Juliet my Juliet, Wherefore art thou !!!!!

Seriously the Best Pancake Batter, makes the Best Pancakes.

I had an Alluminum Grille that went across 2 Burners, it worked great.
You have to watch, that it doesn't damage the cooktop, because of the heat buildup.

I also had the Presto. It worked good also. Don't know if it is still in the storage cupboard. ?

Think I would go for the Presto for the controlled even heat.
Lou

PS: I also have a good Pancake Batter !!!

Huh. When I saw the title of your post, I planned to suggest a 2-burner cast iron griddle, but I guess that won't work for you. I love mine...I also have several cast iron fry pans and a dutch oven. I much prefer cast iron to anything else I've ever had. Yes, they're heavy, but properly seasoned, things never stick and they clean up with a simple swish...and no soap! And, they're cheap. But, to each his own.

I hope you like whatever you get.

Sherrmann:
I use the Cast Iron Skillet now but I thought there was a problem here, with lifting.
I don't want to go into the seasoning thing again. LOL
Lou

I think the 2 burner griddle on the gas stove top...in my experience the electric one doesn't recover fast enough when you pour on the batter.
And I also was going to suggest a cast iron one, if it gets too hot a little cool water cools it down fast and a paper towel dries it off....and well seasoned it really really doesn't stick.
Linda C

I have the two burner Calphalon griddle and have used it now for over 8 years. And I have a large rectangle electric frying pan. I can turn out great pancakes on both. And I've used the two burner griddle on both gas and electric ranges without a problem. So, I would say buy which ever one you prefer, you can't go wrong either way.

Ann

I agree, I've made good pancakes on a cast iron griddle over a campfire, on Elery's big electric griddle, in an electric frying pan and with a stove top cast iron griddle on my gas stove.

Amanda prefers the electric griddle, she tends to overheat the cast iron griddle and it does hold the heat well. I like the cast iron but any of those options are acceptable to me.

Annie

I prefer the electric griddle, not so much because it makes the pancakes better than a stovetop one or a skillet, but because I like being able to move it where I want to use it and it doesn't take up half the stove when I might want to cook other things. Mine has a temp light to indicate when the heat has recovered.

I have a griddle like the presto, might be that one, and love it. I make french toast, pancakes, and quesadillas on it mostly.
I don't use it all the time but when I need it, it's great.
I have given them as wedding presents before.

I have been using a griddle on my gas barbeque. I get about 8 pancakes per batch finishing up everything in two rounds instead of hanging out by the stove for close to 1/2 hour. I also started making my pancakes in mini muffin pans so there is no standing around at all and I get other things finished in the meantime.

We've used a Calphalon one for pancakes. Worked great. And it's nice to work under a hood if you're a "hoodie".

The electric is probably good too!

I saw a 2 burner Grille for a Stovetop in Walmart today.
I forget the Brand name , it was $29 .
Looked like a good one.

Beanthere:
I think they all have a light to indicate when the temp is up. Mine had a heat control also.
Lou

I think you'd love the electric one. I think both will cook well enough, but you'll like the convenience of the electric model. I have one that fits over the burners, and I never use it, too heavy, yada yada. Get the electric one.

Well, I decided to buy the electric griddle. I made that choice for two reasons: (1) Beanthere_dunthat's point about being able to move it where you want, and not taking up stove real estate that could be used to be cooking other things, and (2) I realized that my gas burners have different btu's, so if I lay a two-burner griddle across the burners, it would be difficult and annoying to attain/keep the same temperature for both sides of the griddle.

Thank you everyone for your input. I'll be "cooking with electric" this weekend!

Juliet:
Don't forget the feedback !!!
Lou

I love my electric griddle. And now, as a result of reading this thread ... I will be having pancakes tomorrow morning. The power of suggestion.... it doesn't take much :-)

Bonnie

Last year for Christmas I bought my daughter an electric griddle and it folded in the center for storage. She really likes it. I like just using an electric skillet. I do have a big old electric griddle stored away.

