The 4 Finest Crepe Pans of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

There are specific meals I choose to purchase not make, like fried rooster and ice cream. Anecdotally, the variety of present, devoted outlets and stands suggests crepes fall into this class for many individuals. Nevertheless, after my first try many moons in the past, I used to be shocked to search out how straightforward they’re to make at residence. As my adoration for skinny, crispy crepes raged on, a very good crepe pan turned important.

Whereas a stainless-steel or nonstick skillet will do in a pinch, a devoted crepe pan has a wider floor and decrease sides to ship higher outcomes with much less fuss. That mentioned, there are lots of choices: traditional carbon metal, nonstick pans with picket spreaders, and electrical fashions that are supposed to be dipped into batter. As a web site, we’ve by no means reviewed crepe pans. It was excessive time to crack some eggs, whisk batter, and get testing. 

The Winners, at a Look

This crepe pan is skinny, gentle, and conducts warmth identical to a crepe pan ought to (learn: evenly). Not like heavy forged iron, you gained’t discover any hassle lifting and swirling batter. As soon as seasoned, clean-up is simple.

Many cooks will discover a nonstick crepe pan simpler to make use of, because it just about eliminates all points with flipping. The Le Creuset Toughened Nonstick Professional has an enormous floor and comes with a picket spreader, making all of it the simpler to get the batter to as skinny as potential.

Devoted crepe stands usually use these round electrical griddles. My favourite from Proctor Silex has an extra-large floor, eight settings, and heats rapidly and evenly.

This machine has you dip the recent floor into the batter, eliminating the necessity to good your swirling and thinning abilities. I believe it’s a very good possibility for these new to crepe making.

The Exams

• Fundamental Crepes Check: To see how crepe pans and machines might carry out at producing their namesake meals, I made a full recipe’s price of our fundamental crepe recipe with every mannequin. I evaluated the ultimate crepes, how straightforward the crepes have been to flip, the general efficiency and usefulness, and the convenience of cleansing.
• Galettes Bretonnes (Winners Solely): For these ok to cross the primary check, I made buckwheat crepes with them (usually utilized in galettes bretonnes). This savory batter is thicker and extra viscous than wheat flour variations, so I famous how straightforward (or arduous) it was to flip and fold such a crepe.

The right way to Use a Crepe Pan

Earlier than diving into the nitty-gritty of what I realized whereas testing, let’s take a beat to debate the right way to use a crepe pan. You begin by heating the pan over medium to medium-high warmth (expertise will enable you to nail the candy spot). If the pan requires it, add some clarified butter after which a ladle of crepe batter. 

Instantly start tilting and swirling the pan to unfold the batter. This motion ought to be fast and clean to cowl the underside of the pan evenly earlier than the batter units. The aim is to create a skinny layer that cooks uniformly.

Alternatively, if utilizing a bigger crepe pan, an electrical crepe machine, or aiming for impeccably spherical crepes, a batter spreader is useful. Pour the batter into the middle, then use the spreader—usually a T-shaped picket instrument—to swirl the batter outward in a fast, round movement, ranging from the middle and dealing to the perimeters. 

After the batter is unfold, prepare dinner the crepe for about 45 to 60 seconds, or till the perimeters start to brown and elevate from the pan. Use a spatula to verify if the underside is golden and, if that’s the case, flip it rigorously. Cook dinner the second facet for about 30 seconds till calmly golden. As soon as executed, slide the crepe out of the pan and onto a plate. Regulate the warmth as wanted all through the method, because the pan can develop into hotter the longer it is used.

What We Realized

Ought to You Purchase an Electrical Crepe Machine? 

There’s a motive crepe outlets prepare dinner crepes with electrical machines. Like electrical griddles, these machines are easy to make use of, supply even heating crepe after crepe, and by no means offer you hassle with sticking. 

