Buzz
I often cook pancakes, but I’ve never been great at making them visually perfect, with smooth, golden-brown surfaces. The first one in particular always seems to have a less-than-ideal, patchy look. But what’s behind this?
In a cruel twist of fate, it turns out that butter is to blame. (It’s always the ones you love who cause you the most pain.)
It’s worth mentioning that ugly pancakes still taste delicious, but if you're after that flawless, golden-brown diner look, swap the butter for oil and use far less than you might think.
The signs were there all along. Pancake batter already contains a fair amount of fat (often in the form of melted butter), so if you’re using a nonstick griddle or pan, you don’t need to add much more. Pancake recipe authors are well aware of this, which is why almost all instructions recommend a light greasing of the griddle or pan. I always interpreted this as ‘use butter, but not as much as you usually would,’ which, as it turns out, still means a fair bit of butter.
But butter brings a lot to the table, and the protein, water, and sugar within it react with the griddle’s heat, creating bubbles and browning, which can ruin the surface of your pancake. You also end up with texture variations, including dark spots and crispy edges. (This can be tasty, but it doesn’t make for a pretty pancake.) Butter also continues to brown as you cook, which means your pancakes will darken more and may even burn, especially in a small pan, leading to the need for multiple batches.
Cutting back on the butter helps, as a thin layer will cook and brown more evenly than a thick puddle. When I melted just a little butter in my nonstick skillet and wiped most of it out with a paper towel, I achieved much more uniform pancakes. (This explains why my first pancakes have always been the ugliest—the first one absorbs all that extra butter!)
If you’re after a truly smooth and perfectly even pancake with a golden brown finish all around, swap the butter for standard vegetable oil. It’s pure fat, which means it lacks the water, sugar, and protein found in butter, and it has a much higher smoke point, allowing you to cook your pancakes to that ideal golden hue, not just a general brown. Simply add about a teaspoon to a nonstick skillet or griddle, wipe off the excess with a paper towel, and then pour in the batter.
After about a minute, you’ll notice bubbles forming on the surface of the raw batter, signaling that it’s time to flip and cook the other side for another minute or so. Once you’ve stacked up a batch of golden, fluffy, evenly browned pancakes, it’s time to add the finishing touches—whether it’s butter, syrup, or for the more refined palate, crème fraiche and caviar. (I’d say you’re definitely on the fancy side.)
