pancake fail

complete and utter cookery failure isn't something that happens to me very often.  i don't know if it's because i don't often try difficult recipes, if i have bad taste (and will eat anything), or if i'm just that good a cook...but rarely do my culinary experiments result in something that i find inedible.

this morning was different.

i decided i wanted pancakes, which is something i haven't cooked for myself in quite awhile.  so i broke out the jiffy pancake mix (nothing fancy, but it generally gets the job done) and the cast iron skillet.  and the nice heavy-duty spatula i got after realizing that using plastic spatulas and hot cast iron don't play well together.  but alas, i had two problems.

problem one:  i made the skillet too hot.  using high heat brings the temperature up quickly, but then you have to remember to turn the heat back down so you don't burn everything.  unfortunately, it took me two cajun-style pancakes to remember this.  why two, you might ask?  well, the first pancake is always an ugly mess.  i think there's some universal law about this.  so it took a second blackened pancake to make me think about the consequences of my inaction with regards to stove temperature.

problem two:  i undercooked several pancakes.  this is possibly related to the high skillet temperature in that  the outsides got all nice and brown before the batter on the inside set.  needless to say, uncooked pancake batter is not particularly appetizing.

out of the eight or so pancakes, only about half were edible.  sadness.  but on the bright side, i had sort of expected mediocre results, so i didn't even try to add chocolate chips or blueberries or such to my pancakes today.  which is to say, at least i didn't waste good ingredients on failed pancakes!

and why, might you ask, would i admit such a shameful kitchen failure to the internet?  well, anyone who claims to have only successful culinary experiments is full of it; mistakes will be made, and they should be noted if they are to be avoided in the future.  and besides, people deserve to know that ihop may be a better option than my kitchen for pancakes...at least until i get more practice!