What's the Big Deal About Crepes?

Breakfast foods are a popular category on restaurant menus, but have you embraced the power of the crepe? From Ihop to food carts at Walt Disney World, the crepe is a beloved breakfast, lunch, or dessert option for foodies, depending on the toppings. If you live in Europe, the crepe may be a daily part of your menu, however, here in the United States, some people are new to crepes. Want to know what's the deal with crepes? We've got the answers!

What's a Crepe?

A crepe is a thin pancake with a filling, such as fruits, chocolate, or sugar. These French delights originated in the Brittany region of northwest France, and are enjoyed throughout Europe, North Africa, and even South America. You make a crepe by spreading a thin layer of batter and cooking it much like a pancake, and spreading it evenly over the pan's surface. You can prep the pan for crepes by greasing it with a light pat of butter. After the crepe batter has properly formed into a thin pancake, then you can flip it over to do the same to the other side, much like cooking pancakes. A spatula and be used to make sure the crepe is perfectly cooked and rounded. From there, you can use whatever filling you desire, folding the crepe in half once you've placed the fillings inside. You can also opt to serve the crepe drizzled with honey, caramel, and other toppings. You may even find some restaurants serving seafood crepes! A crepe is a very versatile dish that can fit any meal or even culinary style, from French to American, which lends to its popularity.

What Do You Need to Make Crepes?

Anyone can make crepes with the right ingredients and tools. With sweet crepes, you typically will use wheat flour, while non-sweet crepes (those more stuffed with cheese, meat, etc) can use buckwheat flour, however, batters can also just use the same ingredients you would use to make pancakes, such as butter, milk, water, eggs, etc. A crepe pan is iron, is often non-stick, and can measure near 10.25 inches for beautiful perfect round crepes. Proper care of these pans means they're hand-wash only, with no detergents recommended. For anyone who loves cooking delicious crepes, a crepe pan is an easy and affordable way to make beautiful crepes at home or in a restaurant. Some home or professional chefs may prefer a dedicated crepe pan while others may opt for a crepe maker.

Crepe machines & makers come in gas or electric options and features options such as push-button ignition, adjustable thermostat, automatic cut-off, and more. You can also purchase options with one or two burners, depending on how many crepes you need to make at once. A gas crepe maker often comes at 24,000 BTU and will need to be installed by a professional technician to ensure the utmost safety.

Now that you know what crepes are, it's time to get busy exploring them in the kitchen. You can find crepe recipes all over the Internet, including YouTube. Once you have your equipment, get cooking and you'll fall in love with this culinary delight!

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