And can you do it without touching the flapjack?

I used to when I lived in my old apartment. There, I didn't care if I accidentally smacked the pan on the stove. In my current house I have a glass cooktop, so I have to be very careful when I flip food; especially with cast iron. :o

Next house I will get my Viking gas range and will not care once again. :p

im like 75-80% effective...my trick...pam

flip this. :p

I flip omelets, but they are tricky.

Viking is awesome....they just installed my grill, but it's not hooked up yet. :)

I may be an artist in the bedroom, but when it comes to coordination I suck. I get half a cake folded, or flip it out of the pan.

i see no reason to flip it. that's what they make spatulas for.

I used to when I lived in my old apartment. There, I didn't care if I accidentally smacked the pan on the stove. In my current house I have a glass cooktop, so I have to be very careful when I flip food; especially with cast iron. :o

Same here -- takes some serious balls to saute with an 8-lb cast iron pan over a glass cooktop :D. Not to mention decent forearms! I don't try it with pancakes even though that pan is much lighter (castiron 'petal' -- no sides). That's because flipping a cake like that needs more accuracy and you end up letting the pan fall to let the cake finish its flip -- I'd surely crack the top sooner or later.

I do ok with flapjacks and a metal spatula. Part of the secret is to wipe a bit of oil on the spatula, and clean it and re-oil if any uncooked batter gets on it. I make sourdough pancakes fairly often. Genuine sourdough pancakes and coffee are one of the all-time great combos.

Blueberry pancakes. There is a place down the shore that makes them so big and fluffy...with fresh jersey berrys. ummmmm.

Same here -- takes some serious balls to saute with an 8-lb cast iron pan over a glass cooktop :D.
I don't see the point in using cast iron with a glass cooktop. Cast iron is meant to be used over an open flame. Hrggh. <pounds chest>

I don't see the point in using cast iron with a glass cooktop. Cast iron is meant to be used over an open flame. Hrggh. <pounds chest>
I hear ya Doc. Unfortunately my house didn't have a gas line when I moved in and it was a minimum $2000 to have one brought in from the street. So we bought an electric stove. Three years later, I'm still regretting that decision. :( I can still use my cast iron, but heat control is a bastard with electric. :mad:

On the bright side, my wife bought me a turkey fryer for my birthday. I have no intention of frying a turkey in it, but the 85,000 BTU burner is perfect for making stir-fry and cooking with my cast iron. ;) :D

I don't see the point in using cast iron with a glass cooktop. Cast iron is meant to be used over an open flame. Hrggh. <pounds chest>

It's a good cooking material. Stores a tremendous amount of heat so you can take it to the table and have the food stay hot. The metal seasons up nicely and is superior to teflon in some ways. You can toss it in the oven with no fears. My wife's biscuits are to die for -- she heats up the castiron skillet to 500 degrees in the oven, throws in some shortening and then plops the biscuits in and tosses back in the oven. Pure heaven. And it does better pancakes than any other kind of griddles I've tried. The only thing I'm careful of is to not cook overly watery or acidic foods in it. For one thing it can ruin the seasoning/patina that you may have spent years nurturing. But more importantly it can leach out too much iron into the food. So no chicken cacciatore in the iron skillet.

But more importantly it can leach out too much iron into the food. So no chicken cacciatore in the iron skillet.
The iron you get from a cast iron skillet is not bioaccessible. It is ferric instead of ferrous, so the body can't really absorb it.

I can't flip a damn pancake with a spatula everytime I've tried it the damn thing get's all messed up. I just flip it with the pan. Teflon for the win!

im like 75-80% effective...my trick...pam

She got a sista?! ;)

Here you go Klegg, sounds like you need to practice Flip The Pancake (http://www.uptoten.com/kids/boowakwala-events-father-pancakes.html)

ever had hot pancake batter land on your hand??? Spatula for me thanks. :p

Secret to the perfect pancake is Bisquick. ;) Also makes great waffles.

oooh I beg to differ.
You have to try Snoqualmie falls mix from Washington State.
Have it shipped to you or take a trip.
Best pancakes/waffles I have ever had. Now that my parents moved up there I can get it when I please :D

ever had hot pancake batter land on your hand??? Spatula for me thanks. :p

Almost as much fun as cleaning partially cooked pancake batter off the stove. Yep, spatula for me, too.

For anyone who likes to make them from scratch, the Fannie Farmer Breakfast cookbook has an yummy recipe. Throw in some fresh fruit or granola - mmmmmm!

That sounds good =)
I personally like to take a banana, coconut, pineapple and macadamia nuts in mine, but then again I like those in everything. Maybe I should move to the tropics.

I'll eat so much of the stuff that my flatulence will smell like macadamias, my breath like bananas and I'll secrete a coconut pineapple oil from my pores and sell it to perfume companies around the world. Welp I know how to make my millions with this brilliant plan, how about everyone else?

Secret to the perfect pancake is Bisquick. ;) Also makes great waffles.


must be a regional thing..I am a bisquick man myself.

What I really want to know is why my belgian waffels do not taste like the diners!

Am I going to have to come out to Jersey/Philly with some Snoqualmie falls?

I suppose I could just ship a bag over. :D

must be a regional thing..I am a bisquick man myself.

What I really want to know is why my belgian waffels do not taste like the diners!

