Yahoo News Pancake Day 2020: the best tools to help you make perfect pancakes
This year, Pancake Day falls on Tuesday, February 25.
While pancakes are probably one of the easiest things you can whip up in a kitchen (possibly second only to toast), more of us are pushing the boat out and setting our sights on a world of toppings beyond the classic lemon, sugar and syrup.
From liberal dollops of Nutella, cream and fresh strawberries to fat American-style stacks topped with bacon and maple syrup, our appetite for a bigger and better pancake knows no bounds.
Whether you’re helping little ones flip their first pancake or putting together a gourmet feast for friends, the right dining essentials will help you celebrate Shrove Tuesday in style.
From silicone spatulas and fun pan shapes to fuel your crêpe creativity, here are some of the very best accessories, kitchenware and pancake mix to help you batter up.
And if you want to try something other than a traditional pancake, we've listed some recipes from British Lion Eggs after our product round-up for inspiration.
See our favourites below
Salter Pancake Pan with Pancake Mix & Rainbow Sprinkles
Pancakes may be the easiest thing to whip up – unless you’re fresh out of eggs, flour, salt or milk. Luckily Salter is on hand to save your bacon (and your pancakes) with its brightly coloured unicorn bundle, which includes a shaker of dry pancake mix, rainbow sprinkles and a 25cm pancake pan. Just add water, and away you go.
£10 | Tesco | Buy it now
Tefal Peppa Pig 25cm Pancake Pan with Squeezy Bottle
If you needed any more encouragement to get the kids in the kitchen for Pancake Day, this Peppa Pig frying pan should do the trick.
It comes with a batter dispenser topped with a nozzle so that you can go over the Peppa Pig illustration at the bottom of the pan, let it cook for a minute and fill in the rest with more batter.
The result? Teatime treats that will have them squealing with joy.
£12 | Asda | Buy it now *On sale from £18
Shop more pancake animal pans from Amazon
SWAN Retro 2-piece Non-stick Frying Pan Set - Red
In this age of Instagram, it's only natural to want to share your pancake skills on social media. If you're nodding in agreement, you'll also agree that your kit looks sharp.
With this in mind, Currys is currently selling a set of two Swan non-stick frying pans (avalible in seven colours) for just £24.99 online. They're light, comfortable to hold and suitable for all kinds of hobs, including induction.
Plus, just think how well that red will go with your strawberry garnish. Hey, it's all in the details.
£24.99 | Currys | Buy it now
Breville VTP130 Traditional Crêpe Maker, 12-Inch, Black
Fancy going French this Shrove Tuesday? Make sweet and savoury crêpes all day long with this little gadget from Breville.
If it feels like a slightly indulgent purchase, rest assured that it can also omelettes and blinis, so it should earn its keep quite quickly. Comes with a crêpe batter spreading stick and mini recipe guide to help you get you on your way.
£26.44 | Amazon | Buy it now *On sale from £34.99
Wilko Kitchen Scales Cream 5kg
Every home cook needs a decent set of scales to measure out ingredients. You don't need to fork out loads if you're on a budget though; this elegant cream one from Wilko does the job without breaking the bank.
£12 | Wilko | Buy it now
2Pcs Wooden Crepe Maker Pancake Batter Spreader Dough Distributor Rake
The key to evenly cooked pancakes is an equal spread. While you could take a risk by tilting the pan, this T-shaped tool gives you an easier yet superior way to perfect a pancake. These wooden spreaders are easy to clean and won’t warp in the heat.
£1.59 | Amazon | Buy it now
Sainsbury's Home Havana Lemon Squeezer
When life gives you lemons... squeeze them onto your pancakes. Get every last drop out of your citrus fruits with bright yellow squeezer. Simply cut your lemon in half, place inside and squeeze hard to release the zesty juice.
Top tip: roll the fruit against the palm of your hand and the kitchen worktop to get more liquid from it.
£5 | Sainsbury's | Buy it now
Bisquick Pancake & Baking Mix 567g (20 oz)
If you want to make pancakes the US way (thick and deeply comforting), allow one of America's biggest home-baking brands to give you a helping hand. Betty Crocker's Original Bisquick Pancake & Baking Mix comforting, homely taste in an instant. Just add milk and an egg for light and fluffy pancakes. Add a healthy glug of pancake syrup for good measure.
£8.99 | Amazon | Buy it now
Find more pancake mixes on Amazon
Protein Pancake Mix 500g
Pancakes needn't be a guilty pleasure - this mix will give you high protein, low sugar ones at 168 calories per 50g serving. The site says 50g makes six small US-style pancakes, so that’s 28 calories each!
£4.49 | Bulk Powders | Buy it now
Three Month Pancake of the Month Subscription Food Gift
Okay so not strictly a Pancake Day essential, but we imagine it would be welcomed as a gift for someone who's flipping mad about the treats all the other day of the year.
Here's the deal: a three month subscription service from The Little Pancake Company sees a gourmet American-style pancake mix delivered to their door, every month. Flavours will be a surprise but the current menu includes Raspberry and White Chocolate, to Rocky Road with gooey marshmallow pieces so you can rest assured they'll be in for a sweet surprise.
£30 | NOTHS | Buy it now
Kent Orchard Honey, 200g
Make your hot cakes fit for royalty with a delicious drizzle of Kent Orchard Honey from Fortnum & Mason, HRH's grocer.
