I HAD hoped my air-fried pancakes would be soft and fluffy – instead, they’re chewy, rubbery, and made me feel a bit sick if I’m honest.
Shrove Tuesday has arrived, and millions will be flipping pancakes – but not me, I’m giving them a go in the air fryer instead.
Darren FletcherI used an air fryer to test cooking pancakes[/caption]
I used air fryer-friendly cooking trays to cook my pancakes in
It’s notoriously difficult to master cooking pancakes – I usually end up burning the pan or batter, or both, which makes a big mess.
So when I was scrolling through TikTok recently and saw people cooking theirs in an air fryer, I had to give it a go.
As I’m trying to save on my energy bills too, I was curious to see whether it would be cheaper to cook them this way, instead of the hob.
I’m one of many people who has invested in an air fryer because the energy bill savings can be big.
Research from Utilita showed households could save £77.82 a year by swapping their ovens for an air fryer instead.
I’ve been happy with the cooking results – I previously cooked a roast in my air fryer and it was delicious.
So how would making pancakes fare? I put it to the test.
Ease of cooking
I have a Tower Family Size Air Fryer, with a 4.3-litre capacity, which costs £44 on Amazon.
I couldn’t put the batter straight into the air fryer container, as it has holes in the bottom – and would fall straight through.
That’s why I used my special air fryer cooking trays, that I bought off Amazon for £7.99.
They’re made out of a silicone material are are circular – the perfect shape for making pancakes.
I set about making a simple batter mixture from two eggs, plain flour, and milk.
The main issue was finding out how long I should leave the mixture in the air fryer.
Some videos I have seen on TikTok said to leave it in for a couple of minutes – some said as much as seven.
Overall it took my pancakes four minutes and 40 seconds to cook.
It was so simple – I simply poured the batter in the silicone trays and left them to cook.
I like my pancakes a little thicker than crepes, so I poured in a healthy measure of batter.
Taste test
The pancakes came out golden brown, so I was excited to try them
But the bottom of the pancake looked pale and wrinkly
As I took my pancake out of the air fryer, I had high hopes.
The batter had turned a golden brown colour, and I was hoping they’d be soft and fluffy inside.
I peeled the silicone tray away from my pancake, and flipped it over – and that’s where it all went downhill.
The opposite side of the pancake was pale and had shrivelled up – it looked like the skin that forms on the top of milk when you heat it up.
It didn’t look appetising at all, but I cut myself a slice and held it up for closer inspection.
I expected the batter to hold its shape, but it had no structural integrity – instead, it was droopy and waggled on my fork.
I popped it in my mouth and started munching.
It was chewy and rubbery – exactly what I imagined it would taste like eating the sole of a shoe.
The taste was fine after I covered it in sugar, but I couldn’t move past the weird texture, and I had to throw it in the bin.
The cost
My pancake may have been a flop, but did making them in an air fryer stack up cost-wise?
Experts say that air fryers are much cheaper to use than an oven, but I was surprised when Uswitch crunched running costs and told me I had spent more using my air fryer.
My air fryer has a wattage of 1,500, and it took me four minutes and 40 seconds to cook my air fryer – which works out at slightly more than 3p.
But cooking one pancake on an electric hob costs just over 4p.
It means cooking my pancakes in an air fryer costs just over 1p less.
Verdict
I wouldn’t recommend cooking pancakes in an air fryer.
While it was easier than using a hob as it required no tricky flipping, the final result was very disappointing.
I’ll be using my hob the next time.
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