So, what’s the draw back? Effectively, the machines can depart just a few issues to be desired. For one, there’s no selecting up and swirling the batter to skinny it. The machine stays placed on the desk so that you’ll should observe spreading and might want to purchase a spreader/spatula if it doesn’t include one. You additionally gained’t be capable of submerge the machine in water and must clear the floor by hand. Storage is one other issue to contemplate, particularly if in case you have restricted area.

One other disadvantage is that true, conventional French crepes have buttery, crispy edges that I wasn’t capable of replicate with any of the nonstick machines (or pans for that matter). 

Carbon Metal Was a Winner

Surprisingly (or not, since carbon steel is superior), I most popular the carbon metal crepe pans over the nonstick metal or forged iron choices. The forged iron pans have been too heavy to elevate and tilt, leading to inconsistently unfold batter. Whereas straightforward to choose up, the nonstick pans couldn’t ship the identical texture and taste as talked about above. Carbon metal pans strike the most effective steadiness between warmth conductivity, ease of use, and efficiency. They supply a sturdy, naturally nonstick floor when correctly seasoned, are lighter than forged iron for simpler dealing with, and supply superior warmth management (a should for crepes).

Many carbon metal pans should be seasoned, a reasonably easy course of that usually solely must be executed earlier than first use. For the De Purchaser crepe pan I examined, this concerned rubbing some oil on the pan and heating it to smoking earlier than letting it cool. Some carbon metal pans come pre-seasoned, so ensure that to verify the producer’s directions.

What Measurement Crepe Pan Do You Want?

When deciding on the proper crepe pan, dimension performs a job within the ease and high quality of your crepe-making. A pan with a bigger floor space presents extra room for batter spreading, which is essential for creating skinny, even crepes. The best diameter for a standard stovetop crepe pan is between 9 1/2 to 10 inches. At this dimension, the pan is massive sufficient to permit for spreading, but sufficiently small to handle simply over the burner and flip the crepes gracefully.

For these occupied with electrical crepe makers, choosing a mannequin that measures not less than 11 inches in diameter is good. Among the greatest ones, like our prime choose, prolonged as much as 13 inches. These bigger sizes will let you use the spreader to clean batter so far as it’s essential get it ultra-thin.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Crepe Pan

In case you’re available in the market for a crepe pan, you’ll first have to decide on between nonstick or conventional. I most popular the general texture and high quality of the crepes produced on carbon metal and forged iron pans, although these do have a studying curve in comparison with nonstick. Between carbon metal and forged iron, carbon metal was a lot simpler to elevate, tilt, and swirl with—important for making evenly unfold crepes. 

Whichever pan you select, choose one which’s light-weight sufficient to choose up and tilt. For me, that was not more than three kilos. So far as dimension, bigger floor areas left extra room for spreading, with the candy spot hitting proper round 9 1/2 to 10 inches. 

If the electrical crepe machines appear extra your pace, go for one not less than 11 inches throughout (and as much as 13 like our winner, for those who can). The very best ones include instruments for spreading and flipping and have easy-to-read and intuitive controls that allow you to alter warmth exactly. Longer cords are at all times a plus, too.

Our Favourite Crepe Pans

What we favored: We’ve been followers of carbon metal pans for a very long time. Skinny and light-weight, such a pan heats up rapidly and conducts warmth properly. Those self same properties make it an awesome materials for a crepe pan. This pan has a large floor space with low, gently sloped sides. This design provides you the choice to tilt and swirl the batter to skinny it or use a spreader (each a picket spreader and flipper are included with the pan). When it got here time to prepare dinner crepes, the batter simply unfold throughout the floor of the pan, leading to a skinny crepe with lacy edges.

What we didn’t like: This pan requires a spherical of seasoning earlier than you start, however now we have a helpful information for that. As soon as this half was executed, the crepe batter by no means caught. Carbon metal is just not dishwasher-safe and should be dried completely after cleansing to stop rusting. 

If the worth is a bit excessive in your finances, the pan can be obtainable at a lower cost level with out the picket instruments.

