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Eat Some Pancakes

Today (February 23) is National Pancake Day. Go eat or make some pancakes. I think stopping for lunch or dinner at IHOP would be a great public relations event for any EMS agency.Today IHOP is giving free short stacks all day and encouraging patrons to donate to several children charities. Learn more about National Pancake Day at IHOP.

Now my to Everyday EMS Pancake Tips:

1. Pancake breakfasts are tried and true fund-raisers. I love watching mass pancake production and eating the cakes fresh off the griddle. I have many fond memories of Pancake and Porkie breakfasts – sausage link rolled inside a pancake and then coated with brown sugar and cinnamon.

2. Only use pure maple syrup from trees as close to your home as possible. The mass-produced brown sugar-water is the best way to ruinĀ  a great stack of pancakes.

3. Try a dab of crunchy peanut butter instead of butter on your next stack. I prefer Jiff extra crunchy.

4. Butter is better. Butter substitutes made from corn, canola, and or yogurt is almost as treasonous as using brown sugar-water syrup substitute.

5. Involve your kids in pancake production. My kids love helping measure, stir, and cook the pancakes. Betty Crocker is helping my son learn to read. Cookbook reading is an essential life skill.

6. Top notch pancake toppings. Pancakes can be topped with almost anything – fresh fruit, candy sprinkles, chocolate chips. We also like stirring in fruit and nuts into the batter. A warm apple slice inside a pancake drizzled with syrup is nirvana.

7. Not just for breakfast. We eat pancakes for any meal, but have found pancakes don’t rewarm as well as waffles (When is waffle day?)

Bonus tip: after years of trying many products I have found the Calphalon 11″ square griddle to be the best pancake cooking tool.

Now it’s your turn. Share your pancake cooking, serving, and topping tips.

By Greg Friese

Greg Friese, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is an author, educator, paramedic, and marathon runner.

Greg was the co-host of the award winning EMSEduCast podcast, the only podcast by and for EMS educators. Greg has written for EMS1.com, JEMS.com, Wilderness Medical Associates, JEMS Magazine, EMSWorld.com and EMS World Magazine, and the NAEMSE Educator Newsletter.