Sue

Another vote for an electric griddle. I think mine is a Rival. We just used it yesterday when the daughters had sleep-over guests to make chocolate chip pancakes (surprisingly good). I had bacon cooking on the stove while DH cooked pancakes on the griddle at the counter.

When we first got married I had the griddle that covered two burners and I'll tell you why I did not like it. Mainly it was only hot where it was directly on a burner. The center was not nearly as hot. Also, as someone else mentioned, no two burners (either electric or gas) are the same as far as heat output so one end of the griddle was hotter than the other.

The electric griddle has completely EVEN heating, even at the edges. It is the way to go.

The griddle that I love so much and have had for 30 some years is cast aluminum and fits over 2 burners...it's very thick and heavy.
Yes I had to learn to use it...with each different cooktop I have had....the adjustment of the burners is slightly different and I had to learn that.
It heats evenly from corner to corner, and I have the ability to turn up the gas flame a little if I fill the griddle suddenly with lots of French toast soaked in cold milk and eggs....and then turning the burners back to base when it warms up the stuff on it.
I have cooked English muffins, zucchini pancakes, pancakes or all sorts, grilled bread for Texas toastm, and warmed tortillas on it.
I also have a cast iron griddle that fits on the Jenn Aire Grill...I am sure there is should be a lot of learning going on there, but I haven taken the time....an electric element is slower to react than a gas one.
I also have an electric waffle iron with reversible grids which becomes a sandwich grill/panini press or a griddle when you flip the thing down that keeps it level.
Unless there is big deal something else going on on the stove top...I prefer the stovetop griddle....because I have learned how to use it. Maybe if I learned how to use an electric one I would like that....but it would be one more thing to store!
Wondering if the Jenn Aire castiron one would work on my gas grill?
Linda C

What really makes the best Pancakes is the cook and the recipe. I think those two things are even more important that what pan you use.

Ann

OK, I'll ask, because I've never made really good pancakes. What's the secret recipe?

Thanks!

kaelkriver, the best recipe depends on what you like. I tend to like thin, tender pancakes or whole grain pancakes. My girls like light and fluffy pancakes. Elery doesn't even like pancakes, LOL, but he likes hoecakes.

At Christmas I make gingerbread pancakes and nearly everyone likes those, and of course, there are the lemon ricotta pancakes, I think those came from cookingrvc.

Anyway, here are Ann T's thin and tender pancakes:

Home Cookin 4.9 Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table
Pancakes
========
2 cups milk
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 eggs
6 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Maple Syrup.
. Add the lemon juice to the milk, Melt the butter in the microwave
In a blender mix, eggs, milk and butter. Add the flour,salt, sugar, baking
soda and baking powder.
Mix until blended.
Heat griddle and brush lightly with margarine.
Pour out batter to desired size and when top side has bubbled flip and cook
for about 20 to 30 seconds on flip side.
Place in low oven to remain warm while you cook the rest.
NOTE: For something a little different add some chocolate to the batter and serve with raspberries.

These are thin and tender pancakes, not light and fluffy.

Here is my family's favorite, the light and fluffy ones, recipe from Marilyn, a prior poster:

Buttermilk Pancakes

1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk

Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Combine remaining ingredients and whisk into dry ingredients until mixture is smooth. Pour by large spoonfuls onto non-stick griddle that has been pre-heated to 350 and cook until top is bubbly. Carefully turn over and continue cooking until done. These are very light pancakes. Makes 5 (5 1/2-inch) pancakes.

I love these lemon ricotta pancakes:

Lemon-Ricotta Hot Cakes
6 large eggs,separated
1 1/2 c whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
2 T lemon zest
Powdered sugar for dusting
Heat a griddle.
Whip egg whites until they hold firm glossy peaks, and set aside. Beat ricotta, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla together and set aside. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and zest. With a rubber spatula, stir dry ingredients gently into the ricotta mixture. Stir a spoonful of whipped egg whites into the batter then gently fold
in the remainder.
Grease the heated griddle, if necessary. Drop 3 tablespoons of batter for each hotcake on the griddle, allowing space for spreading.
Cook until golden on the bottom and the top shows a bubble or two. Gently flip, and cook until undersides are light brown. Dust with powdered sugar.

