Waffles vs. Pancakes: The Battle Over Breakfast By David W. Brown Last year I wrote a story for this magazine about adding ranch dressing to pizza (my verdict: adding ranch to your pizza is like walking around barefoot in the mall) and, ever since then, every time I get in my car and turn the ignition, I expect a bomb to go off. People, I learned, have strong opinions about food — and they aren’t afraid to tell you about them. So when my editor assigned me to write “waffles vs. pancakes,” I immediately ordered a new home security system. Some of you — I’m looking at you, waffle aficionados — are about to get your feelings hurt. Waffle batter and pancake batter are basically the same thing. In a bowl, mix a cup of flour, two teaspoons baking powder, two tablespoons sugar and one teaspoon of salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together an egg, two tablespoons of butter and a cup of milk, and then add that blend to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth. There are slight variations, of course: You could add vanilla extract to the mix, or you could use vegetable oil instead of butter but, ultimately, I’m willing to bet even your grandma’s secret family pancake and/or waffle recipe that she gave you on her deathbed uses those ingredients. (You might consider adding a little more sugar and butter to the waffle batter to give the waffles an extra kick of crispiness.) When waffles were invented, I get the feeling that someone said, “How can we let the people make pancakes, but also make them buy something extra?” (Alternate joke: When waffles
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David’s recommendation: Add three tablespoons of mayonnaise to your batter to make a lighter, fluffier pancake.
