Company’s comin’, and they’re starving, as usual. But with a house full of family and other guests during the holidays, there has to be at least one group meal that can be assembled without a lot of hassle. Pick pancakes. Everyone loves them, all hot and messy with butter and syrup, and they are just fine from a mix. We should know, having tried seven basic boxed pancake mixes alongside a ringer made from scratch from a “Better Homes and Gardens” recipe. A mix-Hungry Jack Original-took first place; it beat the scratch recipe and the Jewel house brand, which tied for second place.
What was everyone looking for in the perfect pancakes? A stack of hot cakes that were thick without being dense, rich but not oily, and a golden, natural color. Unspoken, maybe, was the need to be transported back to those mornings when pancakes were eaten while we were wearing footed flannel jammies. Of course, that’s a lot to ask of a mix.
Our top choices were appropriately fluffy and comforting. These mixes also called for the addition of milk, oil and egg, which makes them less “instant,” but makes them taste better; our last-place finisher, Jiffy, adds only water.
Ratings are on a 9-point scale with 5 being average. Here are the top three, with tasters’ comments. The remaining pancake mixes are listed in orderof preference.
And the winners are . . .
1. Hungry Jack Original (6.2 points; $1.99/37-ounce box): “Like the rich flavor.” “Eggy aroma.” “Good consistent texture.” “Too yellow.”
2. Jewel Pancake & Waffle Mix (tie with homemade, 5.7 points; $1.39/32-ounce box): “Slight corny crunchiness.” “Nice crispiness.”
3. A tie: Bisquick (5.5 points; $2.75/40-ounce box): “Vanilla aroma.” “Perfect-not too sweet.” “Very tall.”
Aunt Jemima Original (5.5 points; $2.09/32-ounce box): “Very attractive gold/brown speckles.” “Sweet like a funnel cake.”
Other tasted
4.. Mrs. Butterworth’s (5.2 points); 5. Krusteaz (4.2); 6. Jiffy (4).
