Crepe Maker

Crisp crepes are popular throughout the world. Thin light pancakes, crepes taste great just by themselves. They can also be served with many a filling such as fruits, cheese or meat. Having a reliable crepe maker helps in creating smooth crepes with uniform thickness. Conventional crepe pans are made from steel or die cast aluminum and are typically a shallow fry pan or a flat griddle. Crepe pans get heated up quickly and you can bake your crepes in a few seconds.

Crepe makers usually have a heating element and a round, non-stick griddle. There are crepe makers that can be put on top of a stove to make crepes. Crepe makers can be used either on stovetops or can be used as separate units.

Crepe makers are designed in a fashion to shape and cook crepes evenly. Crepe makers are available from a price range of $35 to $200; crepe makers manufactured in France being the most expensive ones. When choosing a crepe maker, examine features such as heating time and griddle size based on your needs. Crepe makers can be purchased online but do so after you make a thorough study while comparing the various features and their price.

Types of crepe makers

Stove top crepe makers: An upside down frying pan on top of a concave frying pan best describes the upside down crepe pan. The crepe maker/griddle is heated on top of a stove and the heated up griddle is dipped into the crepe batter. The griddle picks up a very small amount of batter. This thin film of batter on the griddle top forms the crepe. With the surface facing upwards, turn the crepe pan to level the batter, bake. Crispy crepe gets cooked in less than a minute. Crepes made using the upside down crepe pan are thin and crisp.

Electric crepe pan: The most common type of crepe maker is the electric crepe maker. The electric crepe maker looks like a regular flat, round griddle placed on top of a heating element. Pour a small amount of batter onto the griddle and spread it out evenly. The batter is spread with a special wooden tool designed for this purpose. This wooden tool ensures even spreading of the batter which results in a crepe that is thin and even.

The electric crepe maker is usually used for commercial purposes and is more expensive than the home version. Automatic thermostat ensures accurate heating of the crepe maker thus providing the right cooking temperature. Electric crepe makers cook faster than the stove top ones. Electric crepe pans are available in a variety of styles:

Skillet style - You can make large crepes with these skillets. You need specialized crepe tools like spreader and turner to make crepes.

Dip, flip and cook style - A dipping pan is used to apply the batter. The crepe maker is reversed and dipped into the batter, a thin layer of batter sticks on to the crepe maker. Flip it and cook until it is done. Peel off once done.

Non-stick crepe pan has sloping sides and allows you to make crepes with much lesser butter. Take care that you use the right skillet for making crepes.

Gas crepe pan is heated up using gas instead of electricity. Professional crepe makers selling crepes commercially use the gas crepe pan. These crepe makers cook faster than the electric ones.