There’s something so magical about pancake commercials. After all, brands use advertising tricks to make food look delicious — and they sure know what they’re doing. The pancakes are fluffy, the stacks are high, and most importantly… the syrup drips down in all its sticky glory. There’s just one catch though: that isn’t syrup. It’s motor oil.

Yes, you read that right. Instead of syrup, pancake commercials actually use motor oil. (Like, the stuff that goes in your car.) And while we’ll be the first to admit that it’s super gross, it’s also kind of brilliant. Hear us out for a second.

Commercials opt for motor oil because it doesn’t absorb into pancakes.

This is a total game-changer, especially when you consider how pancakes are basically oversized sponges. In turn, motor oil won’t turn pancakes into a soggy, mushy mess. This gives the camera crew enough time to do their thing.

But that’s not the only thing advertisers have up their sneaky sleeves. They also add pieces of cardboard in between pancakes. The result is a sky-high stack of pancakes straight out of a breakfast lover’s dream.

Now, back to that motor oil pretending to be syrup. If you’re feeling personally attacked, don’t worry… we’re right there with you. It’s a disappointing discovery, to say the least.

But hey, let’s look at this way: It just goes to show that our homemade pancakes shouldn’t look like they’re straight out of a commercial. They’re perfect just the way they are — real syrup and all.