Some people are good at flipping pancakes. Some are not so good, and end up with pancake on the stove top, the ceiling, the floor, themselves, and (in extreme cases) the dog.
One of the problems is if you have a pancake pan you're used to using, and then you get a nice new pan and have to get used to its different shape and inertia.
This is a job for the Practice Pancake; a thin disk of highly flexible yet strong silicone material which very closely matches the mechanical properties of a half-cooked pancake.
Simply spray your new pan with vegetable oil, drop in the Practice Pancake, and spend a happy half hour getting your flipping technique honed to perfection, before trying to make actual pancakes and wasting half the batter.-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 or you could use this, of course http://www.halfbake...ied_20egg_20flipper [po, Oct 21 2004] He doesn't look like Nigella Lawson http://moniplex.com...main.php?picture=27 [angel, Oct 21 2004] Posh Nosh http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/poshnosh/Short comedy, parodying such celebrity chefs as Nigella - 'caressing' jelly etc [Jinbish, Oct 21 2004] Sticky Mats https://uk-ssl.com/...h=21&products_id=28Dycem place mats [oneoffdave, Dec 05 2004] Will it have the ideal characteristics of a real pancake - ie the ability to stick to the ceiling, but not the pan?-- Jinbish, Mar 17 2003 No - you need the self-turning pancake batter mix. It stays in the pan getting all nice and brown on one side then it suddenly goes "oo, ouch, too hot" and turns its elf over. The added bonus is that once both sides are cooked it crawls out of the pan on its own. Some kind of micro-thermocouple ought to do it.
(too many "out"s appeared in the original version.)-- PeterSilly, Mar 17 2003 Definite egg theme to the last few days.
PS, could you work on that elf-flipping technology? It could possibly be applied to bacon as well.-- egbert, Mar 17 2003 linky.-- po, Mar 17 2003 After you've flipped out, it can be recycled as a practice frisbee.-- FarmerJohn, Mar 17 2003 "Spray" the pan with vegetable oil? Who do you think I am?-- hippo, Mar 17 2003 Nigella Lawson.-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 It had better come in nauseating colors, else one of the barely-conscious morning horde would accidently stuff pie-hole with it.-- roby, Mar 17 2003 Hmmm. It would probably be red on one side and green on the other, so you could tell if you'd flipped it correctly. I didn't intend for it to mimic a real pancake in any way, or look appetising.-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 Red and green would be no use. Aside from the usual colour-blindness objections, it might be mistaken for pizza.-- egbert, Mar 17 2003 There are circular slightly sticky pads usually used for holding plates in place, either for use at sea or for the disabled, that act a bit like pancakes when flipped. My school used them for pancake races on sports day instead of the real thing.-- oneoffdave, Mar 17 2003 Fair enough. Croissant on one side, fishbone on the other ?-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 //didn't intend for it to mimic a real pancake in any way, or look appetising.// Local criteria for assessing edibility: 1. Is it warm? 2. Can I put syrup on it? 3. Will it fit in my mouth? Fur is the most effective deterrent around here.-- roby, Mar 17 2003 She could always shave first.-- FarmerJohn, Mar 17 2003 [FJ] <SLAP>-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 Have you tried using a spatula? They're pretty easy to flip with a spatula.-- snarfyguy, Mar 17 2003 Yes, it can be done with a spatula, but that's not the point. I like to flip the pancake with a single, smooth fluid movement, but I need to practice with my new pan without wasting a lot of batter. I might prototype this by cutting a circle of thin carpet.-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 <Just a thought> This is for the British, wafer thin pancake stylee (isn't it?)- not the US inch-thick scone-like pancake </Just a thought>-- Jinbish, Mar 17 2003 British pancakes are thinner than American pancakes, but thicker than french pancakes ("craps").-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 <hitches braces> When I were young I used to flip a three egg omelette wi' onions, peppers, mushrooms and a quarter o' melted cheese. Until the day I tried it wi' a different pan. Never recovered me nerve, after that episode.<hitch..>
True.-- egbert, Mar 17 2003 In fact, yes I am Nigella Lawson. Well done.-- hippo, Mar 17 2003 Can I have my prize now ?
[egbert] Eggzactly. Same stove, same batter recipe - but new pan. Recipe for disaster (unless you're a dog. The dog loves half-cooked pancakes).-- 8th of 7, Mar 17 2003 Perpetually half-baked! You could name it: "The Midway."-- bristolz, Mar 17 2003 Let me just *ease* it out of the cake tin and playfully , but wantonly, squirt a generous splash of sherry all over it, rubbing its moistened surface with my sensuous fingers.-- hippo, Mar 17 2003 (starting to sound like (linky))-- Jinbish, Mar 17 2003 random, halfbakery