Pancakes

Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then wipe it with a little butter or oil before each pancake. If the fat smokes, the pan is too hot; if the batter barely sets, give the pan longer to heat.

For thin pancakes, rest the batter for about 20–30 minutes so the flour hydrates and the pancakes are less likely to tear. American-style batter with baking powder is best cooked soon after mixing, while the raising agent is active.

Flip a thin pancake when its edges look dry and the underside is golden, usually after about a minute. For a thicker pancake, wait until bubbles appear across the top and the edges look set, then cook the other side until golden.

Cool them completely, layer with baking paper so they do not stick together, and freeze in a sealed container. Reheat from frozen in a toaster or warm them in a covered pan over a low heat.

Try cooked mushrooms with cheese, wilted spinach with ricotta, or ham with grated cheese. For a classic French-style savoury galette, use buckwheat pancakes with egg, cheese and ham.

It is safer not to: raw flour can carry harmful bacteria, and batter made with egg can also contain bacteria. Cook pancakes until set all the way through rather than tasting the uncooked mixture.

Thin pancakes are made with a pourable batter and cook into a flexible sheet, while American pancakes use a thicker batter, usually with a raising agent, and rise into soft, fluffy rounds. Thin pancakes are easy to roll around a filling; American pancakes are commonly stacked.