Norpro Cast Iron Plett Pan

I picked up this pan on a bit of a whim. I don't make a lot of swedish pancakes, or any type really, and honestly I'm not usually too concerned about how perfectly round my food is.I am a big fan of cast iron cookware so don't expect one of those, "I soaked it in the sink and it left rust stains," angry iron-neophyte reviews. The pan came unseasoned but I gave it a quick scrub, did a quick stovetop seasoning, and had zero problems with sticking or anything else.

I have cast iron cookware from Lodge and a few other makers and this is as good. Pre-seasoning might have been nice but seasoning a pan isn't actually hard. The quality of the pan is higher than the packaging by a mile. They spell "plett" three different ways and managed to miscount the number of depressions when describing the pan. None of that really matters but it's good for a laugh.

The included recipe will be useful if you aren't familiar with Swedish pancakes. It's similar to a crepe recipe and produces a nice thin batter that loves to spread out. You can find other (better) recipes online. I would probably go with more egg and less flour. Traditionalists would also go for more fat. The pan would also work fine for savory pancakes and perhaps other less pancake-like dishes. The dwells are 7 centimeters in diameter -a shade under 3 inches -and quite shallow. Amazon's product description says you could make cornbread with this pan but I don't see it. Not conventional American cornbread anyway. You could use it for creative hors d'oeurves if you were minded.

The main trick to using this pan was to give the outer ring of pancakes a half-turn about mid-way through cooking to give more even browning. That might not be necessary depending on your heat source. I used a bamboo skewer to chase the edge of the pancake/make sure it wasn't sticking, then to spin each cake around. If you've seen someone making ebelskivers (there are videos online) you will know where I got the idea. Flipping the cakes took a bit of fiddling at first but wasn't actually difficult.

The main thing that keeps me from giving this five stars is that it's so specialized. It's nice, and at $15 or $16 it's not expensive, but you can do the same job with a griddle or skillet. If you want perfectly round little cakes get yourself some egg/pancake rings -you'll save a few bucks and probably take up less storage space. On the other hand, if you have plenty of space and a love for specialized cast iron cookware, add a star.

This is a typical plett pan each well is about 1/4" and it can hold exactly 1 tablespoon of liquid.Swedish pancakes are small, thin, and light.The recipe that arrived with it was wonderful.After seasoning I had a few sticking issues with the first two batches, but after that it was perfect.

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I took the pan out of its box and immediately noticed that the 7 pancake holes were not straight sided like usual.The holes were very shallow.I held the pan by the handle and turned it over to look at the bottom.The "cast iron" handle snapped off and the pan fell to the floor.Back it goes!

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I had really wanted one with bigger circles in it. These are around the size of cookies. A little too small for what I wanted but the pan's quality is fine and it shipped quick enough.

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I bought this pan on a whim.I have never eaten authentic Plett but the descriptions sounded appealing.I seasoned the pan on the stovetop since it is 90 degrees outside. Not my preferred method but it worked.

I whipped up a batch of Plett using a 3-egg recipe I found on the web. I level Tablespoon of the batter worked perfectly.(These recipes make a LOT of Plett, but they freeze well.)I left out the sugar and put savory toppings on them.Sauteed mushrooms, smoked salmon, sliced cheese, etc.Nice contrast with the eggy texture of the Plett.They are great "pancakes" for little tykes.

Next, I used the pan for some buckwheat blini.Worked perfectly.Also used it for circles of scrambled egg and prosciutto to put on top of the blini.Made mini bacon/egg/cheese sandwiches.

Every culture has some form of pancake.Haven't tried Dosa batter yet, but I've used cornmeal andbuckwheat crepe mixtures with great success.

One thing you should know is that this pan is not the same as the pictured pad in the listing.the pan I received does not have the pour lip on the side of the pan and the pancake wells have tapered sides rather than straight sides.

It's sturdy.It's non-stick.It does what it's supposed to do.I'm very pleased.

UPDATE:I like this pan more every time I use it.I have found some tools in my kitchen that make the process easier and and cuts my cooking time in half.

1.I use Alton Brown's crepe recipe, but usually have to thin it with 2-4 Tablespoons of water if I let the batter sit overnight.I usually leave out the sugar because I usually use the plett for savory recipes.I keep a batch of sweet plett in the freezer.It is a very easy recipe and makes about 50 eggy plett/crepes.Again, they freeze well.

2.Different wells in the pan cook at different speeds, depending on their location on the pan.The 2 wells right in front of the handle cook the slowest and the center well cooks the fastest.As a result, I fill the 2 wells by the handle first and the center well last.

3.Use a pancake pen to fill the wells.

Tovolo Pancake Pen

It takes just a little bit of practice, but once you find your rhythm, it is MUCH faster than measuring each tablespoonful.I use it to fill small baking molds like bouchons and financiers as well.You could also use the cupcake pen.

4.Flipping the plett in their wells is aggravating and time consuming.Because of the egg content, they puff up and don't sit flat in the well when you turn them over.Have a second pan heated on the stove and move the plett directly to that pan to cook on the second side.It speeds up the process considerably.You can refill the wells while the plett cook on the second side in the other pan.I really like the pan below for this purpose:

Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Round Griddle, 10.5"

It has low sides, so you can turn the plett without burning you hand.I also use it to broil fish.I preheat it, put some oil in the bottom and put in the fish.The cast iron holds the heat, so it cooks the fish on both sides without turning.

5.Lose the barbecue skewers.They work, but they are a little slow, awkward, and can poke holes in the plett if they are a little under done. I usea mini metal frosting knife and a mini spatula.Thay are easier to use and speed up the process.

Dexter-Russell 2-by-2.5-Inch Stainless Steel and Walnut Mini Turner

and

Ateco 4.25 by 0.75-Inch Small Sized Blade Ultra Spatula

I use the small cake decorating spatula to steady one side of the plett while I slip the other spatula underneath to transfer it to the second pan.

Using these 4 items, I can cook up an entire batch of batter very quickly.

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