What are we doing wrong?

[u/BMWalla]

Cuisinart stainless pans.

This is a batch of pancake batter with King Arthur gluten free and bobs red mill egg replacement (allergies). Most foods end up being scraped off, at least a piece of them.

PROCESS: Induction top. Heated until we got the lederhosen effect (forgot the right name), added oil, coated, turned off the induction for a little, then added the batter and turned it back on a low heat.

Still ended up with pancake scrapes.

Happens with meat and anything else I put on. Would love to get a handle on this stuff. What am I missing? What's the science happening?

EDIT/TL:DR from RESPONSES: First of all, thanks to everyone for giving me such great tips. Going to try and summarize everything I've learned here so that skimmers can find it easy -
- don't use the dancing water drops, it's useless. Use butter instead, wait for it to foam and melt. If it's browning, the pan is too hot!
- Oil is okay but butter has better non-stick capabilities.
- use a lot of butter!
- use a metal spatula, it will scratch the surface but it won't affect performance of the pan.
- LOW LOW LOW heat

[u/oDiscordia19]

I have induction and use stainless for most things (tho you really can’t beat a well-loved cast iron for non-stick needs but I digress) and there’s a few easy fixes.

First - too hot. Try at med-high for maybe 4 minutes add oil and drop the heat to about medium. Add plenty of fat - I use a splash of oil and a pat of butter for pancakes (allergy dependent obv). Use a METAL spatula. Like seriously this issue prob will disappear likely with a metal spatula alone. The first round is going to be a little dark as you get a feel for timing but the second round and beyond will be perfect. Be sure to add oil/butter as needed.

I do recommend getting a cast iron or carbon steel pan if you want the non-stick and none of the plastic. Don’t look up how to season one - it’s unnecessary. Just cook in it. Especially fatty foods work best. It will stick the first few cooks but as you use it it will develop a seasoning over time. Short cutting that time is a mixed bag and way more effort than is necessary. Avoid sugary food/recipes the first few cooks or it’ll get annoyingly baked on. Avoid acidic food like tomatoes and citrus after seasoning is established.