According to Ina Garten, a foolproof approach to achieving perfectly tender, fluffy pancakes is to add two extra ingredients: ricotta and cornstarch.

Ricotta disrupts the gluten formation that’s behind tough pancakes by preventing the glutenin molecules from being packed too tightly together, resulting in light pancakes.

Garten also adds cornstarch to her pancakes, as the starch not only relaxes flour proteins but absorbs liquids and expands to ultimately yield soft, fluffy pancakes.

Garten recommends a cup of fresh whole milk ricotta, and ¼ cup of cornstarch for every 1½ cups of flour. You can also add lemon juice, figs, and vanilla as Garten does.