The Christmas Gingerbread breakfast pancakes which we serve with maple syrup and sometimes sauteed apples:

GINGERBREAD PANCAKES

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups whole or lowfat milk
1 large egg
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons dark (not light or blackstrap) molasses
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves in a large mixing bowl.
   2. Measure the milk into a large glass measuring cup. Crack the egg into the cup and beat lightly with a fork to break up the egg. Stir in the cooled melted butter and molasses.
   3. Pour the liquid ingredients into the mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are moistened. DonÂt worry if there are some small lumps.
   4. Heat the griddle and spray with cooking spray.
   5. Pour some of the batter on to the griddle (about ¼ cup per pancake). Cook the pancakes until they are golden brown. Serve immediately with maple syrup or Apple Cider Syrup or keep them warm in a preheated 200F degree oven on a platter loosely covered with aluminum foil. Repeat with the remaining batter, spraying the cooking surface with more cooking spray before beginning each new batch.
   Serves 4.

And my own favorite, the multi-grain pancakes:

Four-Grain Pancakes

Ingredients
 1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
 1 cup regular rolled oats
 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
 1 Tbsp. flax seeds (optional)
 1 Tbsp. baking powder
 1/2 tsp. salt
 1/4 tsp. baking soda
 2 eggs, lightly beaten
 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk (see note)
 1/4 cup canola oil or cooking oil
 2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar or honey
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, cornmeal, wheat germ, flax seeds, if you like, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, and brown sugar. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy but thick).
3. For each standard-size pancake: Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet, spreading batter to a 4-inch circle. (For dollar-size pancakes, use about 1 tablespoon batter and spread slightly.) Cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning to second side when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm with maple syrup. Makes 18 standard-size pancakes or 48 dollar-size pancakes.
Note: For 2 cups of sour milk, place 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 2 cups total liquid; stir. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using.

OK, it may be time for pancakes soon....

Annie

Or , you could Google " Lou's, Waffles and Pancakes "
Scroll down to Whole Wheat Pancake help, Cooking Forum.

LOU

I'll save you the trouble. Here it is !!!

LOUS
Pancakes and Waffles Recipe
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups milk ( Ive been using powdered milk, also)
2 eggs ( separated ) .
1/3 cup of Veg. Oil
2 heaping tablespoons of Vanilla
Pinch of salt
½ cup Sugar
1 cup of Wheat Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
All Purpose flour
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I beat the egg whites first , so I dont have to clean the beaters.
Beat the egg whites with a teaspoon of sugar, until peaked.
After the batter is made
Add ½ the egg whites to the batter and fold in easy.
Beat the other ½ of the whites until very stiff and fold these in also. .
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pancake Batter:
Put the first 6 ingredients ( except egg whites ) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
Put in the Wheat flour, Baking powder. and some All Purpose flour.
Beat until smooth. Add enough AP flour to thicken slightly,
For Waffles:
Thicken a little more, to where you have to move it around with a spoon,
when it is put on the waffle iron . Then do the egg white thing as in the pancake batter.
When baked I cool them fast on a rack and put them in a plastic bag,
and right in the freezer.
If you overcook a little, dampen slightly with water,
before you put them in the toaster oven.

As for the waffle iron , I have a very old round one with adjustable heat Range.
It makes a waffle about ½ inch + thickness. For me this is just right,
for the amount of butter and syrup that you can put on top.
I found a Cuisinart mod.WMR-CA to match my old one.
Now I can make Waffles in Stereo

I dont use the Belgium Waffle Maker ; except when Im adding
Ice cream and fruit topping , because its too much waffle for the
amount of syrup and butter. But may be good for you.!

