“Do you like pancakes? Well, you’ll love pancake puffs!” claims the television advertisement for Pancake Puffs cookware.
Although it’s called Pancake Puffs, you’re free to puff any batter. How about pigs in a blanket puffs? Pizza or omelet puffs? Sure, if you’re open to eating everything from pancakes to omelets with the shape and consistency of doughnut holes.
Maybe you’ve heard this infomercial. Maybe you’ve been curious to try it but didn’t want to waste your money and would prefer it if someone else took care of the guesswork.
I took the $21.44 gamble on Pancake Puffs, however, instead of a call-in order. I bought it at K-Mart, which sells a few As-Seen-On-TV products.
To say this product is innovative (as stated in the ad) is ridiculous, since the pan is Dutch in origin. The Pancake Puffs kit included a cast-iron pan with semi-spherical indentations like an íbleskive pan, which the Dutch use for spherical pancakes.
Items included with the pan were a handle mitten, syrup syringe, basting brush, powdered sugar shaker, wooden skewers for flipping and a recipe book.
The product boasts a non-stick cast-iron pan for easy cleanup and even heat distribution, which isn’t a big deal since regular pans are generally the same.
Clean up isn’t even a problem with most cookware as long as you wash before residue has a chance to cement.
Working with Pancake Puffs was unpleasant. The pan was small, but heavy enough to stress my wrist. The handle mitten failed to protect my hand from the heat, and the flipping method was troublesome.
Skewering sticks were provided for flipping the half-cooked batter and despite the non-stick surface, the puffs wouldn’t come loose unless mutilated with the sticks.
By the end of the flipping process, my puffs were deflated and holey from failed flipping attempts. Injecting them with syrup made things worse because the filling syringe was unnecessarily large and left gaping puncture holes from which syrup gushed right out.
I didn’t get a single perfect puff in any of my attempts. They were all a visual disaster. I followed directions but ended up with a pile of bite-sized shriveled, punctured and leaking pancake balls.
Although they tasted like normal pancakes, which was the only redeeming quality, they were not presentable and wouldn’t appeal to people who fuss about the appearance of their food.
I doubt this product and cooking method will make traditional methods obsolete. With a regular griddle, it takes less time to prepare food and clean up.
The creators of Pancake Puffs took simple cooking processes and made them difficult and frustrating. Because of that, Pancake Puffs is not even fun. I’ve gotten more enjoyment out of an Easy-Bake Oven.