Straight to the Level
The most effective carbon metal crepe pan is from De Buyer. It was light-weight and delivered a real French-style, crisp, skinny crepe. Our favourite nonstick crepe pan was the Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Pro, with a large floor space and a slick coating that made it simple to flip.
There are particular meals I choose to purchase not make, like fried chicken and ice cream. Anecdotally, the variety of present, devoted outlets and stands suggests crepes fall into this class for many individuals. Nevertheless, after my first try many moons in the past, I used to be stunned to seek out how simple they’re to make at residence. As my adoration for skinny, crispy crepes raged on, an excellent crepe pan turned important.
Whereas a stainless steel or nonstick skillet will do in a pinch, a devoted crepe pan has a wider floor and decrease sides to ship higher outcomes with much less fuss. That stated, there are loads of choices: traditional carbon metal, nonstick pans with picket spreaders, and electrical fashions that are supposed to be dipped into batter. As a web site, we’ve by no means reviewed crepe pans. It was excessive time to crack some eggs, whisk batter, and get testing.
The Winners, at a Look
This crepe pan is skinny, gentle, and conducts warmth similar to a crepe pan ought to (learn: evenly). Not like heavy forged iron, you gained’t discover any hassle lifting and swirling batter. As soon as seasoned, clean-up is straightforward.
Many cooks will discover a nonstick crepe pan simpler to make use of, because it just about eliminates all points with flipping. The Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Professional has an enormous floor and comes with a picket spreader, making all of it the simpler to get the batter to as skinny as doable.
Devoted crepe stands usually use these round electric griddles. My favourite from Proctor Silex has an extra-large floor, eight settings, and heats shortly and evenly.
This machine has you dip the new floor into the batter, eliminating the necessity to excellent your swirling and thinning expertise. I believe it’s an excellent possibility for these new to crepe making.
The Assessments
- Primary Crepes Check: To see how crepe pans and machines may carry out at producing their namesake meals, I made a full recipe’s value of our basic crepe recipe with every mannequin. I evaluated the ultimate crepes, how simple the crepes have been to flip, the general efficiency and value, and the convenience of cleansing.
- Galettes Bretonnes (Winners Solely): For these ok to move the primary take a look at, I made buckwheat crepes with them (usually utilized in galettes bretonnes). This savory batter is thicker and extra viscous than wheat flour variations, so I famous how simple (or arduous) it was to flip and fold this kind of crepe.
How you can Use a Crepe Pan
Earlier than diving into the nitty-gritty of what I discovered whereas testing, let’s take a beat to debate tips on how to use a crepe pan. You begin by heating the pan over medium to medium-high warmth (expertise will assist you to nail the candy spot). If the pan requires it, add some clarified butter after which a ladle of crepe batter.
Instantly start tilting and swirling the pan to unfold the batter. This motion needs to be fast and easy to cowl the underside of the pan evenly earlier than the batter units. The purpose is to create a skinny layer that cooks uniformly.
Alternatively, if utilizing a bigger crepe pan, an electrical crepe machine, or aiming for impeccably spherical crepes, a batter spreader is useful. Pour the batter into the middle, then use the spreader—usually a T-shaped picket device—to swirl the batter outward in a fast, round movement, ranging from the middle and dealing to the sides.
After the batter is unfold, prepare dinner the crepe for about 45 to 60 seconds, or till the sides start to brown and carry from the pan. Use a spatula to examine if the underside is golden and, if that’s the case, flip it fastidiously. Cook dinner the second aspect for about 30 seconds till calmly golden. As soon as executed, slide the crepe out of the pan and onto a plate. Modify the warmth as wanted all through the method, because the pan can develop into hotter the longer it is used.
What We Realized
Ought to You Purchase an Electrical Crepe Machine?
There’s a cause crepe outlets prepare dinner crepes with electrical machines. Like electric griddles, these machines are easy to make use of, supply even heating crepe after crepe, and by no means offer you hassle with sticking.
