Waffles, pancakes, or french toast?
Photo Courtesy of Vincent Rivaud- Pexels
Pancakes, waffles, and french toast are breakfast staples. Which breakfast option is your favorite?
Good morning! You wake up and are starving. From your room, you smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. You get up to a decadent breakfast waiting for you when you arrive. The whole kitchen is filled with everything from soft, fluffy pastries to fresh fruit platters, but three foods catch your eye: waffles, pancakes, and french toast. Now you’re stuck. Which is the best? Each has their good and bad qualities. I’m unsure of everyone’s stance on this topic, but I believe there truly is only one obvious choice.
Starting off with pancakes—these are not exactly what you’re looking for. While they can be modified with add-ins like blueberries, chocolate chips, bananas, etc. and are pillowy in texture, they can also be undercooked and taste gross. Bad pancakes can be tough and chewy if not prepared correctly. If you eat them, you’ll also be left hungry because they don’t have much protein or fiber. Adding fruit sometimes helps, but it’s not the best option, fruit or not.
Your next option is waffles. This is better. You get the crispiness you can’t get with a pancake, but it’s still fluffy on the inside because of the way they’re cooked. The distinct grid pattern does hold the syrup quite well, but if it sits too long, the waffle gets soggy. We all know that nobody likes soggy waffles. If cooked correctly, the waffle doesn’t crumble like pancakes sometimes do, but if it’s not cooked right or mixed properly, it can fall apart and be gritty. Waffles provide more nutritional value than pancakes typically do, with protein and healthy fats that can satisfy your hunger for hours. They also can have add-ins like fruit or chocolate which would satisfy that craving. Another disadvantage to waffles is that you need a waffle maker to cook them, which is always a pain to get out of the pantry and then clean up when you’re done. Luckily, your breakfast is already made for you, so you don’t have to worry about this pitfall.
Then, you spot it…french toast! How can you mess up french toast? It’s very difficult to make a batch of bad french toast. They have so much flavor because the bread is dipped into spices and then cooked. You have the syrup aspect that the others lack and it’s still sweet enough because of the mixture it’s dipped in! You get the crispiness from the cooking process, yet still keep the fluffiness from the inside of the bread. While this is similar to a waffle, you get that bready texture which can never be messed up, unlike a waffle. You can’t really add anything into french toast, but you are able to put fruit, chocolate, or even ice cream on top of it like either of the other options. French toast also has lots of nutritional value from its protein and healthy fats, alongside a vitamin boost because of the iron and B vitamins in the bread. Plus, instead of creating something new with a batter like pancakes or waffles, french toast can save old and stale bread and give it new life. So, by making french toast, you’re saving food that would’ve gotten thrown out! This is obviously the best option to choose.
So, while you’re standing in the sweet air of the kitchen weighing your options, it becomes clear. Pancakes pose a risk of being dense or undercooked and waffles can get soggy or be too crunchy. French toast avoids these nuisances completely due to the structured bread being dipped into a custard-like mixture before cooking. French toast is perfect, with its golden exterior and airy, flavorful interior. You realize as you take your first bite of french toast that you made the right decision and are fulfilled with your choice of breakfast. Now…what beverage should you have to wash it down?