Crepe Pan

A crepe pan has a special shape that makes turning out consistently beautiful crepes easy. Although you can certainly make crepes in any nonstick skillet you may already have, a very shallow pan with just slightly sloped edges does facilitate the process. These pans come in a variety of materials including nonstick aluminum, cast iron, and copper.

Nonstick Aluminum

This may be all the umph you ever need to turn out attractive and delicious crepes. The nonstick surface works without butter or oil, although nothing is to stop you from using a little if you wish. The lightweight feel means you can easily handle the pan for tilting and turning.

Teflon coating has come under attack recently with claims that it may be toxic. This is probably only a concern if you have a pan that is flaking and peeling. My experience has been that with gentle treatment the coating remains unmarred after years of use.

Some people note that the handle on this model heats up considerably, so you may need to use a mitt or pot holder. This pan is inexpensive enough to warrant buying two, which can considerably speed up the process of making crepes. Having two pans cooking at once is easily mastered.

Le Creuset Crepe Pan

This is a heavy cast iron pan that some claim to be a more authentic way to cook crepes than the lighter weight aluminum models. As with all cast iron, you must properly season and care for the pan to maintain the surface. Cast iron is a fabulous distributor and retainer of heat, but it it not stick free. You will have to lightly coat the pan with oil to make crepes with this.

Please also note that cast iron is very heavy. This is not a pan you can pick up and twist about, although the manufacturers mention flipping (good wrist work out I would imagine). You will have to have a crepe spreader to get the batter to evenly coat the surface. The Creuset featured on Amazon comes with the spreader.

Scanpan

Scanpan is a Scandanvian company that has built a reputation around its solid feeling cookware made from what they refer to as ceramic titanium. This is a hand cast aluminum pan that features a nonstick surface. This pan is all you will need to get excellent results when making crepes. The lightweight material makes it perfect for tilting and turning and you will not need a crepe spreader. The surface is tooted as being scratch resistant even when using metal utensils.

It is notable that Scanpan cookware is sometimes criticized for its durability. Consider that it is possible that the surface of this pan will not last forever, and if you use it frequently, you may need to replace it more often than you wish.

Copper

In many circumstances, copper is considered to be the ultimate cookware material. It is very responsive - heating up and cooling down quickly, as well as distributing the heat very evenly over its surface. Although it does require some special upkeep, copper cookware is going to last a very long time. Your kids will probably be inheriting it if you decide to invest.

Personally, I'm not convinced it is needed for making crepes, where you will usually want to maintain the pan at a constant temperature. People do note however, that the crepes made in a copper pan are particularly tasty. Copper is not a nonstick surface so you will need to use some butter or oil with this pan.

Return from crepe pan to French cookware.