how did the french do it?

[cleofus1]

before teflon the french must have made crepes and all that delicate delicious stuff....how did they do it...i have never tried it...even with teflon...but i'm wondering if any experts out there have an idea...

[supernova]

1. Cast iron

All you need is a large cast iron skillet.

Any well-seasoned cast iron pot will be stick-free.

[wildeyed]

2. There is some sort of special crepe pan.

Husb2Sparkly and a few others posted about them a while back. From what I recall, there is a seasoning process that needs to happen first, and then they are good to go. Also fairly inexpensive. I think I saw them for sale at World Market.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. The French did (and still do) it with steel crepe pans ........

....... like this one:


These are very inexpensive. The site this picture is from, Fantes, in Philadelphia (http://fantes.com/crepe.htm#steel), sells the de Buyer brand, which is excellent quality, for a mere 12 bux for the 8" size and 18 bux for the 9.5" size.

These pans need to be seasoned. They season exactly like a cast iron pan. When done, they're slicker'n'teflon. Way slicker than a cast iron pan can get because the grain of steel is far finer than cast iron.

While made specifically for crepes, they make an excellent alternative to teflon for such low(er) heat items as eggs. I have several I've had for almost 40 years (they were among the first pans I ever bought for myself) and they still perform beautifully. In fact, like cast iron, they get better with age.

As you can see from the picture, they ain't pretty. But I actually like them cuz they look damned 'serious'.

If you get them, search the archives of this forum for the care and seasoning of cast iron. We've discussed that topic several times.

Speaking of the care of them, it, too, is just the same as for cast iron. No soap. Just water and maybe some salt if anything ever sticks. Mine have not had soap or salt on them in years. They're so well seasoned now that a simple wipe with a paper towel is all that's needed. In extremis, I've occasionally had to use a wet wash cloth on them, but that's it. Also, if you use water on them, wipe them with a dab of vegetable oil before storing them so as the prevent rusting (they're steel ... they will rust if not taken care of).

I honestly recommend these to anyone who wants to avoid the use of teflon. Mind you, even off brands look just like the ones in the picture. There are no 'designer' versions with fruit or flowers painted on 'em. All of them look just as ugly and serious as these do.

As an aside .... the French also used a specially designed crepe range when doing any serious volume of them. The range is almost always gas fired. It is round with an even heat top - a round slab of cast iron - no discernible burners - just this hot surface. In the middle of the top is what looks like a chimney. It is actually a gas flue to allow the gas to vent. It also serves another purpose. The crepe cook bangs the crepe pan against the flue before flipping the crepe. The crepes tend to **very** slightly stick as they cook. The tap loosens the crepe. The cook is then free to flip it in the air to turn it. After some use, the flue of the range has this dent in it at the exact height of the lip of the crepe pans. And all the pans have this dent at the edge opposite the handle. But hey ... the system works.

Today, however, some employ mechanical crepe ranges that cook them on a sort of heated conveyor belt. Not nearly so romantic as the constant knocking of the old steel pans against the flue. Such is 'progress'.