The day I realized I was using way too high heat for pancakes was embarrassing

I've been making pancakes for like 10 years and they always came out dark on the outside and raw in the middle. Thought I just sucked at flipping. Then my friend came over and watched me cook. She goes 'why is your pan smoking?' and I said 'because it's hot enough to cook.' She turned the heat down to medium low and suddenly my pancakes actually cooked through evenly. Felt like an idiot but at least now breakfast isn't a hockey puck. Anyone else have a real basic cooking skill they got totally backwards for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

sethhernandez18d ago

Feel you on this one. I spent like five years over-salting pasta water because I read somewhere it should taste "like the sea" and I basically turned my noodles into brine. Couldn't figure out why everything I made tasted like a salt lick. Finally asked a cook friend and he just stared at me and said "you know the sea is basically poison to drink, right?" Felt like the biggest idiot in the kitchen. It's wild how the simplest stuff can trip you up for years. But hey, at least we eventually figured it out, right?

sean78218d ago

Man, it's pancakes. Not brain surgery.

emery19918d ago

Yeah, "it's just pancakes" would be a good reminder for me next time I burn the first batch and start questioning my whole existence. I swear the last time I tried making them from scratch, I used baking soda instead of baking powder and the things came out like little frisbees. Ended up ordering Chinese takeout with a side of shame. You ever have a cooking fail that made you feel like you needed a degree in breakfast?