Why do pancakes at restaurants like Denny's or iHop taste better than

homemade ones?

Both of them have their methods, with one being a bit surprising to me,
and the other that makes sense.

(from Curiosity Group)

So first up is IHOP, who claims that they’re doing FOUR THINGS that
would be different than people at home.

They’re using a dedicated grill just for the Pancakes. This way, there’s no
cross-contamination of other foods with the pancakes which would
affect the flavors.

The grill is kept at a perfect 350 F / 177 C for a precise cooking

temperature. At this temperature, they have the method to get the
perfect browning down pat when they train the staff.

they don’t cook with any oil or butter on the grill. This way, there’s no
chance of over-cooking unevenly and it doesn’t affect the taste either.

pancakes are made fresh to order. There’s no pancakes that might have
been pre-made and overcooked.

I’ve heard that there might be the possibility of an additional egg in

each batch of the batter, and I can see how this would make the batter
fluffier as the extra egg, especially if it was mixed and folded into the
batter, would introduce more air into the pancakes.

EDIT 2020–08–17: I was also just told about an extra ingredient they
add for texture, CREAM OF WHEAT. Makes sense, though another
reader told me that it may apply only to their “Country Pancakes”.

EDIT 2020–08–26: Was just told that they apparently also add 2
tablespoons of vanilla extract to each large batch of pancakes.

Now as for Denny’s, I was SHOCKED when I found out their reason why
their pancakes apparently did better in taste tests against IHOP.

(from delish)

In 2017, they STOPPED using pancake mix, and now make all their
pancake batter from scratch. Considering the pricing, I would have
thought that they would have been making pancake batter from scratch
at the start, but hey, who knew.

Also, apparently they used to make pancakes in advance of orders

arriving, but now only make pancakes fresh when an order comes in. I
kinda think this would have been obvious, but now I’m trying to
remember if pancakes I’ve had at Denny’s before 2017 was worse. I
honestly can’t remember.

So here’s a COPYCAT recipe that apparently comes really close to the

Denny’s pancakes, so you can try it out for yourself at home. Have fun
and enjoy your breakfast!

Denny's Inspired Fluffy Pancake Recipe from Recipes.net [1]

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 tbsp. unsalted butter melted

Cooking spray
Instructions

[Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large
mixing bowl.][2]

[Whisk egg and butter into buttermilk in a different bowl.][3]

[Fold flour mixture into buttermilk and whisk.][4]

[Place large non-stick pan or griddle over medium heat and coat with
cooking spray.][5]

[Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the pan and cook until the bubbles form
on the surface and edges.][6]

[Flip with spatula and cook until browned on other side.][7]

[Serve with maple syrup and butter.][8]

Recipe Notes

[Take note not to over-mix your batter. If you try to remove every single
lump in your batter, you will end up with dense, chewy pancakes instead
of the light, fluffy ones you are aiming for.][9]

EDIT 2020–08–17: Yes there’s a lot of links in the recipe. It’s on purpose
and a long story. Thanks from everyone who suggested edits but I have
some troll readers who have, in the past, managed to take down my
recipe posts because they thought there wasn’t enough accreditation.
Well, there’s no way they can complain now.