Welcome to The Gadget Chef

Ok so I'm not really a chef, but I do like to play one in the kitchen. I'm your everyday average guy, who is really into 2 things, food and gadgets! And I love combining the two and experimenting with that.

I've tried many gadgets out there, some with success and some with miserable failures. But my biggest goal is to limit what space I take up with what gadgets. As a person with a less than sizable kitchen, counter top real estate is so important I can't be the type that has several gadgets out all the time, and I'm also the type that if it's not out and handy, I'm likely not to use it.

So through the course of this blog I will give out some info on those items I've gotten over the years and how I use them, and some recipes, and be sure to share yours too, or comment if you've tried them

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Easy Dutch Baby Pancakes

Ok, I have been lapsing on my blogging responsibility, but tonight I made something that I feel the need to share.  Tonight I made a Dutch Baby pancake, and yes I meant tonight, my wife and I both agree that breakfast foods are too good to be only for the mornings.



This was my finished Dutch Baby pancake, topped off with some blueberries and powdered sugar.  I had seen these beautifully delicious items at the Original Pancake House just about every time I have went, but I never could get myself to try one.  But then I decided it was time to make one, and I'm not sure yet whether it's good or not, because it was not difficult, but the results were wonderful, so it could be one of those dishes that finds its way into our household more often that it should.

Now I can't take all the credit for the recipe and I believe in giving credit where credit is due.  I found the recipe at German Pancake Recipe.  For ease I will give my abbreviated version here.

If you've ever looked up recipes for dutch babies, you will notice one thing that most of them mention, they all talk about cooking in either a cast iron pan, or some other pan that is capable of taking the heat from the oven.  Well I took a totally different route, and just used a small 9" round cake pan, and it worked perfectly.

Let's start with our shopping list:

  • 3 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup of Bread Flour
  • 1/2 cup of milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • Enough butter to cover your pan.
To start with, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  While your oven is heating up, now you can start to mix up your batter.  First take your eggs and whip them up to a nice smooth consistency.  You can then add the rest of the ingredients, mixing until you have smooth creamy batter, it is quite a bit thinner than your normal pancake batter, it will take a few minutes to make sure you get it smooth and no lumps.

Now, if you are only using a cake pan, you don't need to do this for too long, but you will want to preheat your pan.  Once your pan is good and hot, and your batter is smooth, the next step is quick and easy.  Take your pan out and throw in some butter and let it coat the pan good, be sure to try to get it all over, butter is not just for flavor but also to avoid sticking.

Once your pan is good and coated with butter, pour your batter into the pan, and return it to the oven.  Try not to take too long with this, so your pan doesn't get too cool in the mean time.  Next just set your timer for 20 minutes.  Now while your dish is baking this is where it gets cool.  Be sure to look through your oven window every now and then so you can see your the sides of your creation creeping up.

After 20 minutes your dish should be complete.  and it will probably look something like this

And as you will notice it's just your standard cake pan that I used and still got excellent results.  Serve right away while it's still warm and at it's peak so it's at it's most impressive.

I think this dish is one you could serve in so many ways that your end results could vary from day to day.  Tonight I added some blueberries that I cooked up and added some sugar, simple but tasty.  But I could see any type of fruit from apples to strawberries.  Or you could do it up just like normal pancakes and some butter (or peanut butter as the case may be) and syrup.

Enjoy your new dish, and best of luck in the kitchen.

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