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I make keto pancakes out of a bought keto flour pancake mix (almond flour and cassava and coconut flours are main components). I mix these with either water or whole milk, making not too thick mixture, and cook on a cast iron pan with a pad of butter placed on heated pan first.

A problem I run into consistently is this: the first pancake cooks very well--well browned outside and cooked inside. But subsequent pancakes come out slightly burned outside while under-cooked inside.

I make sure to keep the pan on medium heat throughout and add butter in between pancakes in order to keep the pan well-greased. I make sure to turn pancake from one side to other when bubbles form. However, that doesn't help it.

Is there something else I can do to make sure to have several pancakes in a row come out well-cooked inside and not burnt outside?

Anastasia Zendaya
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Isabella Leonarda
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  • Are you just relying on 'medium', or do you do anything to [estimate the temperature of the pan](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/12263/67)? (I like the [Leidenfrost effect](https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/12292/67) when cooking pancakes) – Joe Mar 12 '21 at 18:09
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    Cast iron is very overrated; stick with bog standard non-stick or steel. – RonJohn Mar 13 '21 at 09:29
  • Just make crepes instead of pancakes. More delicious anyway. – Michael Mar 13 '21 at 17:33
  • See https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/81086/4638 and https://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/91534/4638, maybe this would be even a duplicate of the second question since the type of food doesn't matter. – rumtscho Mar 15 '21 at 18:52

2 Answers2

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Your pan is getting too hot.

Cast iron has a lot of" thermal mass", which means that it takes a good bit of energy (and time) to heat up, then it holds on to that heat and takes time to cool down.

Most likely, your pan is still heating up when you cook your first pancake. It's at the right temperature, but still on the upswing and getting hotter. By the time you get to the other pancakes, the pan is too hot.

There are two easy solutions to try:

  1. turn the heat down a bit, and also wait longer to cook the first pancake. At a lower temperature, it'll take even longer to reach maximum/equilibrium temperature, with the goal to max out at the temperature of your first pancake.
  2. use the same procedure for your first pancake, but once it's in the pan, turn down the heat, just a little. You've hit the ideal temperature, but you need to reduce the heat to maintain it at this temperature, rather than continuing to get hotter.

It'll take a little experimenting on your cooktop to find just the right adjustment of heat, but it should just be a matter of finding a slightly lower temperature.

AMtwo
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    What I teach my kids: If the first pancake is just right, your temperature is too high... works a charm. – Stephie Mar 12 '21 at 20:51
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    @Stephie, I've never thought of it quite that way, but it's so true! In our house, the first pancake is my "test pancake" that I share with the dog because it's usually splotchy and too light colored to be appreciated by anyone else. – AMtwo Mar 13 '21 at 02:32
  • What @AMtwo says! Pancakes are my favorite dish (says a 32-year-old manchild :D). I call the first pancake "chef pancake" because I always eat it while baking the rest of them :) – Jan Nash Mar 13 '21 at 09:53
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Give the pan longer to heat initially, but use a lower flame.
It sounds like the temperature is still evening out on the first one & has settled subsequently.

Alternatively, do the first as you normally do, but drop the temperature before the second goes in. 'Medium' is not really an accurate description, & every stove & every pan is different.

Tetsujin
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