Non-stick griddle frustration

Your question doesn't indicate that you are using any fats when making your pancakes. Many people make the mistake of thinking that just because it's nonstick that you can get away with not greasing the griddle. This is just wrong.

I always run a stick of butter over the heated griddle a few times, then rub it in with a paper towel. You want a really thin layer of butter on your griddle. After cooking a few pancakes you will need to do this again.

I've used really cheap electric griddles just fine with this method, the problem you usually have with a cheap electric griddle is hot spots, not sticking.

One thing you might be doing that will severely reduce the lifetimes of these pans is overheating them. Anything over 260 °C (500 °F) will cause the coating to deteriorate. Usually this happens when you leave the pan preheating on high without any food on it.

You can use well seasoned cast iron with very little fat. My cast iron skillet is actually slicker and less sticky than some of my teflon non-stick ones. It's also more tolerant of having metal utensils used on it. So if you have helpful housemates like me it's perfect. It is just NOT dishwasher safe in ANY way.

So far, my best pancakes come off stainless steel. The method is pretty simple--if the recipe calls for shortening or oil, I substitute the same quantity of unsalted butter. I melt the butter in the stainless steel pan at very low heat, then add the melted butter to the mix. The pan goes back on the stove at medium low heat.

After the first pancake, I give the pan a swipe with a paper towel to get the excess butter off and prevent smoking. This is producing very good pancakes and there's no sticking at all. I expect that the same basic method would work with a cast iron skillet.

I have had the exact same experience over and over again. Someone told me not to ever use Pam Cooking Spray on a non-stick surface, which I had done. So I stopped. But it seemed to happen again.

We found the most incredible results from this Presto unit "Presto 07061 22-Inch Electric Griddle with Removable Handles". So much so that I shipped overseas with us! It is finally available on Amazon.ca, and I assume Amazon.com as well.

This has consistently given me perfect results, with no need for grease, butter, or anything else. I think it is a combination of the non-stick surface, and a very fine sort of grid pattern stamped onto it. It produces golden pancakes that seem to be dummy-proof. I love it, and I highly recommend it.