If I want a Belgium Waffle, I just make a double decker and
put fruit or whatever filling in between.
With Ice cream on top.
Then you have more cooked surface area , on the Waffles.
Which is where most of the flavor is ( the cooked surface )
LOU

Kaelkriver, The recipe Annie posted is our favourite. Here is another one that was a big hit when I made them for Moe.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
===========================

Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes
2 c rolled oats
2 c buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c flour
2 T sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t salt

Combine oats and buttermilk. Refrigerate overnight.

Add two eggs. Add melted and cooled butter.

Mix in separate bowl: Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Stir flour mixture into oat mixture until moist.

Preheat griddle and then dollop about 1/4 c of batter for each pancake.

Julia's Note: I have no idea where this recipe came from, but it is a good one. It comes together very quickly in the morning, especially if you prepare the flour base the night before when you mix the buttermilk and oats together.

All the recipes sound so good, thanks so much for responding!

Annie's Right:
It's according to what " you " like, on a given day.
Another day you may like something else.

Only takes a few minutes to try different Recipes.

Mine are light and with the Wheat Flour addition , gives them a nice texture,
Here is a Photo of the Waffles Baked. The Pancakes look just as good.

LOU

Pancakes be darned, I want that bacon that Ann T has next to HER pancakes. Yum...

Annie

Ann T...the Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes are the best pancakes we have ever had. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Last week I had made a batch of yogurt. It didnt set and get thick. I looked over the recipe as I have made it several times before. Well shoot, the yogurt got put into the hot milk. The yogurt got slightly thick and really hated to throw it out.

Did a search on Google for Oatmeal Buttermilk Pancakes and Ann T's site came up......
I used the yogurt that didnt set instead of buttermilk.
Went out this week and bought a two burner Calphalon griddle so we can make pancakes faster than one cake at a time in a frying pan.

Trudy, Aren't they good. Moe thinks they are the best too. Good idea to use the yogurt. Glad you liked them.

Ann

Griddles or no, this thread is driving me crazy. Pancakes are something single me hardly ever makes. And until I decide what waffle iron to get, no waffles either! I am so jealous!

We like Lou's recipe. It has been our go to recipe since we found it. I use it for both waffles and pancakes.
I use my electric griddle for pancakes. I have the cast iron one for two burners, and I really like it, but it is hard to adjust as I have one small burner and one large burner per side. I have yet to see an electric stove with two large burners on one side.
Lisa

My dh makes delicious pancakes. I don't know his exact recipe, but I do know that he uses vanilla and powdered sugar in them. He cooks them on a cast iron griddle on the gas cooktop.

Our electric stove has a bridge burner, griddle works nicely on it.

Also by the way, I have let the oatmeal soak for an hour instead of overnight in Ann T's recipe.

Going to try Lou's recipe soon.

Just wanted to report that this thread inspired me to order an electric griddle (I've been making Ann T's oatmeal buttermilk pancakes every other weekend since January!). I used the new electric griddle yesterday, and the pancakes were much prettier and more even than the pancakes on my stovetop griddle, and it was much faster start-to finish given the size of the griddle. My gas range has the two different-sized/output burners, so the rectangular griddle pans never heat evenly (low on the high output burner is like high on the regular burner). And a regular griddle on the low output is just too small to do more than 3-4 small pancakes at once.

Now I have to decide where to store the griddle in my tiny kitchen!

My old electric griddle -- from sometime before I was married in 1963 -- finally quit working so this Christmas I got a new one -- maybe a Presto? I like using an electric one because I can do so many at once (altho the new one is smaller than the old one). And the new one is non-stick -- it really works better than the old one!

I too bought an electric griddle just for this purpose a couple years ago. It's so great, pancakes come out perfect and I can cook a whole bunch at one time. mine has a little "warming drawer" underneath to store food while you are cooking more. I don't use it that often, but love it when I need it, and I store it in the drawer in bottom of my stove.