How to cook pancakes like a pro

Tomorrow marks the observance of Shrove Tuesday, also known as "Pancake Tuesday" or Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday is traditionally a way to use up leftover 'rich' foods like eggs and dairy before the observance of the Lenten season, with a common custom being the making of pancakes for supper.

In celebration of Mardi Gras, and because we love a good pancake supper no matter the time of year, Yahoo Canada Shine spoke with President's Choice executive chef Tom Fillipou to get his expert tips for sizzling up the perfect short stack.

Your Mix Doesn't Matter

Fillipou says making your pancake batter from scratch is great and lets you feel good about yourself, but if you're just making traditional Scottish/American-style pancakes there's not a huge difference between recipes from scratch and pre-made store-bought mixes.

"Especially when they're asking you to add an egg to the mix, really the only thing that's in there is the flour and the baking powder," he says. "At that point you're really just making it from scratch."

Add-Ins to Mix Things Up

Adding things like berries or chocolate chips is a great way to spice up your flapjacks. "What I like to do is just cover them with a little bit of extra batter so that when I flip them it won't muck up my pan," says Fillipou.

"If there's too much blueberry residue [in the pan] it can change the colouration of your pancake on the top once you flip," he says, adding that kids often enjoy these pops of flavour and colour.

Also see: An easy, healthy avocado and grapefruit breakfast

The Right Pour

Fillipou says people don't need to do anything fancy when adding their batter to the griddle. "Just hit the centre and it will spread on its own naturally," he says. "What I've seen is people try to spread the pancake with the back of the ladle – you don't need to do any of that."

Griddle Heat is Key

A common complaint among pancake-cooking newbies is a flapjack that's brown on the outside but still a little gooey on the inside. Fillipou says the trick here is to turn down your griddle heat.

"We get impatient, but if we turn the heat down to medium and get real colour on the one side and then just leave it until it develops the same type of colour on the opposite side you shouldn't have any problems."

Also see: The must-know trick for poached eggs

He adds that contrary to popular belief, pancakes don't have to be made to order and can actually keep quite well in a low oven (about 250 F/121 C) if you need to prepare them in bulk or in advance.

Fillipou says at-home chefs should use a griddle rather than a skillet if possible to give enough space to flip their cakes. "People sometimes use these really tight pans and when you're flipping the pancake half the pancake ends up on the burner instead of in the pan."

Know When to Flip

Fillipou says people frequently flip their pancakes far too early. "A great sign is actually looking at the edges of the pancake and you'll see kind of an opaque colour happening and it gets a little bit more dull and then at that point you know it's ready to go," he says.

What about the adage of a pancake surface ripe with bubbles being the indicator of ready-to-flip? "It really depends on the type of pancake you're working with," says Fillipou. "If you're making a pancake that doesn't have baking powder or any leavening agent in it then you might not see as many bubbles. Bubbles are definitely one way to go, plus looking at the edges of the pancake and seeing them start to look opaque."

Also see: Foods that are still good after the expiry date

Don't Just Stick to Maple Syrup

Though quintessentially Canadian, you don't have to smother your pancakes in a healthy dose of maple syrup in order to enjoy them. Look for other types of syrups such as ice wine or more gourmet options like blackberry, raspberry or blueberry syrups. You can even quickly simmer some fresh fruit to make a refreshing and seasonal topping for your flapjacks. A dollop of Greek yogurt is also a great way to top your stack.