Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After 5 weeks in France, my husband and I were highly interested in continuing our access to warm, fresh crepes. We bought this crepe griddle and are very pleased. It's easy, heats evenly, and makes consistently great crepes. Below, you will find some advice I have to offer, based on our experience; I believe the suggestions may also answer some questions you have about the griddle itself. 1. The Spreader Tool - yes, they use these at all the crepe stands we went to up and down southern France. We use ours. The trick is to let it float, let it twirl in your fingers, with a flexible wrist, as you make the circle to spread the batter. (Sounds like a bigger deal than it is, but it helps.) 2. Heat - Keep it just under the 2 setting, at least at first. So far I keep it at 2. 3. Butter - Use a paper towel to spread a bit of butter before making EACH crepe. It works and tastes much better than the spray, Too much and the crepes will float and not spread well. That's why the paper towel. 4. "Brown Butter" (See recipe book comments below) - Don't bother with it, as putting the butter on the griddle, will give it a bit of browning flavor without the fuss and over-the-top taste. 5. Batter - Many suggest keeping the batter in the fridge overnight before making the crepes. In her cook book, Martha Holmberg explains that this allows the flour to fully hydrate. It's one of those "kitchen science" things, and I agree it makes a difference. I DO use a blender as Holmberg suggests, and this works well, though I believe letting the batter then "rest" in the fridge, is essential. 6. Crepe Book - We bought the Martha Holmberg book called "Crepes - 50 Savory and Sweet Recipes." Important: Read all of Martha's commentary (her commentary is relaxed and useful), including that with the batter section. Don't just dive into the ingredients list. We have made her "Versatile Crepe" and her "Buckwheat Crepe." I add a few tablespoons of sugar to the Versatile crepe, and (very important to me) some vanilla extract, when making this crepe for fruit, preserves, or even eating plain. This is the taste we had at the "sweet" Crepe stands in France. 7. Buckwheat (works well for savory fillings) - As you'll see in Martha's book, buckwheat is not wheat at all, so it does not have a grainy or gritty texture - plus, it is mixed with some regular flower. It was the perfect match for the ham and cheese (we used her optional suggestion of Smoked Gouda) crepes. Don't shy away from the walnuts, capers and "topping." (I know there is a better culinary term, but you get the idea). The capers, walnuts and topping, really "made" the crepes. I substituted sour cream for creme fraiche, and stayed with the Dijon mustard. I also added a bit more sour cream than called for (to taste), so the mustard did not take over. I was happy with this. For the topping, you'll multiply the measures listed, by the number of crepes you are making. 8. Guests and Warming - Because we were making crepes for guests, I made the almost all the crepes in advance. I say almost, because I saved enough to demonstrate one, and let our friends each make one. It was fun. Then I put the filling inside, and warmed the crepes in the oven. I put the "topping" on the table, and let people try to taste - everybody liked it. Calories - Think about this: Each crepe, which is quite large, uses only 1/3 cup batter, and 50% of that is milk and eggs. (I do use whole milk). Each guest ate two crepes - one sweet and one savory, with filling, and we were stuffed! Good luck, enjoy!