Do your pancakes turn out dry, uneven in color, and need a lot of maple syrup ? Or perhaps they turn out raw in the middle? Either way, cooking great pancakes is a skill that looks hard to master but not difficult once you follow a few set rules.
The factors that you need to consider to create the perfect pancake include the type of griddle used, timing and most importantly the griddle temperature.
What is the best griddle temperature for pancakes? Your griddle temperature should be somewhere between 375°F – 390°F.
In this guide, we will cover how you can identify the best griddle temp and show you how to flip a pancake at the right time.
SEE ALSO: Best Belgian Waffle Maker
Contents showIt’s ideal to preheat your griddle before adding batter to it. A griddle that is too cold means that your pancake batter will need to stay cooking longer. The longer the batter is on the griddle, the dryer your pancakes become.
Electric griddles should be preheated for 10 minutes to ensure that they are at the proper operating temperature.
If your griddle doesn’t have a thermometer, a “medium” temperature should be about right. The following section goes into testing your griddle before you start pouring batter.
Most griddles do not come with a temperature gauge to let you know exactly when to add butter or oil.
There are a couple of ways to test the temperature before you pour your first pancake.
Preheat the griddle.
Get your fingers wet with water and flick the water on to the griddle.
The water should dance and sizzle gently. If the water evaporates immediately, the griddle is too hot. If the water sits there steaming, the griddle is too cold.
You can also test the griddle by placing a couple of drops of batter on the griddle. If the drops of batter bubble immediately and burn, the griddle is of course too hot. The drops should be able to sit there for about 20 seconds without burning.
It doesn’t matter whether you use oil or butter . Many prefer to use butter because of the salty taste and unique crisp edges that it can create on your pancakes. Butter can also help prevent sticking .
However, when using the correct griddle temperature oil can create a similar crispness without the saltiness.
Keep in mind that excess butter on your griddle can start to burn and give an unwanted taste to your pancakes.
In either situation, you should let the oil or butter heat for 30 seconds before slowly and gently pour your batter onto the griddle.
It’s important not to overcook them to prevent a dry pancake. On the other hand, it’s important not to undercook them to prevent raw batter in the middle. So how the heck do you know when to flip a pancake?
Bubbles will form on the top of the pancake as it cooks. Once the pancake has many bubbles and they start to burst, it’s time to start considering flipping the pancake.
You can try to gently lift the edge of the pancake to see if it is golden brown underneath if so, flip it! You may also notice that the top of the pancake starts to dry and cook a little. At this point, you want to flip the pancake.
Try to resist the urge to pat or poke your pancakes. That can deflate them leading to a harder texture which isn’t characteristic of a fluffy pancake.
The best temperature for you to start pouring your pancake batter onto the griddle varies from one griddle model to another. No matter what kind of griddle or cooking pan you have, you should keep experimenting with different batter consistencies and heat levels as you cook.
It usually takes 2 or 3 pancakes before the griddle gets to the perfect balance of temperature and grease. Once this happens, you will be churning out perfect pancakes all morning.
Don’t worry because any pancake that doesn’t turn out so great will still be gobbled down quickly.
Looking for a griddle that can make pancakes? Check out the Broil King Griddle .
It’s an electric griddle with cool touch handles, nonstick ceramic cooking surface, and temperature adjustment up to 425°F.
Broil King PCG-10 Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle
The cooking surface is 20” x 11” which is enough space to make a few large pancakes or multiple smaller ones. The nonstick ceramic surface means that you don’t have to add as much butter or oil to cook pancakes or a complete breakfast.
The temperature of your griddle is one of the most important factors that determine whether your pancakes cook evenly or not.
To recap the sequence of events to create a great pancake: