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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to wonder why they sell ready-made pancakes?

108 replies

sevendwarves · 07/03/2011 16:09

Do people actually buy them? Is anyone that lazy or useless in the kitchen that they can't make proper pancakes?

OP posts:
sevendwarves · 07/03/2011 16:22

Maybe IABU, I've never tried them but they just look awful and don't appeal to me. If I couldn't be arsed to make them I'd rather go without tbh.

OP posts:
cybilliberty · 07/03/2011 16:24

All this food snobbery gets my goat

Not everyone makes everything from scratch

GrimmaTheNome · 07/03/2011 16:24

Waiting your turn for a freshly made pancake is all part of the fun of pancake day. Well, in a small family anyway!

Katey, Nigella has a Home Mode Instant Pancake Mix recipe to which she 'just has to whisk in egg, milk and melted butter '

But as you can make perfectly good pancakes without baking powder, bicarb, salt or sugar (or come to that, melted butter) - yes, its flour Grin

All you need is flour, eggs, milk and a good non-stick pan - and toppings.

Laquitar · 07/03/2011 16:25

Oh i didn't know you suppose to leave the batter, i made them straight.

UrsulaBuffay · 07/03/2011 16:26

They are really thick & rubbery. I used to buy them & scoff the lot with jif & sugar when I was being a fatty not eating as consciously as I am now Grin

Desperateforthinnerthighs · 07/03/2011 16:26

Some of them are actually quite nice!!!

MY DH makes the panakes (from scratch) in our house - if it was down to me we would have the ready made ones as I cant make them without them looking like a road accident.

Lazy...no
Useless....just at some things

rinabean · 07/03/2011 16:28

The flat shop onces aren't very nice. But they're still nicer than the half-batter half-charcoal monstrosities I turn out due to impatience! I prefer shop-bought scotch pancakes :)

HecateTheCrone · 07/03/2011 16:28

they sell them because people want them same as everything.

I don't care. They can taste like shit and be like chewing leather for all it bothers me. Cos I make my own you can make dozens that way Grin

Alibabaandthe40nappies · 07/03/2011 16:28

Leave the batter for at least 30 mins, it makes much better pancakes.

OP - do you make everything from scratch then?

GrimmaTheNome · 07/03/2011 16:33

I can see the point of ready made pancakes if you can't successfully fry one, or if you want to whip one out of the freezer for a single serving. But not pancake mix. What's the point?

ZZZenAgain · 07/03/2011 16:34

I don't know really, so you don't have to weigh out the flour?

MrsH75 · 07/03/2011 16:37

I buy scotch pancakes, in the same way that I buy crumpets or hot cross buns. I've never tried to make them but I do make regular pancakes (well, once a year anyway).

I buy Aunt Bessie's frozen mash as it's a great shortcut when making fish pie or shepherd's pie. Sometimes potatoes I buy are a bit new or the wrong type for mashing anyway.

Badgerwife · 07/03/2011 16:39

The shop ones just don't taste anything like the home-made ones, but they don't taste horrible either, just different.

I make mine from scratch possibly because my mother would disown me if I didn't (being French and all that), and she can't even cook herself. Smile

The basic recipe only requires flour, eggs and milk - and the odd splash of dark rum or orange flower water... and they taste wonderful if I may say so myself (I can also eat more of them than DH any day). I can never be bothered with leaving the batter to rest though. It is recommended but mine haven't suffered as a result that I'm aware of.

The key as far as I know (for crepes; I'm rubbish at american pancakes) is a decent pancake pan i.e. big diameter, shallow and as flat as possible, fairly liquidy batter, and make sure the pan's hot before pouring the batter.

boocha · 07/03/2011 16:39

yes I am useless in the kitchen and I've bought the ready made ones simply because I can't put my dc through the shame, humiliation and horror of watching their mum fail for yet another year at making pancakes ( even the ready made batter ones)
Am I lazy? no
Are you being unreasonable? yes

sevendwarves · 07/03/2011 16:41

I like baking but I certainly don't make everything from scratch. Pancakes are really quick and easy though, especially when most people normally have the ingredients at home anyway

OP posts:
OhYouBadBadKitten · 07/03/2011 16:42

It is for when you have no cooker/kitchen. very kind of the manufacturers to be so thoughtful like that. I have also discovered this week that you can get microwave mashed potato.

ZZZenAgain · 07/03/2011 16:43

what's with the orange flower water? Tell me more, I know nothing about using this in pancakes.

VivaLeBeaver · 07/03/2011 16:43

Right, have just made some pancake mix - the batter is lumpy no matter how much I whisk it with a fork - what can I do?

megapixels · 07/03/2011 16:43

I thought pancakes are one of the easier things to cook? I usually make them but DD1 likes to buy the readymade ones sometimes - they are more like thin sponge cakes than the pancakes you make at home.

ZZZenAgain · 07/03/2011 16:43

I use a hand whisk. Do you have one of those?

VivaLeBeaver · 07/03/2011 16:44

Mmmmmm, probably do have a hand whisk lurking in the back of the pantry somewhere. Thanks.

SmashingNarcissistsMirrors · 07/03/2011 16:48

betty crocker shake to make pancake batter in a carton is quite handy.

i mean we could all bake our own bread but there's too much good stuff on telly....

hurricanewyn · 07/03/2011 16:51

I buy the pancake mixes, not because I don't have flour at home, but because it's only seven pence. You only need to add egg and water and I reckon it'd be more than seven pence worth of milk if I made them from scratch.
Just economics really.

bupcakesandcunting · 07/03/2011 16:53

I'm not lazy or useless in the kitchen (for the most part) I can knock up a chocolate fondant pretty perfectly, ditto for lots of other "tricky" stuff.

The perfect pancake evades me. So I am getting some help with mine tomorrow Wink

DilysPrice · 07/03/2011 16:55

I'm rubbish at pancakes - if my DCs weren't so uncritical then I'd definitely buy ready made, but fortunately they'll more than happily eat my crappy ones if they have enough maple syrup on.