Nordic Ware Crepes n Things is a vintage crepe pan that aims to make crepes easy. It seems like in the 70’s the inverted style of crepe pan was very popular. Viking even had their own version which was made in Japan. Over the years, there seems to be multiple design revision to Nordic Ware Crepes n Things pan. I currently have two of styles and will go through the design features of these pans.

Easy Crepes Recipe

The main goal of these pans are to make crepes easy. Instead of pouring the batter into the pan, you dip a hot crepe pan into the batter. When the pan hits the batter, the crepe will automatically form around the pan. The goal was to eliminate the need to spread the crepe in a circular motion. There is a lot of skills and practice involved before you can make a thin evenly coated crepe. These design are actually fantastic but I guess the fad never caught on. The production of these pans from NordicWare or Viking seems to have stopped. The only version you can get now are these knock off brands. They look almost identical in terms of shape and design.

You can see a similar pan in action below. This will give you an idea on how to use these pans.

Nordic Ware Crepes n Things Design

This section will talk about the various design aspect of the Crepe pans.

Handle

There seems to be two type of handles that you can buy these pans in. Both are finished in a beautiful rich and dark wood finish. The balance is not that great, it feels heavier in the front causing more leverage on your wrist then necessary. But it is more well balanced than the Viking Pans.

There are two variations. One is the traditional round handle design. While comfortable and nice, it does not compare with the flat shape one. The flat one is curved just enough to give a comfortable grip, while at the same time, the flat shape prevents the pan from rotating. It is slightly longer than the round one and the balance is not as good. The round one feels lighter on the hand.

Shape

Both pans have a inverted dome shape for dipping. On the flat handle version, there is a lip where you are supposed to stop. The round handle version have no lip. I personally feel that while a lip gives you a guide on where to stop, in the long run, it will make your crepe worse. You need to hold the pan perfectly even to get a even round crepe. Where as the one with no lip have a larger margin for error.

On the bottom of the pan, the heat coils are also different. The flat handle version has coils that extends to the outer region of the pan. This helps distributes heat more evenly to the entire surface of the pan.

While the round handle version only has a heat coil that is focused on the center. If you heat up both pans properly, this really shouldnt be that much of an issue. But in terms of heat conductivity, I would say that the flat handle version is better.

Non Stick Finish

I personally never like non stick finish on any pan. The reason is that once the finish goes, so does the pan. The one made by Viking is just pure aluminum so its pretty much indestructible. The two pans that I have already have some of the finish flaking off. I guess you can argue that you can sand off the coating but who really does that. Regardless, the nonstick coating does make the crepe experience easier. If you had just pure aluminum, the chances of it sticking is higher. On the nonstick version, it will just fall right off.

Nordic Ware Crepes n Things Batter Bowl

Only on the newest out of production pans do these pans have a batter bowl. They were designed so that it fit the pans shape. Although not necessary, it was something nice to have. If you dont have the batter bowl, you can get a normal shallow plate and dip batter that way.

Fit and Finish

The fit and Finish is great on either pans. They look like they were machine made. There is very little flaws or issue to the pan. The one thing that is off is the alignment of the loop handle. It is not center with the flat surface of the crepe pan. It will drive those with ocd mad. This is only on the round handle one. The flat handle one does not have the issue.

Nordic Ware Crepes n Things Thoughts

These are pretty neat pans, They make crepe easy and I wish they still made these pans. I know that Nordic Ware made an electric version of these pans but those are discontinued. My guess is that it simple wasn’t popular enough and they just killed off productions. You can get knock off version of these electric pans at amazon though. The only issue that I have with these pans is the non stick finish. I want something that last. If you feel the same way, I would probably get the one made by Viking, those are just straight aluminum.

I hope you found this Nordic Ware Crepes n Things Review to be informative, If you would like to see more, please visit our Vintage page.