Sweet Treats Smiley Pancake Maker review

As I am married to a Frenchman who hails from Brittany, I usually refuse to make pancakes ! Brittany is the home of ultra-thin, soft in the middle but crispy on the edges, lacy crêpes and - I don't know if it's down the the flour or the equipment (they use a big round flat pan and a wooden scraper to spread out the pancake batter) - I can never manage to get my pancakes to rival those we eat in Brittany. Even my mother-in-law buys fresh crêpes from the supermarket chilled aisle when she wants to serve them, rather than attempting to make her own (traditionally with a slice of ham, a fried egg and cheese, although there are a million other options available, including the gorgeous chocolate and banana or chocolate and pear ones).

When the opportunity came up to try out one of the products from the Sweet Treats Home Baking range, I decided to opt for the Smiley Pancakes Maker and get pancakes back on the menu, much to the delight of the Madhouse mini-testers ! To make things even easier, I used a packet of Mrs Crimbles pancake mix (which I've just told you about here). I turned on the pancake maker so it would preheat and once I was ready with the batter, it was ready to go. All you have to do is ladle a small amount of batter onto each of the four smiley faces, close the lid and wait a few minutes for the green light to come back on.

If the pancake maker didn't get hot, it would be simple enough for kids to use but it does need adult intervention to avoid little fingers getting burned. In theory, you shouldn't need to turn the pancakes over, but I found they cooked through better if I flipped them over for the last minute or so of cooking. Within about four or five minutes, you have four smiley faced pancakes ready to devour. The kids decidedly squelaed that they looked like Teletubby toast !

 

I suddenly seemed to have lots of willing testers, who were eating them quicker than I could make them ! They are the perfect size for children and the smiley faces went down incredibly well too. The kids ate them with a variety of toppings - jam, Nutella, sugar and lemon juice or salty caramel spread (more about that in another review too !) - and in the end, Juliette started sandwiching them together to eat them two at a time ! I think this would be a great way of sneaking healthy ingredients - such as grated apple and carrot, blueberries or tuna and sweetcorn - into food that even fussy eaters would love to eat.

When it came to cleaning up, I was disappointed to see that the pans on the pancake maker are not removable. I was however pleasantly surprised to see that were an absolute breeze to clean - just a quick wipe with the washing up sponge once the machine had cooled down was enough to get it totally clean, even in areas where the pancake mix had dripped down the side or splurged over the edge.

The kids all loved it so much they've asked if we can have pancakes every day for breakfast in the holidays ! If that's not a seal of approval, I don't know what is ! For ease of use, convenience and fun, it gets a thumbs-up from me too.

There are a whole host of other products available in the Sweet Treats range which sound perfect for cooking up cakes and other gorgeous nibbles in a fun and convenient way. Choose from Mini Cupcake Maker, Whoopie Pie Maker, Brownie Maker, Cake Pops Maker, Brownie Bites Maker, Zoo Waffle Maker andPopcorn Maker.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £29.99

for more information : http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/9349669.htm (currently only £19.99 at Argos)

Other reviews you may be interested in :
Mrs Crimble's Pancake Mix review
Morphy Richards Premium Plus breadmaker review
HELP WHIP BREAST CANCER WITH THE PAMPERED CHEF LIMITED EDITION PINK PRODUCTS