One well-loved variant of pancake, albeit not as fluffy, is the crepe. To make uniform, thin crepes, the batter is spread on a hot griddle by tilting it or using a special spatula. Crepes can either be sweet or savory. Sweet crepes are also called crépes sucrées and the flour of choice is wheat flour. Savory crepes on the other hand, also known as galettes or crépes salées are not sweet, and usually make use of buckwheat flour.
This simple yet delicious food was popularized by the French. Nowadays, crepes are nearly ubiquitous even outside Europe, and they are sold on the streets, creperies, and even in restos. Crepes can be eaten as a main dish or as a dessert. They can be offered as a main course, usually savory variants which have fillings made of meat, different kinds of cheeses, eggs, and sometimes ratatouille. When given as dessert, they are usually filled with fruit preserves, caramel, a dollop of whipped cream, or just sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Crepes are well-loved because they are tasty, affordable, and handy since they can be rolled as you would a sandwich wrap. At the same time, they are more healthful in comparison to doughnuts and cup cakes, provided you do not add too much cream and jams.
If you want to serve your family with something new and different for breakfast, snacks, or desserts, consider getting a crepe maker. There are stovetop griddles, as well as gas-powered and electric crepe makers available in the market today. As with any cookware, cast iron gas or electric crepe makers are often more preferred because they last for a long time and at the same time, provides even heating across the entirety of the cooking surface which is important to make crepes that have uniform size and thickness. The drawbacks of cast iron crepe makers though are that they are hefty, have special cleaning instructions, and need to be seasoned every now and then to keep from sticking to the surface. There are also cast iron griddles that are coated with enamel, which although more costly, are easy to clean and require no seasoning.
If you want something lighter and do not require regular seasoning go for crepe machine or pans made with stainless steel instead. Keep in mind though that stainless steel is not as good as a heat conductor, unless it has an aluminum or copper core. They also tend to be more expensive than cast iron griddles. For your convenience, buy stainless steel griddle that has been treated with a non-stick coating.
If you want crepe machines, make sure to get those with multiple temperature settings that are easy not only easy to understand but also adjust, so you can make your crepes crisp or soft as you want it. These kitchen implements can also help you in making other pancake variants such as the Indian cheela and Indonesian serabi.