Besides crepes

October 18, 2009 8:56 AM

Besides crepes, what do you make with a crepe maker? I bought a Cuchina Pro 12" crepe maker. At less than $40, it's a great value, makes wonderful crepes. I'm wondering what else I can make with it, in the same way that, say, Rice Cooker cookbooks suggest non-rice dishes.

I'm looking for specific suggestions (even better, pointers to suggestions) rather than generic answers like "anything which can be cooked over steady low heat". Unlike the "what can I make with my crockpot" genre, all the crepe books that I have seen concentrate on the fillings rather than the crepes.

posted by portabella to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Well, with the convex domed cooktop and lack of containment, I find it difficult to imagine anything being cooked on a crepe maker other than some other flat bread.

Assuming your crepe maker is actually capable of the grill-hot temperatures required, you could try a tortilla or perhaps some Ethiopian flatbread.

And keep in mind that if you go and sear protein to the surface of your crepe griddle, like if you cook meat on it, it's going to perform worse for crepes thereafter. You can clean it of course, but in my experience, a crepe griddle used for anything but crepes eventually starts to suck for crepes, even if cleaned regularly.

And the reason that a crepe cookbook concentrates on the filling of a crepe is that, really, that's where most of the interesting part is. You can certainly herb or season your savory crepe batter, but if you move too far away from a crepe, it really ceases to be a crepe. And if you sweeten the sweet ones, or include tiny chocolate chips or something, it's going to stick to the griddle. This is in contrast to, say, a pancake, to which you can add just any sort of thing you want right in the batter.
posted by Netzapper at 9:09 AM on October 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Best answer: NOTE: This is NOT one of the domed crepe-makers!!
This is the flat, evenly distributed heat variety you find in crepe shops. So yes, you want your surface to stay in good condition, but because it is FLAT you can cook the wrapper and then top it with cheese, butter, etc., to get melted or warmed before serving. BE SURE to CLEAN anything that spills onto the grill quickly. SUGAR especially is bad to leave cooking on the grill.

Other things I can recommend include
- galettes/savory crepes (not just white batter with ham and cheese; get out the buckwheat flour, and turn this into a real dinner)
- blintz/blini
- brick
- dosa
- parattha
- lefse (though a real lefse griddle is better)

They are all, in the end, crepe-like, but the thickness, texture, batter spicing, and filling vary.

The Tibos crepe-makers come with an awesome "Crepes from around the world" book. I suggest trying to find a copy online or calling them up and trying to "replace" yours. Also, it is a crepiere par excellence which I highly recommend to anyone else who loves crepes.
posted by whatzit at 9:24 AM on October 18, 2009

Make Rugag bread - the video here.
posted by watercarrier at 9:45 AM on October 18, 2009

Maybe naan?
posted by headspace at 1:51 PM on October 18, 2009

Cake o' crepes.
posted by elsietheeel at 1:54 PM on October 18, 2009

Buy some masa and give corn tortillas a try.
posted by lottie at 4:04 PM on October 18, 2009

Use it like you would a griddle! Omelets, burgers, maybe even potatoes (although the tossing would need to be done carefully so as to not get potatoes everywhere).

Try to make Okonomiyaki, the delicious cabbage pancake of Japan, or the Korean (pajeon) and Chinese respective pancake-like objects.

French toast would probably be good, grilled cheese sandwiches, whatever you could cook on a nice, flat surface!
posted by that girl at 5:23 PM on October 18, 2009

Naan wouldnt really work, as it requires more space to puff up and get the fluffy texture required. Someone mentioned dosa - I would definitely try that. The recipe linked wrks, but you can buy mixes in indian stores or even online which work great. I've used the Geet and MTR brands, and they work fine.

Something else which I think would work really well is uttapam - this is a great cold weather meal. There's loads of recipes online, and again, there's mixes available.
posted by darsh at 9:20 AM on October 19, 2009

I have a crepe maker. I find it is perfect for making manicotti shells. (MeMail me for the recipe.)
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:53 AM on October 19, 2009

I've never had a crepe maker, but if I did, I would probably try to make Rick Bayless' recipe for Crispy Yucatecan Marqesitas.

Mmm, and now that I'm thinking about it, if you can get away with using your crepe maker as a tortilla press, there's also huaraches or maybe even panuchos, if you are feeling adventurous.
posted by KatlaDragon at 10:31 AM on October 19, 2009