The Ice Cube Try Hack That Could Help Your Pancakes

You wake up and rub the sleep from your eyes, rummaging through the pantry and decide you want a proper pancake breakfast to carry you through the morning. But that might be too much work for your sleepy brain, so it may not actually come to fruition. 

But what if you had the pancake batter ready so that it was ready and waiting for you the next morning, complete with all of your favorite pancake toppings? Besides making it up the previous day and refrigerating it, there's a unique hack you can try to preserve your pre-mixed batter so it's ready to cook the next morning. You'll also eliminate the need to pour your batter into the pan, creating a gloopy mess when you try to make those golden flapjacks.

It's likely that you've stumbled across a handful of inventive ice cube tray hacks before that give the humble plastic tray a whole new purpose. Depending on what size your freezer's ice tray is, you can use it to make pancakes of all sizes and even save the extra pancake batter for another day. Plus, it beats having to use all the batter at once, which may result in leftover pancakes that might not keep well in the days that follow.

This easy pancake tip comes from kitchen hack queen Nicole Keshishian Modic on Instagram, better known as @kalejunkie. Grab your favorite pancake mix and follow the instructions to make enough for 1 cup of batter. If you're using Bisquik or another boxed mix, don't forget to include a few extra ingredients or spices to upgrade your boxed pancake recipe to make them taste even better. Once your batter is mixed, pour it into your ice cube tray carefully until each square is filled in. If you have any preferred pancake toppings such as pecans, fruit, or chocolate chips, you can add a sprinkling of them across the tray before covering it and leaving it in the freezer overnight.

The next morning, simply place a skillet over medium heat and spray it with whatever oil you prefer using to grease the pan. Modic uses avocado spray, but others who have attempted this method have chosen to use butter or margarine instead. You can pop just one into your pan to cook yourself a mini pancake, or you can use several squares for larger ones. 

"Place a lid on top (this is important) and cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown," she says. She also mentions that your pancakes might not form perfect circles and to just go with the flow. Keeping them in the freezer is fine for up to two months.