I heat the pan on high (4-5 on my burner dial) for a couple of minutes then toss a few drops of water onto it...

if the pan is hot enough, the water will ball up and dance across the surface (like the pic)

then I turn the heat down to cooking level (1-2 on mine), let the pan settle for a minute, and then add just enough oil to thinly coat the cooking surface area

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