Notes on making 2,500 pancakes

28 Mar, 2026

I've made something like 2,500 pancakes in the last 5 years of parenthood. First, a few pancake-specific notes:

1. There's nothing keeping you from adjusting the batter (usually, to thin it out or add salt) after you've cooked a couple of pancakes.
2. If your batter is a little thicker than usual but you hold the rest of your routine constant, you can easily get pancakes that are raw in the center (because they're thicker than usual).
3. Vanilla is an underrated ingredient.
4. It's more tempting to flip too early than too late (for me, at least). If you're antsy to do something, rotate the pan. This can even out an uneven heat source, and it lets me feel active.
5. Slightly too little heat is better than slightly too much, because you don't have many good options when you find yourself with cooked edges and a raw middle.
6. Batter you get by scraping the sides of the bowl tends to be thicker than the rest; adjust accordingly (e.g., by flattening and widening the pancake after you pour the batter).

And some meta-level notes:

1. Hooray for having good default and autopilot choices ready.
2. It's very easy to do something many, many times without getting much better at it.