IHOP Grade Hotcakes

[MEXICOWANDERER]

How to make IHOP grade hotcakes is not very realistic. But some folks insist on knowing why despite elaborate preparation, their hotcakes look crummy and taste just as bad.

The secret is to present a perfect temperature cooking surface. Not only in temperature but in a unique ability (the following is vital)...

The cooking surface must be of perfect temperature

375F

When batter is poured onto the griddle

THE TEMPERATURE MUST NOT SLUMP. It has to remain at 375F

And if you think a hundred dollar saute pan or rectangular aluminum griddle will do the job you are sadly mistaken.

A flat piece of plate aluminum is the easiest way to keep temperature flat.

And an infrared handheld thermometer is the only way to establish proper cooking temperature of that flat aluminum plate.

How thick of aluminum plate?

One quarter inch thick minimum but 5/16" or 3/8" thick is better.

Ouch! That is outrageously heavy and cumbersome. Especially for an RV.

It takes a 10x16" plate to enable a pair of hotcakes to me made at the same time.

An aluminum plate surface has to be in perfect shape from the mill to entitle it to be used for this purpose. Rub your fingers cross the surface. Barbs can be flattened with 1200 sandpaper wrapped around a block of wood but pits are not fixable and they will cause sticking.

Rub the cooking surface until your arms ache with 0000 steel wool. But don't get fancy with polishing compound or your flapjacks will stick. Reason unknown.

Oil the plate and heat it to 375 and stabilize the burner flame to maintain 375F. Pour a pair of hotcakes onto the "griddle"

Wait until four or more bubbles appear on top of the cooking batter.

Flip the hotcakes.

The side already cooked will be a perfectly even golden brown. No veins, no splotches. Perfectly golden.

Taste your product. Beauty is more than skin deep. I first tried this with genuine IHOP pancake batter and the results were outrageous. IHOP at home or on the road.

A friend, who was designated master hotcake maker of an annual event dragged me kicking and screaming into the reality of this. I thought he was pulling more than my leg. But like it or not this is reality.

The cost of a section of plate aluminum this big will have your knees knocking and your lungs screaming "No freakin' way!"

Regardless, now you know how to make perfect hotcakes.

You may now return to your marbled veined hotcakes, chewy and worthy of the worst greasy spoon.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Our local chorizo can pass for heavy-lift rocket fuel. One bit the size of a pea will flame tongue and palate. A good trick with edible chorizo is to layer SIX SHEETS of paper towel atop a plate.

Squeeze the chorizo out of its sausage tube and break it up. Crumble it as much as possible on top of the towels. Set the microwave on high and timer it for five minutes.

What is left is the best chorizo you'll ever eat. The now half pound grease soaked paper towels go into the trash. My friends are all Mexican. They flipped when they taste microwaved chorizo.

Fried in a pan, chorizo is much like biscuits and gravy -- a coronary seeking a victim. Doubt this fact. Then do your own test. One half pound fried in a pan versus the same microwaved as above. Dab the pan fried chorizo with paper towels. Heck WRAP the pan chorizo for all the good it will do 🙂

Then WEIGH the prepared product on a digital kitchen scale.

The difference is 100% fat. For younger folks, who cares right? They're immortal.

Pork Fat. Look it up.

Then come up with an argument that somehow it tastes better than microwave chorizo.

Yes I prepare link or Jimmy Dean sausage, and bacon in the microwave as well. If it tastes better and is less unhealthy where are all or any arguments at all for frying? I put severe restrictions on the amount of this stuff I consume, microwave or no.

Steamed vegetables are wonderful. Use a non transparent grocery plastic bag enclosing a plate of fresh vegetables and I cannot tell the difference between the two. Only I have a lot fewer dishes to wash. I add a teaspoon of water to help make steam. This is how I prepare those frozen vegetables. The microwave retains color. And timing can leave vegetables streamed but crispy.

Another hint. Potatoes. Fried. Before use, soak chips or shredded potatoes in a mixture of rather strong chicken bouillon for a couple of hours. Then dredge them through syrup Madrilena. Sugar syrup. Then fry. This is the secret McDonald's uses to turn 3rd quality frozen potatoes into their famous french fries.

Use cheap Krusteaz batter and onion rings to make drive in quality fried onion rings for Mexican friends and neighbors. They go nuts for them including the kids. Seven dollars worth of ingredients and a pan deep enough to deep fry in will make enough to feed a small community. I fed twenty plus birthday party attendees this way. They danged near ignored the cake!

[Talleyho69]

Great sausage that tastes like American style? (I hate it) The gorgeous green chorizo available many many places. We first saw it and bought it in San Miguel de Allende because of the color. Yes, the color survives cooking!

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Hire me a Lear Jet and taxi 🙂

The nearest IHOP is an two-jam-packed day's drive. I wish it wasn't. The girls would flip to have that breakfast special.

It's the oil-well-derived syrups and Texas T whipped foam at IHOP I object to. But their link sausage is divine. Agave based endulzante (sweetener) is a big hit but it is pricey.

Reminds me to keep an eye out for 7-year bailout "Moving Back To The USA Everything Must Go!" garage sale for a waffle maker.

[qtla9111]

We don't eat out much and we avoid chain food. IHop offers promotions at reasonable prices which I found on their FB page. Here is one for 75 pesos.

Choose between Strawberry Banana Danish Fruit Crepe, Strawberry Banana French Toast, Belgian Waffle o Fruit Crepe with coffee refill included por solo $75 pesos. From 12 pm until closing.

*Válid Monday thru Friday de 12:00 pm. until closing Monterrey and Saltillo. Good through 31 de Octubre de 2018.

There are more, you just need to check.

[bob213]

Or just get a Blackstone griddle and you are almost there. $74 for 17" at Walmart and now they have a 22" with stand, metal cover and bulk hose for $147. I have the 17 for camper and 22 for home. Grand kids ask for pancakes every time they come over! Makes 9 at a time..

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I did find good syrup down here that seems to be high percentage sugar low percentage maple syrup. Tastes good enough for me. IHOP's selection ranges from Aunt Jemima, downward. Ghastly imitation berry flavors. For seventeen and a half dollars? Hey! Wait! I'll take that aluminum plate! I have four hungry mouths to feed.

[bg71361]

IHOP, yea no thanks! Homemade the only way to go! 🙂

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Jeezo I treated a Mexican friend to an IHOP breakfast in Chula Vista CA. Similar to a Denny's Hotcakes, Bacon, Eggs and potatoes "special"

THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS

Oh, the coffee was included.

Thank you qtla9111

That breakfast for two consumed more money than what I spend on food down here in two weeks (for one person).

With a king-size Carl's Jr. "six dollar burger" (fries and beverage) costing nine dollars seventy eight cents down here and a loaded SUBWAY sandwich costing seven dollars I will look before I leap...

****Like the online menu minus prices. Let the folks driving Escalades, Navigators, and Mercedes, Have At It

[qtla9111]

There are now 36 IHop restaurants in Mexico now.


IHop Map

[DutchmenSport]

or.... just go to IHOP and enjoy them there.

[Chris_Bryant]

An odd thing popped up in my Facebook feed which ties in to this subject- Cooper Atkins weighted griddle probe




Another item I didn't know I need 😉