Pans and Equipment

A comparison of cast-iron pans, electric makers and substitutes, with mould size and heat.

A takoyaki pan has hemispherical moulds, and each ball is typically about 4 cm across. The mould size fixes the ball size: a larger mould makes a larger ball and changes the cooking time.

Electric takoyaki makers heat the plate to roughly 220-250 C. Cast-iron pans are preheated on a stove instead, and hold heat differently from an electric plate.

The plate must be hot enough for the batter to set around the filling; a cool plate leaves the batter unset and the balls will not turn into spheres.

Both pan types produce the same result once the balls are turned with a skewer as the batter sets: even spheres, about 4 cm across, topped with sauce, mayonnaise, aonori and katsuobushi.

• Cast-iron pan: preheated on a stove, hemispherical moulds about 4 cm
• Electric maker: plate heated to roughly 220-250 C
• Substitute: any pan with hemispherical moulds, preheated before batter goes in
• Tool: a skewer for turning each ball as the batter sets

Further reading

• Takoyaki at Home Step by Step
• From Osaka, 1935