To flip or not to flip? That is always the question come Pancake Day, when you debate going for glory, or risking your delicious batter ending up floored.
One person who never wimps out with a cautious spatular turn is Brad Jolly. The Brisbane-based chef lives up to the PMA of his name by holding the Guinness World Record for the most pancakes flipped in one minute.
Back in February 2012, Jolly flipped a pancake 140 times in 60 seconds at Martin Place, Sydney. Many have tried but failed to beat the figure, meaning Jolly has held the record for an impressive nine years.
We caught up with the reigning champ ahead of Pancake Day 2021, to ask the secret to flipping success.
“Three things make a good pancake toss, the pan, and the batter, and the chef,” says Jolly, who is head chef and co-owner of Alchemy Restaurant in Brisbane, and has previously worked alongside Marco Pierre White, Eric Chavot and Jamie Oliver. The ideal movement is “all in the wrist,” he adds.
“I like to use a pan that doesn’t have any ridges on the lip. One that is not too deep. This allows for an easy toss,” he says. “By flicking the pancake not too high you will get the desired effect of a quick flip.”
The biggest mistakes people make are: “The pan having ridges on the side, the batter being too thick and the chef not having experience.”
Jolly doesn’t want to give away all his secrets, but in an interview in 2017, he advised waiting until the pancake has a little crust, so that it holds its form better. He also uses a 16-inch non-stick pan.
“If the pancake is well cooked and the pan isn’t sticky, the pancake will easily flip,” he tells HuffPost. “A contestant movement aids in the flipping of the pancake.”
Eagle-eyed viewers of the video above will also notice he opts for a thick, American-style pancake, so you should ditch your delicate crêpe if you’re considering challenging the victor.
HuffPost UK recently extracted some more pancake secrets from Henry Omereye, chef patron at Riding House Cafe in London – including a nifty backwards movement we’re still trying to master ourselves.
Perhaps Brits are beginning to give those Aussies are a run in the flipping stakes. Does Jolly think he’d still be able to match his own world record today?
“To be honest I was caught off guard when asked to do it,” he laughs. “I think perhaps age has gotten the better of me. Not sure, but you never know. It’s my understanding that many have tried but no one has accomplished it.”
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