"I'll keep that in mind." It's something? And he does at least finish the rest of the pancakes without incident.

As he slides them onto another plate, "Sounds like something his parents didn't handle well, then."

The pancakes aren't pretty, but not all of them are burnt, and only the one was fully charcoal. (He left that in the pan.) Zerxus sets them down in the middle of the table. There's a jar of honey, which should help.