Search:

Your Kitchen Aid Mixer Should Never Be Used to Make This Recipe

By: Marcy Givens I like to learn about different recipes online but sometimes I come across advice that I think is not the best. Case in point, the other day I was looking for KitchenAid Mixer recipes and I found one for pancakes. Now, the problem with the recipe wasn't in the list of ingredients. Rather, it was a problem with the preparation. It called for using an electric stand mixer to make the batter.

If you like to have gummy or chewy pancakes, then by all means, go ahead and use an electric mixer. But I really like to have soft and fluffy pancakes that really soak up the syrup. So, for me having dense lifeless pancakes is not the way to start my morning.

You should always treat pancake batter delicately because of a special protein called gluten. This 2 part protein, made up of glutenin and gliadin, is created when you mix up flour and any liquid. This is perfectly ok when you are making bread because gluten adds body and density to your dough. But if you over mix your pancake batter, instead of light fluffy wonders you get tough and chewy results.

So if you want your breakfast pancakes to be light and airy consider unplugging that mixer and instead follow this 'manual' process.

To start, take your favorite recipe for pancakes. But this time, be careful at the stage when you mix the wet ingredients with the dry. Make sure to use separate bowls for the wet and dry ingredients.

Now, before you add the wet to the dry, get prepared. An electric griddle is probably the best appliance for cooking pancakes at home but if you have to use a frying pan, that will also work. There are 2 differences. An electric griddle has a built-in thermostat which means the heat will remain more constant than with a pan on the stove. Second, the griddle means you can cook a lot more pancakes at the same time. I use a pan on the stove myself but I never cook more than one pancake at a time and I keep them warm in the oven till ready to serve. It's not the best but I have no more room to store a griddle so I chose not to buy one. Using my stove, I heat the pan for 2 minutes at level 5. Then I turn down the heat to 4 when cooking. If I notice that things are taking too long, I increase the heat for about another minute and then lower to 4 again.

With your cooking appliance hot and ready to go it is safe to make the batter. I prefer what is affectionately called the dump and stir method. The idea is to mix the wet and dry ingredients in about 12 seconds or less. So take the wet and dump them on top of the dry. Mix with a large spatula for a count of 12 and then immediately stop. Sometimes the batter does not get completely incorporated but that is ok because the cooking process will smooth things out.

You are now in a position to cook the pancakes. With your pan preheated place a large dollop of batter on it and wait for the bubbles to form around the edge. This normally takes about 2 minutes. The bubbles tells you that you can safely flip the pancake. It should be brown on the bottom and not pale. If it is not dark enough it usually means your heat is too low. Next carefully flip your pancake and cook the second side until it too is browned nicely.

When serving the pancake always have real maple syrup on hand. It can make all the difference in the world and the taste is like no other. Since you put all this care and attention into making the best pancakes you could, you deserve to have them sweetened perfectly with a little maple syrup.

This is my secret to making the most fluffy and light pancakes you can at home. So remember to leave your KitchenAid mixer for the really tough jobs like kneading bread and you will be fine.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Marcy Givens is a amature baker who decided to get educated by watching shows and reading books about cooking. She has learned some important lessons and secrets for selecting the proper Kitchenaid mixers and attachments which she freely shares with her readers.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated