As far as cooking and/or baking fails go, I don’t do a lot of either, so I fortunately don’t have many failures you could call “epic”.

Sure, I’ve boiled down a potato until there was no water left in the pan, burned toast, under grilled burgers, and even made rubbery Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese.

There is however a curious occurrence that perhaps doesn’t fit into an epic baking/cook fail, but when I read the prompt for today, I immediately thought of this cooking quandary that almost always happens EVERY time I pull down the box from above the refrigerator.

My recollection escapes me at the time if I’ve mentioned this on the blog, but to make a long story short, my wife and I have a 3-year-old grandson who since he could speak has been a huge fan of pancakes, literally for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Me: “Hey ‘lil guy, how does grilled cheese sound for lunch?”

Him: “Can I have pancakes, Papa?”

Me: “You could have some mac ‘n cheese too.”

Him: “I want some pancakes, Papa!”

Before he truly understood that Cracker Barrel was the name of the restaurant, it was simply “The Pancake Store” to him.

So, that leads me to my epic cooking fail. Back to that cupboard over the fridge. I pull down the box of Bisquick Pancake mix (looks just like the box I used as a child decades ago) and proceed to measure half the recommended amount into my bright red mixing bowl.

Adding an egg, oil and some milk to the bowl, I grab the whisk from the counter and stir the ingredients together until they are blended well. Because I tend to like a tad bit thinner pancake, I add a dash more milk and stir it together again.

The preheated pan is ready, and I pour the batter in for that very first pancake. Bubbles rise and pop at the surface, slowing making their way to the center of the batter from the outside edges. As my grandson eagerly awaits, I reach for the spatula to flip it in the pan, lining it up and sliding it under.

Here’s where the epic fail comes in, and it usually happens every. single. time.

I slide the spatula under the pancake, and it sticks, making a sort of accordion out of that first one. I manage to scrape under it until I get most of it free, in pieces of course.

This “Frankenstein” pancake usually gets tossed into the garbage or ripped into bitesize pieces and fed to Scamp, our Corgi, who naturally is not terribly finicky when it comes to food presentation.

Oddly enough, every other pancake comes out looking ready for their close-up for a television ad, light, fluffy and fantastic. It’s just that first one for some unknown reason. Even if I put a bit of oil in the pan, it still makes a bad pancake #1.

Heaven knows I’ve had a lot (I mean A LOT) of practice these past few years, but the cause and remedy remain a mystery to me to this day.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN

Have you had your own memorable culinary misadventures? Whether it’s a pancake conundrum or a cake catastrophe, share your epic cooking and baking fails with us in the comments below. We can all find comfort and humor in the kitchen mishaps we’ve encountered along the way!