In Russian cuisine, pancakes take pride of place both in everyday life and on the holiday table. This treat is prepared with a variety of salty, spicy and sweet fillings, and served with tea, butter, honey, jam, condensed milk. Baking this delicious and fragrant traditional dish has its own tricks and nuances. Especially worth paying attention to the frying dishes.
It's all about form
To cook everyone’s favorite treats, you will need a small set of available products (eggs, flour, milk, salt, sugar, soda, vegetable oil for frying) and a good pancake pan. You can, of course, fry in ordinary dishes, but experienced housewives and leading chefs unanimously say that this dish must be cooked using special kitchen utensils. The thing is that in ordinary cookware for frying, the walls and the bottom are either equally thick or equally thin. A pancake pan is distinguished from its kitchen counterparts by its thick bottom and thin walls. It is this feature that contributes to a good and quick frying of both thin and thick truly Russian pancakes. In addition, the pancake pan has low edges, which makes turning over much more convenient. The shapes of such special dishes are very diverse: round of all possible diameters, oval, in the shape of hearts and bears, with a ribbed bottom and even. The most convenient is the classic version - round with an average diameter. In this pan you can bake and thick pancakes with butter, and thin for the filling. Although the children, of course, will really like breakfast in the shape of a muzzle of some animal.
Old-time frying pans
Many in the kitchens have pans for pancakes from mothers and grandmothers. This kitchen utensil from past centuries is most likely made of cast iron. Today, these are also produced. A pancake cast-iron frying pan is very good for baking aromatic dough, as it warms up evenly and keeps the temperature at the same level. But there is one significant drawback - products from this material are very heavy. They can’t be put on modern stoves with glass coverings, and in order to deftly turn the pancakes in such a pan, you need some skill.
Decades ago, aluminum reigned in the kitchens of all the housewives: pots, spoons, forks and, of course, a variety of cookware for frying. A pancake pan made of aluminum is light and cheap, but this is where its merits end. Standard stamped specimens have a thin bottom, as a rule, they have no coatings, they are easily deformed, they heat up and cool down too quickly. Not every housewife will be able to cook this dish in such a frying pan - pancakes will burn, curl up or not enough to fry. There are also thick molded products, but do not forget that cooking in such dishes is not very safe. This is one of the reasons why many have abandoned this relatively cheap and common material for making dishes.
Modern assistants
The most common today is a non-stick pancake pan. This kitchen utensil is made of aluminum alloys, and differs in that it has a special modern coating. The coating material is safe for health and greatly facilitates the frying process, preventing sticking and sticking of the dough. When choosing such a pan, you should pay attention to the thickness of the bottom and the number of layers of coating. Three layers are considered ideal. In this case, the dishes will last longer, since its service life directly depends on the integrity of the applied non-stick layer and its quality.
Pancake induction frying pan is an excellent invention of the last decade. A special bottom coating evenly distributes heat over the entire surface, making the frying process a pleasure. And most importantly, such kitchen utensils can be used on modern induction stoves, without worrying about the integrity and safety of expensive equipment.
Pancake happiness producers
Today, a huge number of manufacturers of kitchen utensils, including pancake pans, are presented on the market. Here are the most popular ones:
1. French manufacturers: Tefal, Vitesse.
2. Italian craftsmen: Flonal SPA
3. China production: Kitchen Star, SNT, BERGNER, Con Brio, Gipfel, Hilton.
4. German quality: Rondell, Bergner, Wellberg, KAISERHOFF.
In total, the market includes products from more than 100 manufacturers from around the world. Many of them have very decent models and interesting prices.
Among the domestic companies, it is worth noting the Scovo company and, of course, the Neva pancake pans. Products of the Neva Metal Utensils factory (St. Petersburg) are manufactured using modern equipment, taking into account the latest industry trends and centuries-old traditions of preparing Russian dishes. A wide range of products will allow each housewife to choose something for herself.
Of course, there are cheap products of little-known or completely unknown brands, but buying such a thing, you always risk getting poor-quality goods. Firstly, the non-stick coating of a cheap pan of unknown origin may contain toxic substances and may be harmful or even hazardous to health. Secondly, such kitchen utensils usually do not last long, quickly deteriorate and go to the trash.
Where to get?
You can buy a good pancake pan in a store or on the market, or you can order it on the Internet. It is best, of course, to purchase such a product directly from the manufacturer and its official representative. So the buyer will receive a warranty card and full confidence in the purchase of the original, and not a makeshift fake.
Pancake pan: hostess reviews
Many housewives, from beginners to the most experienced, having tried to make pancakes in a modern frying pan, are very satisfied and refuse copies inherited, whether it is cast iron or aluminum. Those with experience will appreciate the ease and convenience. Those who are just starting their way in the culinary field will be happy with a good result at the first preparation without experience.
Everyone who tried to fry in the pans of the Neva Metal Crockery factory notes the excellent taste of pancakes without additional “aromatic” chemical additives, as well as low weight and a very high-quality non-stick coating. It is thanks to the top layer that the dish can be cooked practically without oil, which is very useful and economical.