Do you separate the eggs, and beat the whites until they peak? Sounds kinky, I know ;) But, yes, it makes a difference. Also a bit of vanilla in the mix is good. I also have a Belgian waffle iron that goes on the stove. Could make a difference, I don't know. From what I understand, traditional Belgian waffles can be made with yeast and/or carbonated water, but I've yet to attempt those.

Do you separate the eggs, and beat the whites until they peak? Sounds kinky, I know ;) But, yes, it makes a difference. Also a bit of vanilla in the mix is good. I also have a Belgian waffle iron that goes on the stove. Could make a difference, I don't know. From what I understand, traditional Belgian waffles can be made with yeast and/or carbonated water, but I've yet to attempt those.


I will try that! (I have some skill in that area ;) )

Am I going to have to come out to Jersey/Philly with some Snoqualmie falls?

I suppose I could just ship a bag over. :D
I found a place online that sells it in 5lbs bags. I guess I'll give it a try. If the pancakes are good, I'll make waffles to go with my chicken and waffles recipe. That will make the missus very happy. :)

I will try that! (I have some skill in that area ;) )
The other reason is because of the Bisquick, itself. It has its own unique flavor which differs from the pre-made mix that most diners use.

I have an old waffle iron that I "borrowed" from my dad when I moved out. Cast iron inside, shiny chrome on the outside. And an old frayed cloth electric cord and plug. It's scary as hell to use, but it makes great waffles. :D

I found a place online that sells it in 5lbs bags. I guess I'll give it a try. If the pancakes are good, I'll make waffles to go with my chicken and waffles recipe. That will make the missus very happy. :)

Chicken and waffles. Makes me think of Roscoe's in LA. Mmmmmm.....

Chicken and waffles. Makes me think of Roscoe's in LA. Mmmmmm.....
What Rosoe's makes is different from what I make. I have some friends who just moved from LA and they were explaining Roscoe's to me. They said you're served fried chicken on one plate and a waffle on another. My recipe is a variation of SOS.

Basically you cook a whole chicken in boiling water just like you would for soup stock. Once the meat is falling off the bone, drain the broth into a seperate pot. Add to the broth: 1 whole chopped onion, 4 to 5 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 cup chopped celery, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and put the broth on simmer.

Run the chicken under cold water to cool and then de-bone completely. Shred the chicken by hand into bite sized pieces. Add the chicken into the broth and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for another half hour.

Spoon or ladle soup into a medium sauce pan or pot. Slowly add a handfull of flour. The purpose is to thicken the soup to a gravy-like consitency. The more flour you add, the thicker it gets. If you add too much flour, simply add more soup from the other pot.

Once you're happy with the results, spoon the chicken over a freshly made waffle and enjoy. :)

I know it sounds weird, but it tastes great. My wife was a huge skeptic, but once she tried it, she was hooked. ;)

I originally got my recipe from Jeff Smith's "Frugal Gourmet Cooks American".

Here it is, with a opinions and comments from me. I think this is it, but I'll have to double-check. I usually end up making 1 1/2 batch of the recipe so the numbers get wrangled around in me' head...

2 cups proofed sourdough starter *** this is the essential part ****
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 tb baking powder
1 tb sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 lb butter (melted)

Mix the eggs and milk.
Mix the dry ingredients.
Gently fold the egg/milk mix into the sourdough. (your goal at all times is to kill as few bubbles as possible)
Gently fold in the dry ingredients -- just until mixed (some lumps are ok)
Adjust the thickness with either milk or flour. It should sheet off the mixing spoon. Getting the right thickness takes some experience.
Let the batter sit for at least 15 minutes. (this is a good time to melt the butter)

You are letting the baking soda activate, which adds leavening, in addition to the sourdough. This is sort of a "guarantee" -- 100% straight sourdough is tricky to make pancakes with unless it's really vigorous and developed into a froth. There's no buttermilk in the recipe because the acid from the sourdough serves to activate the baking powder

Gently fold in the melted butter. -- You are ready to make pancakes.

In my opinion, sourdough pankcakes need more heat than conventional pancakes. One reason is sourdough is a bit "rougher" than normal pancakes and needs the extra heat to cook thoroughly. The other reason is that it helps accentuate the flavor. Sourdough pancakes are not meek! None of the electric griddles I've tried is worth a damn with these pancakes -- they just don't get hot enough. I use a flat (sideless), circular castiron pan. I have a small bowl of canola oil nearby and wipe a thin film on the pan before each pancake. The pan should be hot enough to where the oil is just starting to smoke a bit. You'll want the vent on :). Also wipe a little oil onto the spatula. I don't know about you , but with regardless of the pancake recipe the first one or two come out all cattywumpus. My dog knows this and is standing by. The heat level usually takes some fine adjustment once you get underway.

When properly made (again, my opinion), these pancakes have a deep brown color. They are unbelievably good with fresh-ground and brewed coffee. They also freeze very well in ziplock freezer bags as long as you remove most of the air from the bag. It only takes a minute or two in the microwave and they're nearly as good as fresh-made.

The critical ingredient is of course the sourdough and that's a whole 'nother topic beyond the scope of this post. Get a good starter, learn how to maintain it and how to proof it up. It is TOTALLY worth your time and effort. There is no substitute for the taste and aroma of real sourdough leavening.