If you are interested in checking out the world’s largest pancake griddle, you will have to make a stop at Birkett Mills in Penn Yan, New York! You can find this location on the north region of the Keuka Lake, and it is west of the Seneca Lake in the Finger Lake area. The address is 1 E Main Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527. There is street parking along the Main Street.
On September 27th, 1987, Birkett Mills became a Guinness Book World Record Holder for creating the largest pancake ever made at the Annual Buckwheat Harvest Festival. (This record has been surpassed in later years by the Co-operative Union Ltd based in Manchester, England.)
The metal pancake griddle itself is 28 feet and one inch in length (about 8.5 meters.) For the event in 1987, in addition to creating this massive pancake griddle, there had to be a way to actually mix the ingredients together, and this was smartly done with a cement truck. (Imagine all that pancake batter!)
During the festival, a crane was put in place for the actually flipping of the pancake, and cinder blocks were on the ground level to support it. After the pancake was made on this gigantic griddle, it produced the equivalent of about 21,600 regular sized pancakes.
Today, as you make your way through the beautiful village of Penn Yan, New York, you can see this massive pancake griddle right on the Birkett Mills building. Birkett Mills has been a major company in this area since their formation in 1797. They are one of the largest producers of buckwheat in the world, and they are also a New York Grown & Certified soft red wheat manufacturer. This company has worked with family farmers across North America for generations, and all of their buckwheat products are made utilizing traditional stone grinding techniques.
When you explore the area, I highly recommend taking a look at Birkett Mills from the bridge next to it. You will get some pretty spectacular vantage points of the village, and also the company itself.
If you are exploring Penn Yan, and looking for a great coffee shop, I highly recommend the Amity Coffee Company, which is also located right on Main Street. They have a really nice selection of coffees, lattes, expressos, teas, and many other delicious concoctions. If you are also a bit hungry, they also have pastries and bagel sandwiches. It is a wonderful spot to relax and re-energize on your travels.
When you are traveling to the Finger Lakes, make sure that you make a stop to see the enormous pancake griddle in Penn Yan. Not only is it very cool to look at, but you will have the opportunity to view an amazing part of the history to this region as well. Let me know if you have ever stopped here, and what you thought of it. I hope that you have a wonderful day, and remember to click the like and subscribe button!
If you are planning a trip to the New York area, and are interested in hiking or viewing spectacular waterfalls, a book that I would highly recommend and also own myself is “Hiking Waterfalls New York.” This literature reviews a variety of hikes, from the famous Niagara Falls, to even more less known hikes, but spots that you will not want to miss! At the beginning of the book, I really like that the author categorized the trails from her favorites, best waterfalls for fall foliage, best gorge hikes, roadside waterfalls, best historical falls, and even waterfalls that may draw in more crowds versus less crowded waterfalls. There is also a very nice map that lays out where the locations of them are, and that can be an amazing tool when you are planning your trip. This is great so that you know how far of a distance you can expect to travel from where you are lodging, and you can really make the most out of your time and itinerary. With each hike and waterfall listed there is a full color photo, trail distance, difficulty, and even information about the actual surface that the trail is made out of in addition to so much more!
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https://thebirkettmills.com/our-story/history/
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/68403-largest-pancake
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14 responses to “Birkett Mills Pancake Griddle”
England holds the biggest pancake record? Wow, I didn’t know that! X
England does! I think it is really cool to imagine all the pancakes that everyone could enjoy from those gigantic ones!
The village looks so attractive with its flower pits and little cafes and how amazing to create such a whopping pancake and to mix the batter in a cement mixer. I wasn’t aware of the Manchester Co-op’s one but I’ll definitely look into it. The Finger Lakes are becoming more and more appealing from your posts Allie!
Thank you very much!
As it happens, I’m a huge fan of pancakes. It’s crazy to hear just how huge that metal pancake griddle was. That must have been quite the undertaking to create, test out and then put it into action.
I agree with you, pancakes are delicious!
Wow that must’ve been a sight to see that pancake! The town looks so cute, one summer we want to rent a house on one of the finger lakes and spend time checking out all the places you recommend.
Thank you very much Lyssy! You guys would love the Finger Lakes!
Mixing the batter in a cement mixer and breaking a dubious record is a fantastic way to drum up tourism. It must have been amazing to see the oversized piece of novelty cookware once cooked the largest pancake in the world. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Thank you very much Aiva!
Penn Yan Village looks very pleasant and a charming place to explore. I had no idea that England holds the record for the largest pancake ever made. I cannot imagine all the logistics and preparation that went into making that industrial-sized pancake. Mixing the batter in a cement mixer, then flipping the pancake with a crane must have been a sight to see.
I agree, it would have been really cool to witness that! Thank you very much!
[…] If you are traveling to or reside in the Finger Lake region of New York, I highly recommend visiting the Keuka Lake. It is such a beautiful and peaceful spot, and would be an excellent day trip area to check out too. (If you do make the journey to this lake, a fun historical area I recommend stopping at is the Birkett Mills Pancake Griddle which was once the largest in the world! It is a nice area to walk around and see more of the village of Penn Yan too.) Birkett Mills Pancake Griddle […]
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