You know it’s going to be a good day when you have pancakes for breakfast. With their syrupy goodness and stacks as high as your appetite, they help start off the morning right. Although you can save them as a weekend treat, you can have pancakes every day of the week: A single bowl of batter can make upward of 10 to 20 pancakes, which translates to a lot of leftovers. Don’t let that extra food go to waste. Reheat them instead with your new #MealPrep process. Here’s exactly how to do it, so you can always start off your day right.
Making Pancakes Ahead of Time
If you’re wondering if pancakes can be prepared ahead of time, the answer is yes. Not only are they easy to store in the refrigerator, they are freezer-friendly as well. When stored properly in the freezer, they can last one to two months and one day in the fridge. This is because pancakes contain dairy and eggs, two food items that perish fairly quickly. So in this case, freezing is best.
How to Store Cooked Pancakes
When you make pancakes the night before, simply cook them and proceed with putting them away. This involves storing them in the refrigerator or freezer within two hours of cooking. For the fridge, wrap them in foil or plastic wrap; and for the freezer, place wax paper between each pancake, wrap everything in foil, and then put them in a strong freezer bag.
Reheating Pancakes
In the oven
Preparing pancakes ahead of time makes mornings a little easier ‒ and tastier. To reheat in the oven, simply heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pancakes on a nonstick, ungreased baking sheet, being careful to not stack them on top of each other. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Reheat for 10 minutes and enjoy.
In the toaster
Reheating pancakes in the microwave is totally doable, but it’s not the best way. Doing so could turn your delicious creation hard. Instead, help them regain a crispy texture by reheating pancakes in a toaster. Simply stick them in the toaster and let them crisp up just as if they were store-bought packaged frozen waffles.
Reheating frozen pancakes
While frozen pancakes certainly last longer, they require a bit more elbow grease to reheat. According to Dan Langan, host of the Food Network’s “Dan Can Bake It,” you should use a frying pan to reheat them since it helps them taste and look fresher. “The frying pan will give you the crispy edge that soft center pancakes are known for, but be sure to coat your pan in butter to guarantee the cakes stay moist.”
Langan's steps for reheating frozen pancakes include warming up a skillet on the oven in low heat, coating the pan with butter or a non-stick spray, and adding the frozen pancakes to the skillet for consistent flipping every 30 seconds.
Reheating potato pancakes
Potato pancakes (also called latkes), while super-delicious, are very temperamental since they’re made with potatoes, and, if you’ve ever tried to reheat french fries, you know they’re not the same without the crispiness. To keep your potato pancakes crispy, place them on a baking sheet and reheat them in the oven until you achieve your desired crispiness.
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Writer Bio
Sarah is a multi-platform writer and editor. Her work has appeared in USA Today, Vital Proteins, Healthline, Diply, and more. When she's not writing, she's trying to keep up with her border collie, Emmy.