Preparing the pan for pancakes?

[Veem]

When I was a child, my mother always gave the frying pan an extra special clean by rubbing the pan with dry salt on Shrove Tuesday so the pancakes wouldn't stick. Later, that became my job. But for the life of me, I can't recall what name was given to this task. I was speaking to a friend lately who also remembers doing that and referring to it by a special word. But she can't recall the word either.
Anyone who can, please put my mind at rest.

[Yonner]

is it called "seasoning"? or is that where you super heat it with oil, like with a new wok?

[Veem]

I'm hoping the word will jump off the screen when someone posts it, and unfortunately Yonner, that didn't happen with 'seasoning'. I think your other suggestion for that word is correct though and I had also forgotten that!

Thank you.

[Polly]

I’ve not met a word for preparing a frying pan for making pancakes; using salt like that was always used when seasoning a new frying pan or one which had been washed in the days long before non-stick pans.

The only advice I was ever given about making pancakes was to get the pan extremely hot before adding a little butter in the pan and wiping the excess off before adding just enough batter, not over-generous, and swishing it around the pan. That saves wasting the first, rubbish, pancake.

Then toss the pancake.

I love pancakes with crunchy sugar and a squeeze of lemon and quickly rolled up - never any variation for me!

[Veem]

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced Yonner is right. As you say, Gigi, cleaning the pan this way protected that first pancake, which was always at risk of being sacrificed. The last pancake at the end of my mother's marathon session tossing and serving was always given to our wonderful Old English Sheepdog cross dog Bob.
Always a sprinkling of sugar and (had to be) freshly squeezed lemon juice for me too.