Who does not know the problem? You make yourself some delicious pancakes and by the time you want to eat them, they’re already cold. Either something came up before serving or the pancakes just cool down way too quickly. Here are a few tips on how to keep your pancakes warm.
How do you keep pancakes warm?
If you prepare pancakes, you usually make more than one portion. Any pancakes made from the batter should always stay together after frying or baking. The pancakes cool down faster individually than together. Only immediately before serving should the pancakes be separated from each other so that they can be eaten individually.
Preheated plates
Common household plates are usually made of earthenware, ceramic or porcelain. They all have the property of conducting heat well (some more, some less). Just as a pancake lies on the plate, the plate quickly draws enough heat from the pancake until the plate and pancake have the same temperature. The ready-to-eat pancakes are therefore too cold to enjoy. To avoid this, simply put the plates in the oven before serving. A few minutes at 50-60°C is enough to curb the unwanted process of temperature equalization between plate and pancake. For all warm dishes, an optimal consumption temperature of 60°C is assumed.
Put the plate over it
A simple and common method is to cover the pancakes with the eating side of the plate. It is best to use preheated plates for this. Regardless of whether you want to cover a single plate or the serving container, plates are always readily available and available in every household. This method is only recommended if the meal is delayed by a few minutes. Pancakes tend to get soggy if kept warm for too long.
Keep the pancakes warm in the oven
Not only the plates but also the pancakes themselves can be kept warm in the oven at 60 °C. It is advisable to use a wire grid for this, which is placed on a baking sheet. The pancakes are placed as individually as possible on the grid. At 60 °C in the oven, they stay warm and don’t get mushy. Due to the air circulation, you should not leave the pancakes in the oven for longer than 30 minutes, otherwise, they could become too dry.
Use microwave
To keep warm in the microwave, fill a bowl with water to the brim. The size of the bowl depends on the size of the plate. The plate used must fit the bowl. First, boil the water in the microwave, turn off the microwave, and then place the plate in the bowl. The plate is heated and there is good humidity in the microwave. Putting the finished pancakes on top and closing the microwave door again keeps the pancakes moist, soft, and warm.
Wrap the pancakes in aluminum foil to keep them warm
Another simple trick is to use aluminum foil. If you have your pancakes on a plate or serving dish, cover it completely with aluminum foil. This method keeps the heat in for a long time, but the pancakes will also become mushy over time.
Food warmer or chafing dish
An elegant but expensive solution is to use a food warmer or chafing dish. Both objects are used with preference in gastronomy. A food warmer usually consists of a glass container and a frame. Additionally, a tea light is placed under this frame, which permanently heats the glass container slightly. A similar principle is applied to the chafing dish.
However, a chafing dish usually consists of a stainless steel container, and the food is not heated directly by the flame. Generally, this item uses tea lights to heat a container of water. Also, there are suitable inserts for this water container, in which you can put the food. In this case, the pancakes are heated indirectly with steam. Alternatively, you can use fuel paste instead of tea lights.
Keep pancakes warm: use residual heat
If you want to be particularly ecological, you can use the residual heat from the stove or the oven that was used to prepare the pancakes. You put either the serving container or the finished plates with pancakes in the oven or on the ceramic hob. However, caution is required here, as plates in particular can become very hot very quickly.
Alternative: Portable pancake machine
Basically, you should only keep pancakes warm for longer if you have no other option. Pancakes taste the best fresh. There is a smart solution to ensure this, especially for several people eating: a portable pancake machine. Most people know these from the crepe stand at the fair. With such a machine, all you have to do at parties is put the pancake batter next to it. Moreover, everyone who wants to eat a pancake makes it himself and gets the pancake with maximum freshness.