My thoughts on Pancakes

Pancakes are without a doubt one of my favorite foods to eat and one of my favorite foods to cook. And being from Vermont a little has something to do with it. What is better than having pancakes with fresh maple syrup for breakfast? Maybe having them for dinner too! I am an avid pancake maker. I make pancakes for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Some people think making pancakes is easy–sure, but that means your pancakes are probably not coming out perfect. A lot of care and skill goes into making the perfect pancakes. There is skill in mixing the batter just right. There is a learning curve for getting the temperature of the pan just right, for being able to power the batter into the pan without your pancakes crowding each other. You can't just pour the batter however or else you won't have enough room to flip them. And of course the flip. The flip is the easiest part for some people, and the hardest part for others. There are three stages to the flip: the slide, where you slide the spatula under the pancake; the flip, when you flip said pancake; and the landing. If your pancake lands on top of another one then it wasn't a very successful flip. Also, making pancakes gets more difficult as you add fillings, because the batter cooks slower around berries–the bigger the berry the slower the batter will cook. If you don't know what you are doing you will end up with beautiful golden pancakes on the outside, and uncooked batter on the inside. The secret is all in how you cut the apples for apple cinnamon pancakes, or how you cut the berries for triple berry pancakes. Personally, I believe in only putting berries in pancakes; no chocolate chips! Pancakes are breakfast not dessert. Cooking pancakes also requires patience, and attentiveness. You always have to be watching for the signs that the pancakes is ready to be flipped. The edges start to curl in, and the top has the air bubbles, and it has a different look to it. When I am done with finals, I am going to celebrate with pancakes.