GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
I'm a lemon juice and muscovado sugar man myself.
and you?
and you?
Shrove Tuesday - Best pancake flavours?
- Thread starter GrumpyGregry
- Start date
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monkeypony
Active Member
Applewood smoked chedder and honey glazed ham for me! 
trustysteed
Guest
cinnamon sugar
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
Lemon and white granulated.
threebikesmcginty
Corn Fed Hick...
- Location
- ...on the slake
Lemon and white sugar.
To use anything else would be heresy and the perpetrators should be whipped with stinging nettles.
To use anything else would be heresy and the perpetrators should be whipped with stinging nettles.
trustysteed
Guest
mmm, stinging nettles and sugar!
accountantpete
OAP
Damson Jam (sans pips!) and Caster sugar
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Does anbody find the name 'Melanie Loades' mildly funny when coupled to talk of Pancakes... or is it just me?
SCIENCE OF THE PERFECT PANCAKEFebruary 12th, 2010
Do poor tasting pancakes stop you from having a flipping good time every year? With Shrove Tuesday fast approaching, we are reliably informed that the key to perfect pancakes is understanding the science behind them.
The Science [So what? So everything] campaign (www.direct.gov.uk/sciencesowhat) has teamed up with food scientist Melanie Loades, and food science course leader from London Metropolitan University, Richard Marshall, to bring you six easy steps to make the perfect pancake.
1. Keep the mix fine and light
It’s important to separate out all the fine flour particles and add as much air into the mix as possible, to give the pancake an even structure when cooking. So, make sure that you sift any lumps and bumps out of the flour before you start mixing it with the eggs. Melanie says: “Because the aim is for the pancake to be as thin as possible, whilst staying in one piece, the smaller the particles the better, as they will provide a more even frame for the pancake. Large particles disrupt the structure and that is what causes it to break when cooking.”
2. Smooth consistency
Melanie advises: “The final mix should be like single cream, in order to give the perfect thickness when cooking. So, whisk well, allowing the carbohydrates and proteins from the flour and egg to blend. This helps the two ingredients to mix together, by stretching and wrapping around one another and the small air bubbles. Richard Marshall explains the importance of beating the mixture well: “It is essential to get the thickness of the mixture right – too much milk and the batter will be too runny and the pancakes too thin with a risk of burning; too little milk and the egg proteins won’t be diluted enough so the pancakes will tend to be heavy.”
3. Hot stuff
For a perfect pancake you must aim to have a slightly crisp outside with a soft inside, whilst keeping it as thin as possible. Like with all good experiments, a test run works well, so be prepared to sacrifice your first pancake in order to get it right. Melanie says: “The pan should be hot to evaporate the water and to set your protein and carbohydrate mix on the outside of the pancake quickly. Add a small amount of butter to the pan to give a thin even coating. Then place a droplet of water in the pan, which should skitter across the pan quickly when it is at the right temperature. It is now time to add the pancake mix. With the pan at this temperature the pancake will rapidly evaporate its liquid when it hits the pan, almost ‘floating’ on a layer of steam for a few moments whilst the mix sets, which lessens the likelihood of burning. Cooking at a higher temperature also means less fat will be absorbed into the pancake, making it crispier and less greasy.”
4. Flip – (flop?)
You will know when the pancake is ready to turn as it will move freely when you jiggle the pan a little which shows that the outer surface has set. Melanie says: Don’t cook it any longer as the liquid will be driven off from inside the pancake making it brittle, and more likely to break.” Richard adds: “Physics shows that the pancake should be close to the far side of the pan and then it takes just a little flip into the air, a half spin and catch it up the other way!”
5. Don’t overcook it
The final colour of the pancake should be an even gold with a few darker spots. Richard explains: “Some of the colour comes from the egg yolk but the rest is a reaction between the milk sugar lactose and the proteins of the egg, flour and milk. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction, after the French scientist who first studied it.” Lactose is what’s known as a reducing sugar, which can react with certain amino acids in proteins and form a series of brown-coloured compounds. Richard adds: “If the cooking goes on too long, this reaction produces bitter-tasting products which spoil the taste of the pancakes, so make sure they’re not over-cooked.”
6. The perfect pancake accessory
Of course there are many potential combinations of ingredients you can add to your pancake, but Richard suggests: “Serve your pancakes with lemon juice and a little sugar. The lemon juice not only has a nice clean, sharp flavour but the citric acid in it stimulates our taste buds on our tongue which whets our appetite. The sweetness of the sugar is another desirable characteristic. As with salt, we are primed to identify sweet foods because the sugar is a readily available, easily digestible source of energy.”