Key Specs

• Materials: Carbon metal
• Weight: 2 kilos
• Deal with size: 8 inches
• Induction suitable?: Sure
• Dishwasher-safe?: No

What we favored: Le Creuset makes some nice merchandise and their crepe pan isn’t any exception. I cherished the super-wide floor space and the small lip for corralling batter. The nonstick coating gave me no hassle when it got here to flipping crepes. The coating is triple-reinforced and distributed warmth extra evenly than the opposite nonstick fashions I examined. It additionally comes with a picket batter spreader.

What we did not like: This pan is costly. Whereas we don’t usually suggest splurging on nonstick, a crepe pan’s going for use far much less regularly than a regular nonstick skillet.

Key Specs

• Materials: Nonstick coated steel
• Weight: 3 lbs, 8 ounces
• Deal with size: 8 inches
• Induction suitable?: Sure
• Dishwasher-safe?: Sure (although we don’t suggest cleansing nonstick within the dishwasher)

What we favored: Many of the electrical crepe machines operated the identical, although there have been just a few ways in which this one stood out. The floor space is extra-wide, which helps skinny the batter as a lot as potential. You could possibly even use this machine to make dosa or massive tortillas. The warmth settings are clearly marked and easy to function, with loads of room for half settings between numbers so you possibly can dial within the good temperature.

The completed crepes have been evenly cooked and flipped with out sticking or resisting and the machine comes with just a few instruments, like a batter scoop, spreader, and flipper. The physique of the machine stays cool throughout cooking, so you possibly can transfer it after use with out a lot situation. I additionally appreciated the built-in place to retailer the twine.

What we did not like: Remember that such a crepe maker can’t be lifted and turned, so that you’ll should good utilizing the instrument to unfold the batter. Nevertheless, I used to be capable of get the cling of it rapidly. The sort of machine is bulkier to retailer than a slim steel pan. 

Whereas a nonstick floor like this doesn’t require the usage of oil or butter, the draw back to that’s that the ultimate crepes won’t have the signature buttery edges that true French crepes supply (the producer says to not use butter, as this gunk up the floor over time).

Key Specs

• Materials: Stainless-steel; plastic
• Weight: 3 lbs, 14 ounces
• Deal with size: N/A
• Induction suitable?: N/A
• Dishwasher-safe?: The instruments are

What we favored: As a substitute of the ladle-and-spread methodology, you add all of your batter into the offered bowl and dip the recent floor of this crepe maker into it. Solely a skinny layer sticks to the machine, eliminating the enterprise of attempting to unfold the batter as skinny as potential. When the crepe is cooked just a few moments later, the sting begins to peel again and the crepe might be simply flipped and eliminated. Whereas the general high quality didn’t examine to many of the different pans and makers we examined, this could possibly be an awesome possibility for newcomers or these intimidated by the crepe cooking course of. 

What we did not like: The crepes weren’t the prettiest or probably the most evenly cooked. Crepe purists and perfectionists may not be glad with the outcomes from this machine, although I might say this choose is just not for them anyway. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Nonstick-coated steel and plastic
• Weight: 1 pound, 10 ounces
• Deal with size: 8 inches
• Induction suitable?: N/A
• Dishwasher-safe?: No

The Competitors

FAQs

Are you able to make crepes in a forged iron pan? 

You may make crepes in a forged iron pan. Remember that chances are you’ll battle to swirl and flip the crepe in a forged iron skillet as a result of its weight and excessive sides.

Is forged iron or carbon metal higher for crepes?

We discovered that carbon metal is healthier for crepes. Whereas forged iron is nice at distributing and sustaining warmth, it is heavier than carbon metal. We most popular light-weight pans we might choose up and tilt to swirl the batter.

Why We’re the Consultants

• Taylor Murray has been working in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places. She has written extensively for Critical Eats. 
• Taylor examined 12 crepe pans, making a full batch of normal crepes in every and a batch of crepes bretonnes within the winners. Throughout this, she evaluated every pan’s efficiency, usability, and design.