Date: 20 May 2022. Inverter
Friendly Pancake Griddle.
©
janice142
The world is indeed wonderful. A while back I wrote about my pancake
failures in the
Pancake Memories
vignette. My pancake making skills had disappeared, and proof was shown. What I did
not realize is that there was an inverter friendly solution. Shortly
thereafter Grace
gifted me the perfect pancake maker.
This is S/V Grace, a beautiful Schucker motorsailor:
Schucker is a brand of boats. Jim Schucker, the
builder, made a series of
sailboats, motorsailors and a few miniature trawlers. Seaweed is
also a
Schucker.
Janet and Keith are to be admired.
They took a dream of life
aboard a boat and turned it into reality. S/V Grace is their home.
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Though my Seaweed is the best Schucker home ever,
primarily the company is known for much larger sailboats and motor sailors.
Schuckers are
great homes. The broad *beam translates to a larger space for
living. There is usually a greater stability when the vessel is
wider.
*Beam
is the width of your boat at her widest. Seaweed's beam is 88" (7'4"
or 2.25m)
S/V Grace at sunset →
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Generally
speaking wider boats are more comfortable for life afloat.
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For the curious, my home is
approximately 150 square feet (14 square meters). When I watch Tiny
Home videos on YouTube (have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate
having a tablet?!?) I am usually amused when folks talk about their
"tiny" homes that are twice the size of my Seaweed.
The
views I have are incredible. |
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A mallard visited me while a night heron
oversees his domain from the mangrove tree. |
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But I digress...
I am fortunate in that I had a pancake problem, and friends had a solution.
Boating friends are the best!
This is the magical inverter friendly solution to pancake problems:
Younger folks might not realize the degree of frustration in being
unable to do things that were once simple. Thus, my gratitude at
this simple galley appliance is definitely more than one would
suspect. Plus I got mail.
Memory Lane:
When was growing
up aboard our boat, getting mail was a HUGE part of keeping in touch
with friends and family. I still feel an enormous joy when there is
something in my Post Office box.
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The first thing I did after
opening the 4" (10cm) Mini-Maker Griddle aka my Perfect Pancake
Producer, was dig out my Jiffy. Though some swear that
Bisquick makes the best pancakes I find the Bisquick mix a bit too
sweet for my preference. |
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Hint:
Do not follow the instructions on
the box. Instead, for a single pancake put a couple of heaping tablespoons
of Jiffy baking mix in
a bowl and add water. Specifically, I do not add either oil
nor eggs to the mixture. Just plain water works best.
How
much water to use: I prefer thick
pancakes so I do not add a lot of water, instead making a
stiff batter.
For the folks who don't know Stiff... basically that means
the dough/batter is not runny. Most prefer a thinner mixture
about the consistency of syrup.
The box
how-to's might suggest adding milk, however we didn't a
refrigerator when I was very young so milk has not been a
part of my world. I have never drunk a glass of milk nor do
I keep any milk aboard Seaweed.
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The Dash brand griddle package has information on the unit.
The package states 350 watts, and that is accurate.
First I plug in the unit.
The light comes on indicating it is pre-heating. When
the unit is hot the light goes off.
There is no on/off switch. It is
plugged into make it
start, and unplugged to shut off the heating elements.
Once hot indicated by
the light turning off, I added my batter. The light came back
on and about three four minutes later I had a fully cooked
pancake. Both the top and bottom have heating elements.
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Comparison, showing both the top and bottom of the pancake: |
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Top of pancake
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Bottom of pancake
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There is no need to flip
the pancake as both sides cook simultaneously. |
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Of
course, it is nice to have an egg too:
The griddle cooks eggs. I added a few bits of
onions to my fried egg.
Additionally, I purchase precooked bacon. My galley is small. When cooking
bacon, grease splatters. This makes a huge mess. I prefer to
spend perfectly good money to have the bacon already cooked for me. I
nuke (microwave) the bacon for 1 minute.
This recurring theme might explain why I am not a gourmet
chef: I also do not follow the cooking instructions
on pre-cooked bacon. Instead I open the package, leaving the plastic loose
but covering the bacon. Thus, I get no splatters inside my microwave
oven.
I nuke (microwave) the bacon for 1 minute.
This is Boar's Head bacon from *Publix. It is Very
Expensive.
*Publix is a regional
grocery chain. It has the best staff, excellent produce and the
stores are always clean. Their deli
foods are super, and reasonably priced.
For a
few months there was no pre-cooked bacon available at local stores.
Finally when it appeared at Publix I laid in a supply. Normally I
purchase from Walmart as their price is lowest. In addition to being
meatier (less fat) the Publix box splits the bacon into two
air-tight sections. This keeps the unopened portion fresh until
needed.
Pre-cooked bacon is
shelf stable without refrigeration for few months. This is not a
long-term item for the pantry locker. A few months is however a great option
for those of us who like bacon on occasion.
This is a package of
Walmart pre-cooked bacon.
Thanks to Janet's
kindness, I now can enjoy breakfast any time of the day.
The griddle is small so it stows away easily. It
uses just 350 watts thus is easy to power off my solar system.
Best
of all, this small griddle also cooks hamburger, chicken even pancakes
easily, quickly, and with minimal power consumption. I really like
it. Thank you Janet.
Thanks again to Janet and Keith of S/V Grace, I was able to enjoy a
delicious pancake.
All of us on
the waterfront enjoy the sights... those of us in the south enjoy boating
year round. Above, the crew of S/V Grace enjoy looking out upon the
Gulf of Mexico. Life really is grand aboard a boat.
S/V Grace is a true gem. The couple had a dream, worked toward it,
and have made Grace their home.
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Blatant Hint:
If you want to send me mail my address is:
Post Office Box 8284, Madeira Beach, FL 33738 |
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Skipper and I love going to the post office. |
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That's it from the water. I thank you for reading.
Do you use small appliances such as this griddle in your
home?
Have you tried the pre-cooked bacon?
Regarding the Comments Section,
found at the end of every article:
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