No Post on Pancake Tuesday?

If anybody is reading this blog they might wonder why there was no post on Pancake Tuesday, a/k/a Shrove Tuesday, a/k/a Fat Tuesday, a/k/a Mardi Gras. For the true aficionado of pancakes, Shrove Tuesday is the equivalant of New Year's Eve and St. Patrick's Day for drinkers, strictly amateur night. If you follow the way of the pancake, you do it all throughout the year.

The Perfect Pan

I have earlier stated my preference for Lodge's round cast iron griddle, partly because the shallow sides make it easy for the spatula to approach the pancake at a low angle. I have been reminded, however, that there is another means of cooking pancakes which is also quite satisfactory, but for entirely different reasons.

That other means is an electric frying pan. Its great advantage is that you dial up the temperature and just leave it. Once you know what the appropriate setting is for the pan, you can just set it and forget it. With the cast iron griddle, you need to develop an eye for the flame if you are using a gas stove, or wait forever for it to come to an even heat on an electric range.

You may want to try the electric frying pan. I would suggest looking on eBay for a '60's vintage one, as they will not come with a non-stick surface. I invite comment from readers regarding their perception of the perfect method of cooking pancakes.

Beating the Egg Whites

From time to time, Mark Bittman, the man who knows how to cook everything, will weigh in on some aspect of pancake making in the New York Times. Recently, he put forth a recipe for whole wheat pancakes, claiming that if you beat the egg whites before adding them to the rest of the batter, they will no longer be suitable as moorings for small craft. You can check it out here.

I tried it with a variation of the whole wheat mixture from last month, and it actually did make the pancakes lighter.

Sustaining Pancakes

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil or butter
4 oz. cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Put the cottage cheese, egg, milk and oil into the blender and mix well. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until just blended. Cook on a buttered griddle until bubbles pop and edges appear cooked. Turn and cook for another minute.

These pancakes will give you the strength to do what needs to be done.

Room Temparature Eggs

When using eggs in a recipe, it's a good idea to have them at room temperature before adding them to your mix. If you forget to do this, Rose Levy Beranbaum, the goddess of baking and author of, among other works, The Cake Bible, says that you can remedy this by putting your eggs in hot water from the tap and letting them sit for ten minutes. If you don't have ten minutes, it won't be the end of the world to use them cold.