laughing about The Baby's adventure comment.

[bren j.]

Yum....and I'm still laughing about The Baby's adventure comment.

[Barb]

I use my Dad's recipe from my childhood...same thing with my cousins! They talk about them to this day! Dad always sliced bananas around on top before the flip time. Just got Hubby to like them this past winter...many, many years later! He just had 'issues' with them I guess, but now we have them for supper at least once a month! Going to try yours w/sour cream next time! Thx!

[morning]

My husband insists that the secret to fluffy pancakes is not to beat the mixture too much. His is always lumpy -- but the pancakes made from it are great!

[Sue]

I can never make pancakes right. I always burn them, or make them too thick, or too raw or too something. They are never just right. It irritates me.

In fact, now I'm kind of in a bad mood. DANG IT.

(Or maybe it's because I got two hours of sleep last night. Maybe.)

[Pieces]

Ha! I was scrolling through comments and thought someone talked about Scotch pancakes. Scotch IN the pancakes? Pancakes made with a kilt and thick brogue?

No, I miss read it. It said scratch pancakes.

Yours sound fabulous!

[Minnesotamom]

The perfect pancakes? Oh, I'm so jealous! I've been in search of for years. I have a fairly good vegan recipe, and one for use with whole wheat which isn't even that bad, but I think the best I've eaten were at The Original Pancake House. Yep, a restaurant. I know! Not what I'd expect.

[Woman in a window]

Ah, I can settle in again and comment here. Thank you Kitchen Party bloggy people!

Those pancakes look especially yummy. My curiosity is going nuts trying to think up what wonderful adventures you've been on. Can't wait for that post!

[Alyssa Goodnight]

My husband makes the pancakes at our house. He also makes a big mess, which he then leaves for me to clean up. Fair's fair, I guess. He's from Colorado and also loves chokecherries!

[Aliki]

We make pancakes every Sunday--I just love them.

[Aliki]

We make pancakes every Sunday--I just love them.

[Becky]

Yay! I am commenting again! Thankyouverymuch.

I used to make scads of pancakes for my 3 kids growing up. Now ... not so much. I am not a fan. Something about the syrup. I am adversely opposed to syrup. I just don't like it.

It is not because I do not like sweet ... on the contrary ... I LOVE waffles covered in butter and -- of all things --- SWEET powdered sugar.

Anyway, I do have a new recipe for blender pancakes that I am dying to try because my new kitchen mixer came with a blender and I have never even used a blender. Somethihg to look forward to. It is always good to learn something new.

[Cyndi]

I don't know how you will react to this, but I use baking mis for my pancakes and waffles. Just add eggs and milk and they are really good!

[Alison]

I didn't know there was any other way to separate eggs. The first time I did it, that was what I did.

Love this: "The point of life is not to keep yourself as clean as possible." I remind myself of this every time my kids are doing something that will get them dirty.

[Janet]

I am constantly tinkering with my pancake recipes, trying to sneak in whole wheat flour and wheat germ in an attempt to make them healthier. I have found that, as long as I sprinkle a few chocolate chips over the batter in the pan, my kids will eat them.

[Karen]

I made multigrain pancakes from Trader Joe box on Saturday for my three kids and my sisters two (plus all the grown-ups) to be eaten only with Grade B maple syrup (yum!)

[Heidi]

That is a great point that from scratch pancakes are just as easy as boxed.

:)

[Kyla]

I don't cook, but I do looooove pancakes. Josh just made them for dinner the other night and they were delicious!

[Tracy]

So glad we can comment easily again.

We LOVE pancakes, and have them for dinner more often than breakfast.

[Guinevere Meadow]

I love pancakes.

That sounds like a good technique for separating eggs. If it's good enough for the French chefs...then why not? ;)

[Adventures In Babywearing]

Oh goodness. My Kashi cereal is paling lifelessly in comparison.

Steph

[Jen Maier]

I feel so inferior...I think cooking is hard. Really hard. I can't separate an egg. Even a three year old can do that:(

[chelle]

ahh Saturday morning cartoons .... Mmmm Pancakes. Sadly we use the instant from a box, I will change that. I will.

[Sarah]

I love to make pancakes with something in them--berries, bananas, peanut butter. I don't quite have the skill of my mother, either, who describes her pancakes (and her muffins, come to think of it) as "blueberries held together with a little batter."

[Amber @ HisGirl's Blog]

Now, you have made me want to make pancakes. And buy a griddle. Apparently I'm very impressionable today.

[Heather Young]

I made shockingly bad pancakes for the first 6 years of our marriage. Then we discovered massive food allergies which sent me scurrying for simple recipes for using different grains and THEN we discovered enzymes which allow us to eat the regular foods again. The surprising thing is that my foray into other non-traditional grains taught me how to make regular pancakes very well. And now the girls LOVE to make them themselves and Essie flips them while I have my back turned and gets it perfect every time--which is good because I always get distracted while waiting to flip the pancakes. There is a lovely book about Fanny Farmer (A picture book biography for kids) that taught my kids about flipping pancakes in a way I never could.

[ali]

my nanny makes my spoiled kids pancakes every. single. morning.

and when i try on the weekends, mine SO don't measure up..

[Mary Beth]

I've done a lot of baking but I've never tried pancakes. I'm always worried about the consistency. However, those look so yummy, I may have to try them.

[Kathryn]

I am so hungry for pancakes now and I already had breakfast. Maybe I'll make them for dinner. :)

[Veronica @ Toddled Dredge]

I once made molasses pancakes from a recipe from a favorite cookbook. They were the most disgusting pancakes ever, but the dog sat panting longingly next to the stove as I cooked them. She thought they were as good as cicadas.

[Jennifer, Snapshot]

Now you're making me nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons. They don't even have a place anymore with 24/7 cable programming for kids.