Some frugal advice tells us that making pancakes from scratch is a money saving activity, and that is true.
But, I've never liked making pancakes from scratch because they don't taste as good as pancakes made from a mix. Even Pioneer Woman agrees with me.
So, I decided to try an experiment and bought this ten pound bag of Krusteaz pancake mix, which I bought this week at Walmart for $7.42.
According to the label, there are 90 half cup servings in this package.
Using my mini ladle, I was able to get four pancakes from 1/2 cup of the mix.
$7.42 divided by 90 means each half cup costs approximately 8¢ each, which works out to about 2¢ per pancake. In my book, that's a pretty good price for breakfast.
My pancake making station...
Hot off the griddle...
The first day I made the pancakes without any additions, but we love banana pancakes here and I'll be making them with this mix on a regular basis.
Reading online I found multiple recipes here and here that I can use with this mix. Things like muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, etc. So, I will be using this pancake mix for more than just pancakes.
How about you? Do you like pancakes made from scratch or from a mix?
I normally make pancakes from scratch. They are more crepe like, because I like them thin. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a silly question, but do you bake pancakes?
I make them one at a time using a frying pan.
I don't bake my pancakes, I usually do them in a frying pan because I don't want to get the griddle out. But I can do them on the griddle without using oil, so that is a good savings measure. Do you do anything special to yours since they are crepe like? They are pretty neat in that you can fill them with something and roll them up. I'm not very good at making thin things, they would probably look terrible. When I make fried eggs for Bailey they usually look terrible, taste great but ugly. LOL
DeleteI prefer scratch pancakes but a mix is fine as well. I currently have 2 boxes of Aunt Jermima pancake mix, bought on crash and burn for a song. Just add water mix means no extra costs for oil, eggs which is a win-win. I have literally a gallon of VT maple syrup, blessed to me from a friend who actually gifted us 3 gallons at once. Pancakes have been on the Sunday breakfast menus frequently as a result.
ReplyDeleteThe Aunt Jemima mix is what my hubby's 92 yr old grandfather uses all the time. He is blind and still likes to make "his" wafffles. Aunt Jemima tastes great. It is easy to make because you just add water. Sometimes it's better to spend a bit more to foster self esteem and independence. ��
DeleteWe like the taste of Aunt Jemima too. And Hungry Jack tastes great too.
DeleteDang! NOw I am craving pancakes! LOL!
DeleteLOL, Carol. :)
DeleteMixes are definitely a winner not having to use oil and eggs, Carol. You're so lucky to have been gifted the VT maple syrup, very nice.
ReplyDeleteEgg prices have been all over the place recently. I try to keep them at $2/dozen for large. Yes, my friend is my clone. Months can go by without us being physically apart, once we do finally coordinate schedules, it's like we just picked up yesterday's conversation!
DeleteAwww....that's great to have such a good friend. And I agree about the egg prices, they are all over the place. I wish we still had chickens.
DeleteYou sure can't get any cheaper than that!
ReplyDeleteRight, Cheryl? Thanks.
DeleteGenerally, my family prefers scratch pancakes, but I don't make them very often. With my brood, it requires me to do A LOT of flipping. I will buy mixes if they are on closeout/clearance, though. In fact, I have an organic mix lurking in my pantry. I use the mixes for when I simply don't feel like cooking. I will set the package on the counter, and tell DH to hop to it. He's not much of a cook, but even he can manage to add water, stir, heat and flip.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Meg. And the break from cooking is an added bonus.
DeleteI use both mixes and homemade pancake mix. My homemade pancakes don't rise very much. Belinda, yours look delicious. I may have to give that mix a try when I find it on sale.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellie. I found it at Walmart. Sam’s Club has it as well.
DeleteEllie, whipped egg white folded in will make your pancakes rise! We make ours from scratch as most of the mixes are not made with whole grains.
DeleteHomemade! Hehe.
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha! Anna :)
DeleteAlways from a mix, but I make them at home so they are homemade. I love blueberry pancakes and that's usually the only kind I make. I always have blueberries in the freezer.
ReplyDeleteYum, I love blueberrry pancakes, Mary Lou.
DeleteI have only found my scratch pancakes are really good if I have "ripe" buttermilk. I made pancakes for my DIL during the Christmas holidays and she declared they were the best pancakes she had ever had. (Aunt Jemima complete with a sprinkling of chocolate and butterscotch chips)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds good, Anne. I have ripe buttermilk regularly as it never really goes bad and can be used months after the expiration date.
DeleteI confess to liking a mix better - and for me it's also much more economical - all I do is add water and they taste great! But it has to be real Canadian Maple Syrup as a topping!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Margie. I like them better from a mix. Hungry Jack is my favorite.
DeleteWe cook most things from scratch, but DF brings home giant bags of Krusteasz from Costco.
ReplyDeleteFrugal tip: If the last of the milk goes sour, use it to make pancakes or waffles. You can't taste it -- honest! Freeze the sour milk if you like.
When making waffles (again, with Krusteasz) I got the idea to add some leftover oatmeal. It turned out so well that now I start all waffle-making projects by cooking a batch of oatmeal. I expect that Cream of Wheat or any other hot cereal would work as well.