Pre-seasoned cast iron pans, are they worth buying?
Cast iron pans are made to last. They are coveted from family members as they are passed down from generation to generation. My first cast iron was given to me by mom and its around 60 years old and it will go to one of my kids when I’m ready to pass it on. But you’re ready to buy your first cast iron or looking to add another pan to your kitchen and keep seeing pre-seasoned pans and not sure what that means or if you should buy one.
In short, the pan is pre-seasoned from the factory with wax or vegetable oil. This is to prevent the pan from rusting while it’s being shipped to you. They say that it’s safe to use as soon as you get it, but I wouldn’t use it, at least night right away. The pan itself is not the issue, it’s the seasoning. At a time when there is a big spotlight on what we are eating and what is in what we are eating, I want to know what my pan is seasoned with, so I would clean and season my pan.
So what’s the best way to clean the pan and remove that pre seasoning? Burn it off. I like to use a portable burner outside and put the pan on high flame for awhile. You want the pan to not have any shine to it form the pre-seasoning. Let the pan cool down completely, then wash with soap and water. Dry it and then start the seasoning process. There are tons of ways that people say to season a cast iron pan so pick a method that you are comfortable with.
Here’s a link to my video on how I restore and season my pans.