Gordon Ramsay Explains The Trick To Flipping Perfect Thin Pancakes

Pancakes are one of the few foods that are simply universal. They are also quite old. Kate's Kitchen notes that the first pancakes were thought to date back to the Stone Age (about 30,000 years ago). Regardless of where you go in the world, you will find that each country and culture has its own take on this delicious food. In the United States pancakes are big and fluffy, oftentimes drowned in syrup and topped with a perfect square of salty butter. 

In other countries, like in the Netherlands and Sweden, you'll find that their take on pancakes is much thinner and crispier and can often be topped with things like fresh fruit and honey. But, there is one thing that almost anyone can agree with when it comes to making pancakes – flipping them is difficult to do perfectly and may take some courage to even try. Thankfully, esteemed chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay has come in with a huge save on how to flip the most perfectly thin pancakes.

In a video that the MasterChef co-host shared to his personal Twitter account, he reveals his surefire way of expertly flipping a crispy and thin pancake on a stovetop. He first shares his simple recipe for making the batter, which requires flour, milk, and eggs, and then pours the batter into the pan, which he moves around with a swirling motion. This helps to thinly and evenly coat the pan creating a pancake that, for Americans, probably appears to be more of a French crepe. Once the pancake has cooked for a few minutes on one side, Ramsay gets ready to flip it sans spatula by tapping the pan two times on the stove and gently shaking the pancake forward. 

He then instructs to "inch the pancake to the edge of the pan" so that it is prepped for the flip. Fans and pancake aficionados then see what BBC Good Food would call "confident flick of the wrist" as Ramsay gently pushes away the pan and flips the pancake up and back. It lands perfectly and neatly back in the pan ready to continue cooking. In case you rip your pancake during the flip, The Worktop suggests that you can dab a little bit of batter over the spot for a quick fix.