Pancakes are the perfect breakfast dish, easy to prepare, and sumptuous. Freshly prepared and reheated leftover pancakes are fluffy, sweet, and yummy. Some prefer reheated pancakes over freshly prepared pancakes. Depending on your needs and storage options, you can store excess or leftover pancakes for days or even months.
In this article, we discuss how to store pancakes, how to store cooked pancakes, how to store pancakes in the freezer, whether you can reheat pancakes, how to reheat pancakes, and how to store leftover pancakes.
How to Store Pancakes
Pancakes are carbo-licious foods that can be cooked and stored ideally in the refrigerator or freezer. You can easily store pre-cooked pancakes in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, and frozen pancakes have a shelf life of 2 to 3 months. You will need high-quality commercial refrigeration solutions to refrigerate or freezer pancakes in your cafe, restaurant, or diner.
How to Store Cooked Pancakes
Pre-cooked pancakes can easily be stored in refrigerators and freezers. The best tip for storing pancakes is to let them cool to room temperature before storing them in the fridge or freezer. Storing hot pancakes can create condensation that will make them soggy. If you are freezing pancakes, make sure to freeze them on the same day that they are cooked.
How to Store Pancakes in Freezer
You can store large amounts of leftover pancakes in the freezer. You can start by cooling the cooked pancakes to room temperature. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and place the pancakes in a single layer. Ensure that the pancakes don’t touch, and freeze the baking sheet for an hour until the pancakes are frozen completely. Before storage, you can wrap the frozen pancakes in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Label the bags before storage. Remember to pile the pancakes on top of each other with parchment paper or a layer of edible wax. This will prevent the pancakes from sticking to each other. Frozen pancakes can be stored for 3 to 4 months at a time. You need to thaw frozen pancakes in the refrigerator before reheating them for consumption. You can also reheat frozen pancakes immediately after taking them out from the freezer, adding 30 to 60 seconds of toaster time.
Can You Reheat Pancakes?
Pancakes are perfect make-ahead food. You can pre-cook pancakes and store them effortlessly in the refrigerator or freezer. Also, reheated pancakes taste great. Many prefer reheated pancakes over fresh pancakes. Depending on your needs, you can reheat frozen or refrigerated pancakes in the toaster, microwave, oven, skillet, or air fryer.
How to Reheat Pancakes
Here, we list some effective methods of reheating pancakes:
Toaster: The best way to reheat pancakes is to use a regular toaster. Toasters are ideal for reheating one to two pancakes. You can place the leftover pancake in the toaster and set the toaster to a mild or general setting. You will need 90 seconds to 180 seconds to reheat the pancake to your liking. Check your toaster settings before setting the timer. You can also cut large pancakes in half and place them in the toaster for reheating. Reheated pancakes from toasters are mostly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. As a precautionary measure, never reheat pancakes with leftover toppings and fillings as they can burn into the coil of the toaster.
Ovens: Ovens are ideal if you plan to serve large pancakes to a crowd. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the pancakes in a single layer on the baking pan. Then, cover the pancakes with foil and heat for 4 to 5 minutes. The foil will prevent the pancakes from drying.
Microwave: You can quickly reheat pancakes in the microwave. First, you need to place a microwave-safe plate with paper towels. Then, arrange one or more pancakes on the plate. Prevent the plate from overcrowding and only place pancakes in a single layer. Top the pancakes with another layer of paper towels. Heat the pancakes in the microwave for 15 seconds to 60 seconds at a medium to a high-temperature setting. If you reheat pancakes for the first time in a microwave, you can break the reheating process into short intervals of 10 to 15 seconds.
Ideally, this method of reheating pancakes should be avoided as reheated pancakes from the microwave can become chewy and tough. Also, microwaved pancakes can fall apart easily when you spread butter over them. Microwaved pancakes are heated from the inside out, breaking the cake-like structure of pancakes.
Frying Pan: You can also use a frying pan to reheat pancakes. Reheated pancakes on frying pans have a crisp exterior and fluffy interior. Start by heating the frying pan at a low heat setting. Coat the pan with melted butter, vegetable oil, or non-stick spray. Some chefs combine oil and butter to prevent over-browning. You can also brush melted butter on the pancakes before placing them on the frying pan. Flip the pancakes in every 10-15 seconds to reheat the pancakes evenly.
Also, never turn up the heat to the high setting as it can easily burn the pancakes.
How to Store Leftover Pancakes
You can store leftover pancakes by wrapping them in foil and placing them in the refrigerator. You can also store them in an airtight container. You can also freeze large quantities of leftover pancakes in freezer bags or freezer containers. Label the resealable bag with the type of pancakes and date. You can store leftover plain buttermilk, whole wheat, cornmeal, or buckwheat pancakes in the freezer for future consumption.
Pancakes are perfect make-ahead dishes that are excellent breakfast ideas for your home, restaurant, or other food service establishments. You can easily refrigerate and freeze excess pancakes. You can also reheat them in an oven, microwave, frying pan, or toaster, depending on the quantity and needs. Whatever method you choose for reheating, pancakes will always taste delicious.
