I'm quite good at cooking but PANCAKES i'm totally rubbish at - arrgggh what am i doing wrong, how hard can it be?!

[LoveMyGirls]

Help!

I'm using the powder mix i've done what it said so how come its a sticky crappy mess? I didn't pour it thickly either!

was the pan hot enough? it does have to be very hot. And don't pour in too much mix.

Super-hot pan and fat.
Mixes crappola anyway.

How hot belgo?

Me too I can cook pretty well. Nice dinners, puds etc I'm quite inventive at times; but pancakes... nope.

They're supposed to be so easy too. Mine are either too thick and yorkshire puddingy or thin and broken.

Our failsafe recipe ? thanks to my mum?s ancient Be-ro recipe book.

4 oz plain flour
1 egg
½ pint milk

Make batter and rest for a while (the batter, that is, not you!).

Have a very hot frying pan with a little sunflower or canola oil.

We use a ¼ cup measure, which is about 60ml of batter for each pancake.

Don?t try and flip the pancake, it?ll end in tears! Use a spatula.

Serve hot.

Look at empty plates all round.

Super hot pan, as someone else said, smoking hot in fact. Use kitchen roll to put a wipe of melted butter onto said pan. Small amount of mix, should just cover base of pan.

really hot! I put the heat on max , pour in the oil,wait for oil to sizzle, pour out the oil (otherwise it's too greasy), then pour in the mix, it should sizzle and start cooking immediately.

You cnannot leave it for one second - you have to pay constant attention to it.

I think it's because by the time i've mastered it i'm fed up and then its another year before i attempt it again and then i've forgotten everything i learnt the year before! i'm on my 2nd one after the first went in the bin it's not looking too bad but think i could have done with more oil as it was a nightmare to get off the pan.

I love pancakes, this is absolutely my favorite recipe. I think it's a different type though as I can't fathom what plain flour, milk and eggs would make.

www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/ButtermilkPancakes.html

Am now thinking British pancakes are very different from American ones, ingredients are different and if I cooked mine in a smoking hot pan I would have charred outside and gooey middle!

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I've just made pancakes using this delia smith recipe:
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted
pinch of salt
2 eggs
200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water

delicious with lemon and sugar.

Yes, they are very different to American pancakes

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Humm they're a bit better but my house is all smokey!

Giving up now!

oh dear. Can you buy ready made ones?

My recipe is the same as Smithy's and we love them.

as a rule the first one out of the pan sometimes isn't great and has to be fed to the cat - I ahve only one pan that makes them beautifully - an ancient, slightly warped Tefal one.

I find panckaes quite often fill that time between tea and bed when the dd's are being tetchy

oh yes and opent he window and the back door and take the battery out of the smoke alarm while you make them (remembering to put it back again!)