One of the great advantages of make-ahead recipes is that you get to prepare the food when you feel like it and you get to reheat and eat it when you feel like it. One great example of a make-ahead food is pancakes and let’s admit it, sometimes we want to eat pancakes but we’re too lazy to mix up a batter and make them. But other times, we’re motivated to make pancakes but we’re not that hungry or in the mood to eat them. That’s why next time you’re in the mood to make pancakes, the best way to store them is to freeze them so you can reheat them whenever you feel like eating it.
Made too many pancakes? You don’t need to throw all the leftover pancakes in the trash and waste them, You can freeze them and reheat them the next day. in fact, that’s one great thing about pancakes, they freeze beautifully and taste great when reheated. That’s why in this article, we are going to teach you the proper way to freeze and re-heat your pancakes.
Freezing the Pancakes
- Cook your pancakes – It doesn’t matter what type of pancake you’ll make, any type will freeze well so you can cook your pancakes according to your chosen recipe. You can also add some ingredients such as chocolate chips, nuts, and fruits to your batter and it won’t prevent your pancakes from freezing properly. Just be mindful about adding any toppings such as syrup and butter, we suggest that you add them when you’re ready to eat your pancakes.
- Put parchment paper on your baking sheet – After cooking your pancakes, make sure that your baking sheet is covered with parchment paper. If you don’t have a parchment paper, you can also use other types of non-stick liner just like a non-stick aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat. Placing your pancakeson a parchmentpaper will prevent the pancakes from sticking to the baking sheet when they freeze.
- Arrange them in a single layer – Carefully put your pancakes in the baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper. Make sure you arrange them in a single later and the pancakes do not overlap or touch each other. If you have plenty of pancakes to freeze, you can place a parchment paper on top of your arranged pancakes and add a second layer.
- Let your pancakes cool – Once you arranged your pancakes in your baking sheet, let them sit and cool uncovered at room temperature for a few minutes and check if they are completely cool to the touch. Take note that If you put your pancakes in the freezer while they are still hot will slow down the freezing process.
- Place your pancakes in the freezer – Put your pancakes in the freezer and let them sit there until they are frozen solid which should take about thirty minutes to one hour. But if your pancakes are not fully frozen after an hour, you should give them a little more time until they feel solid to touch.
Storing Your Pancakes
After you freeze your pancakes, follow these steps to properly store them:
- Transfer your pancakes to a freezer-safe container – Once you completely froze your pancakes, transfer and stack them up from the baking sheet into a sealed and secured container for storage.
- Put parchment paper in between your pancakes – Your pancakes should not stick together if they are thoroughly frozen. But if you want to make sure that they will not stick together, you can separate them by placing parchment paper or non-stick wax in between them.
- Store your frozen pancakes in your freezer – If you put your pancakes in a well-sealed container then you could expect them to stay fresh for several weeks. To avoid confusion, you can label your container with the date that you made your pancakes so that you will know how long should you keep them.
Reheating Your Pancakes
Here are three different methods for reheating your frozen pancakes:
- In the oven – This method is great if you got plenty of pancakes to reheat. The first thing that you should do is to preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place your pancakes into a foil packet. You need to encase them in a foil or they will end up dry. Bake your pancakes for about ten minutes or until they are warm and soft.
- In the microwave – Put one to five pancakes on your microwave-safe plate and microwave them for about 20 to 60 seconds. You don’t need to cover them in any wrap, they will come out just fine. Reheating your frozen pancakes in the microwave gives you soft and fluffy pancakes.
- In the toaster – Although this is not the best method, it does work. You’re just limited in the number of pancakes you can reheat because you can only reheat one pancake per slot in the toaster. You also need to keep an eye on your pancakes to prevent them from getting crispy.
These are the methods in freezing and reheating your pancakes. We hope this article will help you get your pancake fix anytime you want it.