So, what’s the draw back? Nicely, the machines can go away a number of issues to be desired. For one, there’s no choosing up and swirling the batter to skinny it. The machine stays placed on the desk so that you’ll must observe spreading and might want to purchase a spreader/spatula if it doesn’t include one. You additionally gained’t have the ability to submerge the machine in water and must clear the floor by hand. Storage is one other issue to contemplate, particularly you probably have restricted house.
One other downside is that true, conventional French crepes have buttery, crispy edges that I wasn’t capable of replicate with any of the nonstick machines (or pans for that matter).
Carbon Metal Was a Winner
Surprisingly (or not, since carbon steel is superior), I most popular the carbon metal crepe pans over the nonstick metal or forged iron choices. The forged iron pans have been too heavy to carry and tilt, leading to erratically unfold batter. Whereas simple to choose up, the nonstick pans couldn’t ship the identical texture and taste as talked about above. Carbon metal pans strike the perfect steadiness between warmth conductivity, ease of use, and efficiency. They supply a sturdy, naturally nonstick floor when correctly seasoned, are lighter than forged iron for simpler dealing with, and supply superior warmth management (a should for crepes).
Many carbon metal pans have to be seasoned, a reasonably easy course of that usually solely must be executed earlier than first use. For the De Purchaser crepe pan I examined, this concerned rubbing some oil on the pan and heating it to smoking earlier than letting it cool. Some carbon metal pans come pre-seasoned, so be certain that to examine the producer’s directions.
What Dimension Crepe Pan Do You Want?
When deciding on the right crepe pan, measurement performs a job within the ease and high quality of your crepe-making. A pan with a bigger floor space provides extra room for batter spreading, which is essential for creating skinny, even crepes. The best diameter for a standard stovetop crepe pan is between 9 1/2 to 10 inches. At this measurement, the pan is giant sufficient to permit for spreading, but sufficiently small to handle simply over the burner and flip the crepes gracefully.
For these occupied with electrical crepe makers, choosing a mannequin that measures not less than 11 inches in diameter is right. A number of the finest ones, like our high choose, prolonged as much as 13 inches. These bigger sizes permit you to use the spreader to easy batter so far as you’ll want to get it ultra-thin.
The Standards: What to Search for in a Crepe Pan
When you’re available in the market for a crepe pan, you’ll first have to decide on between nonstick or conventional. I most popular the general texture and high quality of the crepes produced on carbon metal and forged iron pans, although these do have a studying curve in comparison with nonstick. Between carbon metal and forged iron, carbon metal was a lot simpler to carry, tilt, and swirl with—important for making evenly unfold crepes.
Whichever pan you select, choose one which’s light-weight sufficient to choose up and tilt. For me, that was not more than three kilos. So far as measurement, bigger floor areas left extra room for spreading, with the candy spot hitting proper round 9 1/2 to 10 inches.
If the electrical crepe machines appear extra your pace, go for one not less than 11 inches throughout (and as much as 13 like our winner, in case you can). The most effective ones include instruments for spreading and flipping and have easy-to-read and intuitive controls that allow you to alter warmth exactly. Longer cords are at all times a plus, too.
Our Favourite Crepe Pans
What we appreciated: We’ve been followers of carbon steel pans for a very long time. Skinny and light-weight, this kind of pan heats up shortly and conducts warmth properly. Those self same properties make it an ideal materials for a crepe pan. This pan has a large floor space with low, gently sloped sides. This design provides you the choice to tilt and swirl the batter to skinny it or use a spreader (each a picket spreader and flipper are included with the pan). When it got here time to prepare dinner crepes, the batter simply unfold throughout the floor of the pan, leading to a skinny crepe with lacy edges.
What we didn’t like: This pan requires a spherical of seasoning earlier than you start, however we now have a handy guide for that. As soon as this half was executed, the crepe batter by no means caught. Carbon metal shouldn’t be dishwasher-safe and have to be dried totally after cleansing to forestall rusting.
If the worth is a bit excessive to your price range, the pan can be available at a lower cost level with out the picket instruments.