SCIENCE OF THE PERFECT PANCAKEFebruary 12th, 2010
Do poor tasting pancakes stop you from having a flipping good time every year? With Shrove Tuesday fast approaching, we are reliably informed that the key to perfect pancakes is understanding the science behind them.
The Science [So what? So everything] campaign (www.direct.gov.uk/sciencesowhat) has teamed up with food scientist Melanie Loades, and food science course leader from London Metropolitan University, Richard Marshall, to bring you six easy steps to make the perfect pancake.
1. Keep the mix fine and light
It’s important to separate out all the fine flour particles and add as much air into the mix as possible, to give the pancake an even structure when cooking. So, make sure that you sift any lumps and bumps out of the flour before you start mixing it with the eggs. Melanie says: “Because the aim is for the pancake to be as thin as possible, whilst staying in one piece, the smaller the particles the better, as they will provide a more even frame for the pancake. Large particles disrupt the structure and that is what causes it to break when cooking.”
2. Smooth consistency
Melanie advises: “The final mix should be like single cream, in order to give the perfect thickness when cooking. So, whisk well, allowing the carbohydrates and proteins from the flour and egg to blend. This helps the two ingredients to mix together, by stretching and wrapping around one another and the small air bubbles. Richard Marshall explains the importance of beating the mixture well: “It is essential to get the thickness of the mixture right – too much milk and the batter will be too runny and the pancakes too thin with a risk of burning; too little milk and the egg proteins won’t be diluted enough so the pancakes will tend to be heavy.”
3. Hot stuff
For a perfect pancake you must aim to have a slightly crisp outside with a soft inside, whilst keeping it as thin as possible. Like with all good experiments, a test run works well, so be prepared to sacrifice your first pancake in order to get it right. Melanie says: “The pan should be hot to evaporate the water and to set your protein and carbohydrate mix on the outside of the pancake quickly. Add a small amount of butter to the pan to give a thin even coating. Then place a droplet of water in the pan, which should skitter across the pan quickly when it is at the right temperature. It is now time to add the pancake mix. With the pan at this temperature the pancake will rapidly evaporate its liquid when it hits the pan, almost ‘floating’ on a layer of steam for a few moments whilst the mix sets, which lessens the likelihood of burning. Cooking at a higher temperature also means less fat will be absorbed into the pancake, making it crispier and less greasy.”
4. Flip – (flop?)
You will know when the pancake is ready to turn as it will move freely when you jiggle the pan a little which shows that the outer surface has set. Melanie says: Don’t cook it any longer as the liquid will be driven off from inside the pancake making it brittle, and more likely to break.” Richard adds: “Physics shows that the pancake should be close to the far side of the pan and then it takes just a little flip into the air, a half spin and catch it up the other way!”
5. Don’t overcook it
The final colour of the pancake should be an even gold with a few darker spots. Richard explains: “Some of the colour comes from the egg yolk but the rest is a reaction between the milk sugar lactose and the proteins of the egg, flour and milk. This reaction is called the Maillard reaction, after the French scientist who first studied it.” Lactose is what’s known as a reducing sugar, which can react with certain amino acids in proteins and form a series of brown-coloured compounds. Richard adds: “If the cooking goes on too long, this reaction produces bitter-tasting products which spoil the taste of the pancakes, so make sure they’re not over-cooked.”
6. The perfect pancake accessory
Of course there are many potential combinations of ingredients you can add to your pancake, but Richard suggests: “Serve your pancakes with lemon juice and a little sugar. The lemon juice not only has a nice clean, sharp flavour but the citric acid in it stimulates our taste buds on our tongue which whets our appetite. The sweetness of the sugar is another desirable characteristic. As with salt, we are primed to identify sweet foods because the sugar is a readily available, easily digestible source of energy.”
Aperitif
Meme bar
- Location
- ...I don't have much idea - really.
They all taste a bit flat to me...
XmisterIS
Purveyor of fine nonsense
Maple god-damn syrup and vanilla cotton-pickin' ice-cream! Holy hell in a handcart, there's no other combination that tastes so swear-makingly good!
Keith Oates
Janner
- Location
- Penarth, Wales
Lemon juice and sugar, nectar of the gods!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fnaar
Smutmaster General
- Location
- Thumberland
Lemon and sugar. But some yrs ago, the missus introduced me to savoury pancakes (e.g. spinach with ricotta) which are lovely, but still don't feel 'right' somehow.
Has anyone made a joke about to$$ers yet?
Has anyone made a joke about to$$ers yet?
Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
We're talking pancakes here son, not fashion sense.....darkstar said:When i was younger i just whacked everything in sight on...... still do actually
trustysteed
Guest
are you flippin' joking?Aperitif said:They all taste a bit flat to me...
