There is a lot to love about crepes. With savory and sweet options available, they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and they make wonderful desserts too. Plus, they look really difficult to master, so when you truly need to impress at a brunch or dinner party, pulling out a big batch of perfectly cooked crepes can give you that edge you need.
Many people think they look difficult to master because they are difficult to master, but that's just not true. In fact, some say that making crepes is even easier than making their thicker cousin, the pancake. Arm yourself with the tips below, and you too will be churning out stacks of perfect crepes that are delicious and can be used for so many dishes.
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1. Make the best batter
Like pancakes and waffles, the deliciousness of any crepe all starts with the batter. To make a standard crepe that can be used for sweet or savory dishes, combine two eggs, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 of a cup of all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Like pancakes and waffles, the deliciousness of any crepe all starts with the batter. To make a standard crepe that can be used for sweet or savory dishes, combine two eggs, 1 cup of milk, 2/3 of a cup of all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Unlike pancakes, crepe batter shouldn't have any lumps in it when it hits the pan. Those lumps will stick out when the batter is cooked, giving you an uneven and odd-looking crepe. When the batter is smooth, the crepes will turn out thin and delicate. Also remember that the batter shouldn't be any thicker than thick cream. Make sure it coats the back of a wooden spoon, and if it looks too thick, thin it out with a little more milk.
2. Chill the batter
Another tip many are not accustomed to is chilling their crepe batter before they start whipping up batches. Flour has gluten in it, which will tighten up and bind together through the aggressive blending process; and this can make for tough or chewy crepes. By placing the batter in the fridge for an hour before crepes are made, it relaxes the gluten, giving you tender, soft crepes.
Another tip many are not accustomed to is chilling their crepe batter before they start whipping up batches. Flour has gluten in it, which will tighten up and bind together through the aggressive blending process; and this can make for tough or chewy crepes. By placing the batter in the fridge for an hour before crepes are made, it relaxes the gluten, giving you tender, soft crepes.
3. Use the right pan
You can use a crepe pan, which looks like a very thin frying pan, but a lot of people don't like to clutter up their kitchen with tools that are good for only making one thing. If you're one of them, just make sure that you use a heavy-bottomed stainless steel frying pan. Stainless steel pans heat evenly through, which will give you a better cook on your crepe. Also remember to never use a frying pan with non-stick coating for your crepes. These will prevent the crepe from browning, but will also imprint a weird pattern on them that will detract from the look of your perfect crepes.
4. Heat the pan gently
Whatever pan you're using to make your crepes, it absolutely has to be hot before the first crepe is placed in there. If it's not, the crepe will stick. And if the pan is not heated gently, it will burn the first couple of crepes before cooling, which will mean the pan will not be hot enough for the third or fourth crepe. This is one of the biggest mistakes made when making crepes.
Whatever pan you're using to make your crepes, it absolutely has to be hot before the first crepe is placed in there. If it's not, the crepe will stick. And if the pan is not heated gently, it will burn the first couple of crepes before cooling, which will mean the pan will not be hot enough for the third or fourth crepe. This is one of the biggest mistakes made when making crepes.
To get that perfect heat, set the burner just below medium. Let the pan warm up completely and then continue on with your recipe. You may have to adjust your settings depending on your own particular stovetop, but just below medium is a good place to start. Few crepes need higher than a medium heat to cook through.
5. Use a lot of butter for the first crepe, then hold off
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In addition to making sure you start with a hot pan, another way to prevent crepes from sticking to the pan is to butter it very well — but only for the first crepe. To make sure your pan is properly buttered, peel off a little bit of the wrapper from the end of one stick, and just rub it along the bottom of the pan and the sides. Do this a couple of times to make sure the pan is very well-buttered, and then start pouring your crepe batter in. For the next several crepes you likely won't need to use any more butter, but add a little bit if you notice your crepes are starting to stick.
6. Pour and swirl
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There is no one exact measurement to use when pouring crepe batter into a pan. It will depend on the batter being used and the size of the pan. But a good rule of thumb is that you want just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan; otherwise the crepes will be too thick. To get that thin, delicate crepe, pour a bit of batter into the bottom of the pan, and then lift the pan and swirl the batter around the bottom to coat it.
7. Don't flip the crepe too early
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With any cooking, it can be tempting to want to fiddle and fidget with whatever's in the pan. Most of the time this can actually hurt your cooking, and the case is no different for crepes. If a crepe is flipped too quickly, it won't be cooked through enough just yet, and it will be more likely to rip and tear.
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So how do you know when it's time to flip? When the top is no longer shiny and the edges are just starting to brown. That's when it's time to use a flattened spatula or a rubber spatula, and run it along under the edges to loosen it. Then you can use a regular spatula to flip the entire crepe.