Come tell me I’m an awful mum

[PancakeDisaster]

Pancake day obviously

I always dread it. I’m a fairly ok cook but there are two things I can’t do, fry anything or mash anything. I burn fried stuff or undercook it and I can never get none lumpy mash.

I had ago at making pancakes for DD and I.

Whatever I did it didn’t work as it came out lumpy and uncooked in the middle.

DD (aged 7) is now crying saying all her friends at school will be having pancakes and it’s not fair – she’s right, from FB I can see at least 20 of the 26 in her class have had pancakes today. She’s stomped off to her room after telling me she hates me.

Just me and her at home so no-one else to have another attempt. I’ve used all my milk, flour and eggs trying to make them, I had several attempts.

Why am I so useless? Tell me I’m an awful mother and she’s never going to forgive me.

DD doesn't like the ready made pancakes (finds them salty) and last year I had one of those ready made batters and it still went wrong!

@TheProvincialLady

Your daughter has behaved really badly. Saying “I hate you” for some failed pancakes is just horrible. I wouldn’t bother trying to make any more this year if that’s her attitude.

I agree OP. She saw you trying - it's not like you just didn't bother. I would be having a conversation with her about being gracious when it's obvious someone is doing their best

Another one thinking that the issue is not your cooking ability but your daughter's attitude.

It might just be your frying pan! You need a good non stick one really - I mean I’m sure a professional chef could make it work with any odd pan, but most of us mere mortals probably can’t. And the first pancake is usually a write off!

So many people failing to read the full thread or at least the OPs updates. Daughter has additional needs which makes her react without thinking. Daughter apologised and offered to buy OP chocolate to make it up to her.

OP she sounds great and so do you. Step away from class FB!

Practice year-round
Go on a cooking course

I brought ready made. I put out loads toppings for kids to pick plus icecream.

Just buy ready made crepes and stick them in the microwave

Or you could practice. But I’d just buy the crepes

@Weekendvibes

Pancakes are so easy, anyone who can't Make one must be pretty useless! How on earth do manage to get through life if simple tasks prove such a bloody challenge?

How do you get through life without someone punching you in the face for being such an annoying and spiteful cunt?

Perfect. :o

Have you got a gas or electric cooker?

This is a good opportunity to talk to your daughter about how things don't always go right but you can persevere and get there eventually. Get her to help you.

Jamie Oliver has a good one cup pancake recipe that's fool proof - one cup (a mug will do) flour, one cup milk, one egg. Sift the flour and add milk slowly to prevent lumps.

I use a non stick frying pan, add a knob of butter and when melted, I tip that into the pancake batter so the pan is greasy but not running with oil. First one is usually crap.

With practice you know how thick to make the batter, how thick to make them, how long to cook them. Good luck!

@attnsppent

I was raised Catholic and never did pancake day (like didn't know it was a thing at all), I survived! She'll forget about it by the end of the week. And have something to tease you about when she's an adult

What the hell has being a catholic got to do with anything !?🤔 As catholic as the pope here, my mum made enough pancakes every year to feed the five thousand as do I !

Make sure your pan is hot; a drop of water should skitter across it. Add about 1/4C of batter, and then flip it when the edges are dry and there are bubbles on top.

Any day can be pancake day.

@mocara

Apparently pancake tuesday was a catholic tradition to use up all the tasty eggs and flour up, before the full misery of Lenten abstinence could start.

It is widely celebrated.

I’m shit at pancakes. I bought one of those large griddle things (cheap one) and it had really helped! No pan sticking, easy to flip with a spatula. I’m still lazy and bought store ones though this year 😂

Greydogs has the right recipe and method.
Try it, you won't fail.

Next year do a bit of culture switch adopt the Polish custom of Fat Thursday (happens on the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday) which is basically eating as many donuts as possible ;) no need for cooking :)

7 is a good age to start learning to make pancakes. Next time you have the ingredients in,let her have a go (turn not flipping them).

@Brefugee

why didn't you just buy ready made ones?

Maybe because they're truly vile, even the plastic bottles that you just add milk to and shake make slightly better pancakes! I realised about an hour ago that I have forgotten, I love making seafood pancakes with a mild cheese sauce, that's tomorrow's meal decided!

@Thatsplentyjack

If my child spoke to me like that over Pancakes I would give them hell. No one can make Pancakes and all non sweet Pancakes are shite. Just buy them next time and heat them up.

Non-sweet pancakes are wonderfully if done properly, I quite often make savoury pancakes, ie non sweet, ham and mushroom or seafood.

I started cooking at 7.......my mother was not a good cook (I do think it is something that some people have a natural ability at). Perhaps time to get grandma to teach DD how to make them, with any luck she'll be cooking for you in a few years🍳😋

Ahahah I gave up with pancakes today too OP and I had the ready mix in the bottle they where rubbish I gave up and I had no flour or eggs to even try and make them from scratch. I gave DS’s the choice of a nice bagel or ice cream and they where happy with that difference is they are 3 and 4 years old so not going to be going into school and the only ones not had pancakes. I will be getting flour and eggs and practicing my pancakes skills for sure

@Shiningpath

Just another excuse for supermarkets to extract money from us. Don’t feel bad. I can’t remember having them as a child and I survived.

Is it?

What the hell has being a catholic got to do with anything !?🤔
As catholic as the pope here, my mum made enough pancakes every year to feed the five thousand as do I !

Er, Shrove Tuesday is a Catholic tradition?!

When she’s grown up you will both laugh at this, the ones that had perfect pancakes won’t have anything to talk and giggle about.

Yes yes it is...

It is not pancake day... it is shrove Tuesday, the first or 3 days to prepare for lent, it marks when jesus went into the desert and fasted for 40 days and night's.

People can have pancake day on any of the 364/3 days of the year.... but one day of the year please call it shrove Tuesday. We don't rename other religious holidays so why rename The Catholic/c of e holy days.

As for the batter, make it in the morning, whisk it really well and then leave to settle in the fridge, a gentle stir before using. You need a very good non stick frying pan and heat up a lot. Do a first pancake which probably won't be great, and use your flat fish slice to pull away from edges, keep shaking and when rhe pancake moves as a whole you can flip over, push down on it till it stops hissing.

If a standard pan you will only need 1 ladle of mix, that's the bit that can take practice, too much it won't cook and too little it will be too thin and burn