Website design By BotEap.comProbably the most important secret you’ll need to learn when you want to make great pancakes is how to get the right temperature on your pancake griddle and how to maintain that temperature.

Website design By BotEap.comOf course, it’s important to start with a good pancake recipe or mix. Search the web and you will find many great pancake recipes and making pancake batter from scratch will give you wonderful results. And while some may look over their shoulders when it comes to making pancake mixes, it’s usually the baking that spoils the pancakes and not the batter.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen the kids order pancakes on a weekend morning, and time is of the essence, a good mix and some water will have pancakes on the table in record time. Poor preparation, rather than poor quality pancake mix, is often the reason boxed mixes are looked down on.

Website design By BotEap.comStart with a cast iron pancake griddle:

Website design By BotEap.comIf you want to make consistently great-tasting pancakes with the least amount of mess and cleanup time, a cast iron pancake griddle is the perfect answer. Using this properly on an electric or gas stove turns your kitchen into a commercial restaurant grill. A cast iron griddle heats evenly, and because of its weight and mass, it holds its temperature much more evenly while cooking.

Website design By BotEap.comOther types of cookware, such as lightweight Teflon-coated skillets or electric skillets or griddles, are notorious for rapidly fluctuating temperature control and uneven heating. A time-tested cast iron griddle is the perfect answer to these problems.

Website design By BotEap.comThe main reason people have trouble making good pancakes is that they don’t have a good method for determining the proper heat of the griddle before they start cooking. If the pancakes are cooked on too low a heat, they become tough and chewy. When cooked at too high a temperature, which is more common, the exterior burns and becomes crisp, while the interior remains raw and moist.

Website design By BotEap.comThe next time you make pancakes, take a few minutes to determine the proper setting to heat your pancake griddle using the method below. Many cooks know the trick to this method, but most likely don’t know the science behind it.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Leidenfrost effect:

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you drop a drop of water onto a hot pancake griddle, the water drop will dance and stay in its drop shape as it slides across the surface. The scientific name for this is the Leidenfrost effect. When the droplet hits the hot surface, the water it comes into contact with immediately vaporizes, and the steam created pushes any remaining water in the droplet up and away from the hot iron.

Website design By BotEap.comThis will not happen on a surface that is just hot. In normal cooking situations, the Leidenfrost effect is accepted to occur when the temperature of the griddle is approximately 325 degrees F.

Website design By BotEap.comFind and record the best settings for your stove:

Website design By BotEap.comSince the ‘dancing water’ or Leidenfrost effect occurs at 325 degrees F, and the best accepted temperature for cooking perfect pancakes is 375 degrees F, you can use a simple method to determine the burner settings on your stove. Start by heating your pancake griddle to a very warm temperature, but not hot. Make sure it is well preheated, but not hot enough to exhibit the Leidenfrost effect.

Website design By BotEap.comThen slowly increase the setting on your burners until you determine the point at which a drop of water falling on the griddle will ‘dance’. Give the griddle time to heat up on each new setting as you slowly increase the heat by changing the burner settings. You’ll want to make sure the pancake griddle has reached the maximum temperature on its current setting before trying a few drops of water.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen you see the Leidenfrost effect taking place, make a note of your burner settings so that in the future you can start immediately and heat the griddle accurately. By knowing these settings, you’ll always be able to reheat your iron knowing you have an exact set point.

Website design By BotEap.comAccording to some cooking guides, the temperature of 325F or 160C correlates to the “medium-low” setting on your stove or range. Pancake cooking temperature of 375F (190C) is closer to ‘medium-high’.

Website design By BotEap.comRecord the settings that work best for your stove:

Website design By BotEap.comSince the dancing water effect might be a bit low to fry perfect pancakes, now you need to turn the heat up a bit before serving your first few pancakes. Try a small increase at first for one or two test pancakes and if you think they are taking too long to finish, increase the setting and give the pancake iron time to adjust to the new heat setting before trying again.

Website design By BotEap.comOnce you’ve determined the best pancake setup for your team, write it down. In the future, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll be able to make perfect pancakes. All you’ll have to do is put the pancake griddle on the stove, change the burner setting to these default marks, and give the griddle a little time to heat up.

Website design By BotEap.comBy just using a few drops of water and knowing how the Leidenfrost effect works, you can easily tell if your pancake griddle is ready and at the right temperature. You’ll be able to make great-tasting and, more importantly, well-done pancakes in less time than it takes to finish your first cup of morning coffee.