£8.95 | F&M | Buy it now
Shop all honey at Fortnum & Mason
Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread - 1KG Jar
If nothing but chocolate will do, head to Tesco where you can find this 1kg tub of breakfast spread, Nutella – enough to see you through Pancake Day, and then some.
One of Pancake Day’s bestsellers, we buy a jar of the sweet stuff every 2.5 seconds here in the UK. If you weighed the amount sold every year it would be heavier than NYC’s Empire State Building and could circle the world more than once. Spread over hot pancakes and top with slices of banana or strawberries to round off Shrove Tuesday on the sweetest note.
£5.70 | Tesco | Buy it now
Waitrose Lemon Curd
Lemon and sugar may be the preffered toppings for pancakes here in the UK, but that doesn't mean you can't try a variation on the classic. For a richer depth of flavour, add some zesty lemon curd to your hot cakes, softening with ricotta if you fancy.
£1.75 | Waitrose | Buy it now
Anthropologie Remi Spatula
Whether you want to get fancy with your pancakes or just want to brighten up your kitchen drawers, this pretty silicone spatula from Anthropologie are the order of the day. Set on a wooden handle, it will add instant style to your pancake-making technique.
£8 | Anthropologie | Buy it now
Shop all spatulas at Anthropologie
BREVILLE HeatSoft VFM021 Hand Mixer - White
Make quick work of whipping up fresh pancake batter with this electric hand mixer. It features a heating element that can soften the butter too, perfect if you've just taken it out of the fridge.
£65 | Currys | Buy it now
Ulster Weavers Hanging Around Cotton Apron
Things can get messy in the kitchen on Pancake Day, especially if you have excited first timers around.
If you can't keep the room clean you can do your best to keep your clothes free of batter with this fun apron illustrated with slow and sleepy sloths. Best of all, there's matching kids’ version for the little ones too.
£15 | Dunelm | Buy it now
Jimbob Art Pancakes Go Here
Serve your eggy sweet creations up on whimsical plates made just for the occasion. These two from Jimbob Art will make the perfect finishing touch for your Pancake Day bonanza. Your kids will love them.
£23 | Wolf & Badger | Buy it now
Pancake Day recipes
Want to add some extra pizazz to your hot cakes this Pancake Day? British Lion Eggs present new recipes to take your flip to the next level
Tom Daley's Japanese Souffle Pancakes
British Lion eggs ambassador and champion diver, Tom Daley reveals how to make mattress-thick pancakes.
Serves: 2
Prep: 15mins
Cook: 10mins
Method
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, plain flour, baking powder, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff using an electric hand whisk, then gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until the egg whites are stiff again.
Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and add to the yolk mixture. Fold gently to combine. Repeat with the remaining egg white mixture, in batches, folding it in gently and trying to knock out as little air as possible.
Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over low heat until hot. Place four crumpet rings (around 8cm in diameter, 3cm high) into the pan and oil the inside of the rings and base of the pan with a little oil. Fill the rings 3/4 full with batter, and cover the pan with a lid. Leave to cook for 6 minutes on one side, before carefully flipping over, using a spatula. Cook for a further 4 minutes on the other side.
Remove the pancakes from the rings and divide between 2 plates. Drizzle with maple syrup before serving.
Coffee and amaretto mini pancake stack
Delight brunch guests with a boozy grown-up take on a breakfast classic.
Serves: 4
Prep: 15mins
Cook: 12mins
Method
In a large jug, gently whisk together all pancake ingredients until smooth. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and brush with oil. Pour in heaped tablespoons of pancake batter spacing a few centimetres apart. Repeat to fit 3-4 in the pan. Cook for about a minute until bubbles appear on the surface, flip or turn and cook for a further 30 seconds. Repeat with remaining mixture to make about 20 pancakes in total.
In a large bowl mix coffee, amaretto and icing sugar. Add the mascarpone and whisk until thick.
Spread a heaped teaspoonful of the coffee mixture onto each pancake, and layer to create a small stack, adding a handful of raspberries to two layers in each stack.
Dust with a little coffee and serve.
Lancashire cheese and bacon pancakes
Not all pancakes have to be sweet. Try this savoury take for your new lunch or dinner favourite dish.
Serves: 4
Prep: 10mins
Cook: 25mins
Method
First make the pancakes: Place the flour, salt and eggs in a large bowl with half the milk. Whisk until the mixture is lump free. Add the remaining milk and whisk again until smooth. If you prefer place all the ingredients together in a food processor and blend until smooth, Pour the batter into a jug. The batter can be made in advance and chilled for up to 8 hours before use.
Heat a 20cm/8in diameter non-stick frying pan until hot, drizzle a little oil over the centre and wipe it around with a piece of kitchen paper. Now pour a little of the batter into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the batter thinly and evenly over the base. Cook for 2 minutes or until the top is set and the base golden. Turn the pancake over with a spatula or if you are feeling brave, flip the pancake!
Cook for a further 1-2 minutes or until the base is golden. Transfer to a plate and interleave with greaseproof paper, keep warm. Use the batter and a little more oil to make a further 7 pancakes in the same way.
For the filling: grill the bacon for about 8 minutes, turning once until it is crisp on both sides. Snip into thin pieces.
Take four of the pancakes and divide the bacon pieces between them, along the centre of each, with the soured cream and chives and half the cheese. Roll them up and place in a heatproof dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top and pop under the grill for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and golden. Serve hot, scattered with chives if liked. Eat the remaining pancakes simply with caster sugar and lemon.
