Price: $5.29 (at Whole Foods)
Serving: 2oz. (that’s ¼ cup of batter, or 3 4-inch pancakes)
Calories: 112 per serving
Fat: 1%, 0.5g
Cholesterol: 3%, 10mg
Sodium: 0%, 0mg
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 8%, 23g
Fiber: 8%, 2g
Sugar: 7g
Weight Watchers Points: 2 per serving

Batter Blaster says: Just Blast Batter into a Skillet or Waffle Iron and Serve. No Mess – No Cleanup!

Chaviva says: I dare you to say the name of this nifty product five times fast, really. You see, this is the wave of the future. Yes, everything will come out of a pressurized can for your ease and convenience. It will be more than heat, eat, review. It will be shake, squirt, heat, eat, review. A few extra steps, but it seriously beats battling with packaging and slitting some film for satisfaction.

This space-age technology came to my attention purely in happenstance as I was waiting for the kindly gentleman at Whole Foods to talk to Miguel in the back about whether they had any more of those cute little mini jugs of nonfat milk (turns out they didn’t). And there, near the creamer and other dairy products, placed almost awkwardly, was this can of pancakes. “No Mess – No Cleanup!” the shiny can proclaimed. After considering the price – $5.29 for pancakes in a can? – I bought them. I mean, it was a prime opportunity to experience the food of the future.

My first go-round with these can-created pancakes was a flop. The pancakes seemed to disintegrate in the skillet before my eyes, but I chocked this up to my inability to cook anything successfully, even when the directions were as simple as shaking and blasting the batter in the pan. After chucking them into the trash, I considered whether the Batter Blaster was really made for the Heat Eat Review crowd. But we’re frozen meal people, and that once was the wave of the food future. So I forged forth and my second attempt was much more successful. These pancakes? As if nana had crawled out of her grave and slaved over a hot skillet all morning.

I’ve attempted the Bisquick “just add water” pancake containers and mix, but those always come out tasting thick and chalky, leaving me feeling about 10 pounds heavier after a mere few. These flapjacks, though, managed to come out tasting incredibly light and had the perfect amount of fluff. Tasting one before having slathered it with syrup, I even tasted a bit of sweetness in the batter. The product also works with a waffle iron, and although I don’t have one, I imagine you can be just as successful going that route. And be creative – spell out your name in batter!

The only bad thing about this can o’ fun is that it costs an arm and a leg. Yes, I was shopping at Whole Foods where organic automatically means “costs two dollars more than at your regular grocer,” but that’s no excuse. The can supposedly puts out about 28 pancakes, and in two tries, I’ve made about 10 small pancakes and the can is still mighty full. After checking out a few other reviews, I see that it can be had at Cost-Co in a three-pack for a mere $9.99. Just think, each of your munchkins can have their own can!

Let’s be honest, anything from a can that can be merely shaken, squirted and cooked is worth flipping over. If you go to the product website, you can even find out the nearest location carrying this blast to the future (okay, enough with the pancake puns). But really, you’ll thank me for introducing you to this food of the future when you’re squirting your already-seasoned Angus beef out of a pressurized can to make your sweet aunt Sally’s prize-winning meatballs.