alright so a little more detail:
firstly, this side is the first side down, which is why I find this so weird but it happens every time. as for the way I make them: I use pancake mix because that's what my mother keeps in the house; I cook them in a pan (I have no sort of griddle); I use butter as my non-sticking agent.
I'm not very experienced in the cooking field so feel free to state things that may seem obvious.
Thanks!
Why do my pancakes look like this?
When you put down the batter on the butter, it creates this pattern and the brown crispy edges. The batter soaks up the butter, so after flipping there is no butter on the pan so it will come out smoother, unless you put it on a spot with more butter. You could try melting the butter in the pan and wiping out the excess, almost wiping it clean. This should solve the issue. By looking at the edges, they look fried so that tells me that there is a decent amount of butter on the surface of the pan. You can also try thinning the batter a bit and turning down the heat a bit. If you are using a nonstick pan, you really need no fat at all in the pan.
I like pancakes cooked this way with crispy edges.
Also the fat in the pan, especially with a non-stick pan, will puddle or bead up, so when you pour the batter over it, it creates this interesting pattern. The batter pushes the fat to the edges of the pancake and makes them browner and crispier on the edge. I actually like when this happens especially with hoecakes.
I always have one side that looks similar to this and one side that is evenly brown and more smooth looking.
From your description, I have to agree with bakechef. I've been cooking pancakes all my life (or at least since I was tall enough to reach the stove top). When you have enough fat in the pan to pool (more than a light sheen), the moisture in the batter steams as it reacts with the hot fat. This lifts part of the batter, and the portion that contacts the pan heats faster due to the hot fat touching it, than the rest of the batter. And bakechef's description is perfectly accurate. And like him, I like that little bit of crunch on the edges.
If you want perfectly even colored pancakes on both sides, type in Chief Longwind's Pancakes, in the search engine. If you follow the directions, the pancakes will be super light, moist, and evenly colored, and smooth on both sides. I give you my word on that.
Hint: If you use bacon, or sausage grease as your fat, instead of butter, not only will you have less cholesterol in your diet, but they will add another great flavor to your "crispy-edge" pancakes.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
so I tried without butter on a non-stick pan and dialed back the heat a bit and they came out much more normal looking. I'll try to make the batter from scratch next time. Thanks!
Excellent news! I thought that might be your problem. There's a simple test you can use to check the surface temperature. I'll admit it's not very scientific, but it works. Simply take a few drops of water and sprinkle it in your preheated pan. If your pan is the right temperature, the drops will sizzle and jump around for a few seconds before evaporating. If the water immediately turns to steam, the pan is too hot. If it sits there in the pan for too long, it's not hot enough.so I tried without butter on a non-stick pan and dialed back the heat a bit and they came out much more normal looking. I'll try to make the batter from scratch next time. Thanks!