Eli5: What creates the typical pancake pattern that you see on American pancakes after they are cooked?

Question

I make pancakes quite often and yesterday when I made a batch I looked at the one on the top and asked myself how this typical pancake pattern of a darker center and a darker edge comes about. Is it uneven heat distribution on the burner or is it the pan I cook them in ? Or something else entirely?

In: 0

Answer 1

In addition to the other comments, make sure the pan’s up to temperature first – otherwise the inside could have been at temperature but the outside could have still been warming up, leading to the uneven cooking.