The Common Practice That Instantly Ruins Homemade Pancakes (And What To Do Instead)

Pancakes are a beloved breakfast around the world, and each country has its own unique version. American pancakes are light and fluffy due to air bubbles the batter forms while cooking on the griddle. Whether you're making a homemade pancake recipe or using store-bought pancake mix, there's a common practice that will ruin them instantly. We spoke with Antoni Porowski, who has recently teamed up with Nestle for his Carnation Red Carpet Recipe Collection, which includes nifty kitchen gadgets, classic Carnation ingredients, and A-list recipes. To keep from ruining your pancakes, Porowski warns against stacking when making them for a crowd.

While you might think stacking pancakes fresh off the griddle keeps them warm as you prepare the next batch, Porowski thinks this is a grave mistake. "If I stack, they get too ... pardon the word, moist," he reveals. "You don't want the pancakes to soften up. That's why the grill rack in the oven is key. It allows them to stay warm and lets them breathe without clustering them." Stacking pancakes will ultimately turn their fluffy crumb flat.

If you want your family or friends to enjoy pancakes together, you can keep each batch warm in the oven. So, before you make the batter, preheat the oven anywhere between 200 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, transfer fresh pancakes to the oven. "Lay them out on one of those mesh grill racks with the little feet so the air can circulate all around," Porowski recommends. "Don't keep them covered either; you want them to breathe."

Instead of just keeping pancakes warm, the oven can replace the griddle altogether if you're making pancakes for a crowd. Our recipe for sheet pan pancakes makes a giant batch that are as fresh and fluffy as griddle cakes, except they're all ready at the same time. Alternatively, these oven-baked blueberry pancakes trade a sheet pan for a cast iron skillet, providing a crispy, textured bottom to the fluffy crumb and smooth top. For a more ambitious oven-baked recipe, try this fluffy Dutch baby recipe instead. But while fresh pancakes are ideal, you don't have to throw leftovers out.

Porowski tells us that "if you are going to reheat, like any leftovers, reheating on a sheet pan in the oven is a good way to go." A toaster is a great way to reheat one or two leftover pancakes, but the oven remains the best bet for reheating large batches of leftovers. The pancakes should take around 10 minutes to heat through, and if you use a sheet pan, you can get more creative with marinades. "Let the pancakes marinate in some dark amber maple syrup (preferably my dad's from Vermont, because it's so good!)," Porowski recommends, "or cook down some evaporated milk with vanilla and cinnamon and drizzle it over the reheated pancakes for a cinnamon roll vibe."