Understanding the physics of pancakes to save sight
Understanding the textures and patterns of pancakes is helping UCL scientists improve surgical methods for treating glaucoma. The appearance of pancakes depends on how water escapes the batter mix during the cooking process and this varies with the thickness of the batter, according to new UCL research. Understanding the physics of the process can help perfect pancake making and gives important insights into how flexible sheets, like those found in human eyes, interact with flowing vapour and liquids. Co-author Professor Ian Eames, Professor of Fluid Mechanics at UCL Engineering, said: "Pancakes come in many shapes and sizes and everyone has their favourites - some prefer a small, thick pancake with a smooth surface whereas others enjoy a large, thin crępe with 'craters' and crispy edges. We've discovered that the variations in texture and patterns result from differences in how water escapes the batter during cooking and that this is largely dependent on the thickness and spread of the batter." The study, published in Mathematics TODAY , compared recipes for 14 different types of pancakes from across the world including the Canadian ploye and Malaysian lempeng kelapa. For each, the team analysed and plotted the aspect ratio, i.e. the pancake diameter to the power of three in relation to its volume of batter, and the baker's percentage which is the ratio of liquid to flour in the batter, i.e. the thickness of the batter. They found thick, almost spherical pancakes such as Dutch poffertjes had the lowest aspect ratio at 3, whereas large, thin French crępes had the biggest at 300.