Key Specs
- Materials: Carbon metal
- Weight: 2 kilos
- Deal with size: 8 inches
- Induction suitable?: Sure
- Dishwasher-safe?: No
What we appreciated: Le Creuset makes some nice merchandise and their crepe pan isn’t any exception. I beloved the super-wide floor space and the small lip for corralling batter. The nonstick coating gave me no hassle when it got here to flipping crepes. The coating is triple-reinforced and distributed warmth extra evenly than the opposite nonstick fashions I examined. It additionally comes with a picket batter spreader.
What we did not like: This pan is expensive. Whereas we don’t typically recommend splurging on nonstick, a crepe pan’s going for use far much less often than an ordinary nonstick skillet.
Key Specs
- Materials: Nonstick coated steel
- Weight: 3 lbs, 8 ounces
- Deal with size: 8 inches
- Induction suitable?: Sure
- Dishwasher-safe?: Sure (although we don’t advocate cleansing nonstick within the dishwasher)
What we appreciated: Many of the electrical crepe machines operated the identical, although there have been a number of ways in which this one stood out. The floor space is extra-wide, which helps skinny the batter as a lot as doable. You could possibly even use this machine to make dosa or giant tortillas. The warmth settings are clearly marked and easy to function, with loads of room for half settings between numbers so you may dial within the excellent temperature.
The completed crepes have been evenly cooked and flipped with out sticking or resisting and the machine comes with a number of instruments, like a batter scoop, spreader, and flipper. The physique of the machine stays cool throughout cooking, so you may transfer it after use with out a lot difficulty. I additionally appreciated the built-in place to retailer the twine.
What we did not like: Take into account that this kind of crepe maker can’t be lifted and turned, so that you’ll must excellent utilizing the device to unfold the batter. Nevertheless, I used to be capable of get the dangle of it shortly. This sort of machine is bulkier to retailer than a slim steel pan.
Whereas a nonstick floor like this doesn’t require using oil or butter, the draw back to that’s that the ultimate crepes is not going to have the signature buttery edges that true French crepes supply (the producer says to not use butter, as this gunk up the floor over time).
Key Specs
- Materials: Chrome steel; plastic
- Weight: 3 lbs, 14 ounces
- Deal with size: N/A
- Induction suitable?: N/A
- Dishwasher-safe?: The instruments are
What we appreciated: As a substitute of the ladle-and-spread technique, you add all of your batter into the offered bowl and dip the new floor of this crepe maker into it. Solely a skinny layer sticks to the machine, eliminating the enterprise of attempting to unfold the batter as skinny as doable. When the crepe is cooked a number of moments later, the sting begins to peel again and the crepe could be simply flipped and eliminated. Whereas the general high quality didn’t evaluate to a lot of the different pans and makers we examined, this might be an ideal possibility for inexperienced persons or these intimidated by the crepe cooking course of.
What we did not like: The crepes weren’t the prettiest or probably the most evenly cooked. Crepe purists and perfectionists may not be glad with the outcomes from this machine, although I might say this choose shouldn’t be for them anyway.
Key Specs
- Materials: Nonstick-coated steel and plastic
- Weight: 1 pound, 10 ounces
- Deal with size: 8 inches
- Induction suitable?: N/A
- Dishwasher-safe?: No
The Competitors
FAQs
Are you able to make crepes in a forged iron pan?
You may make crepes in a cast iron pan. Take into account that you could wrestle to swirl and flip the crepe in a forged iron skillet resulting from its weight and excessive sides.
Is forged iron or carbon metal higher for crepes?
We discovered that carbon metal is best for crepes. Whereas forged iron is nice at distributing and sustaining warmth, it is heavier than carbon metal. We most popular light-weight pans we may choose up and tilt to swirl the batter.
Why We’re the Consultants
- Taylor Murray has been working in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places. She has written extensively for Severe Eats.
- Taylor examined 12 crepe pans, making a full batch of normal crepes in every and a batch of crepes bretonnes within the winners. Throughout this, she evaluated every pan’s efficiency, usability, and design.