Potato pancake calculator
Placki ziemniaczane from raw grated potato, onion and egg, with two spoons of flour to the kilo.
Potato pancakes are counted from raw peeled potato — that is the 100%. Everything else is a small addition: onion, egg, and literally two spoonfuls of flour to the kilo.
How it works
Raw, not boiled
This is a different base from kopytka. There the potato is boiled and riced; here it is grated raw, along with all the water it will give up. A kilo in this calculator means a kilo already peeled, which is how AniaGotuje states it.
Keep the flour low
Two level tablespoons, 20 g to the kilo, or 2%. Kwestia Smaku uses even less — half a tablespoon to half a kilo. The flour only has to bind the water the wringing left behind. Too much of it turns the pancake rubbery.
Save the starch
The grated potato is wrung out; AniaGotuje gets 100–150 ml of liquid from a kilo. Do not pour that away straight off — after 10–20 minutes a layer of starch settles at the bottom, and it goes back into the mix. That starch is what binds the pancakes, which is why so little flour is needed.
Sources & methodology
Every percentage in this calculator traces to the published sources below — nothing is invented. Where respected sources disagree, the default sits inside the documented range.
- AniaGotuje — placki ziemniaczane — The anchor: 1 kg of peeled raw potato / 2 eggs (10%) / a small onion 120 g (12%) / 2 level tbsp flour = 20 g (2%) / 1 tsp each of salt and sugar; 25 pancakes. Also the source of the wring-and-recover-the-starch method.
- Kwestia Smaku — placki ziemniaczane — The lean end of both bands: half a tablespoon of flour and a quarter of an onion to 500 g of potato (0.8% and about 6%).
FAQ
Is the onion necessary?
No. AniaGotuje says outright that the onion and chives can be skipped, while using a small onion to the kilo (12%). Kwestia Smaku uses a quarter of one to half a kilo, roughly half as much.
What fat should I fry in?
The source gives lard or oil — goose lard in AniaGotuje’s case. Lard tastes more of itself and smokes later; oil is neutral and cheaper. Either way, turn when the underside has browned and drop the heat if it colours too fast.
Why does the mixture go grey?
Grated potato oxidises within minutes of meeting air. Grate right before frying and do not build up a batch for later — once the water is wrung out, it goes into the pan.
How many pancakes from a kilo?
Twenty-five large ones, about 50 g of mixture each.
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