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I'm shopping for new pans right now and keep seeing cast iron advertized as "preseasoned". What does this mean? What are they preseasoning it with?

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3 Answers 3

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They're pre-seasoning with some sort of fat. It varies by manufacturer, though soy is probably fairly common (its both cheap and has a high iodine value). For example, Lodge uses soy oil.

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To add to Jay's answer:

The oil that is used to preseason cast iron undoubtedly varies.

Looking at Lodge's website I found the following:

"The cast iron is sprayed with a soy-based vegetable oil and then baked on at a very high temperature. The heat allows the oil to penetrate into the iron, creating a black patina finish with superior appearance and performance than home seasoning."

http://www.lodgemfg.com/use-care-seasoned-cast-iron.asp

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Cast iron inherently rust easily and does not provide a smooth nonstick surface to cook on. Seasoning cast iron provides a protective layer that will protect it from rusting and give the cast iron a nonstick surface. This is the way people got nonstick cooking ware before teflon and its directives or invented.

The seasoning on cast iron is formed by fat polymerization. Fat polymerization is maximized with a drying oil. This is usually achieved by treating the cast iron with a oil and then heating it.

Preseasoned means that cast iron does not need to be treated right out of the "bag". However note that the seasoning does not last forever. There are 100s of sites on seasoning cast iron if you google "seasoning cast iron."

EDIT:

To add to the additional question that the OP added, it is usually treated with vegetable oil, animal fat(lard), or according to this website, it recommends flaxseed oil which is a "drying oil."

It does matter what oil you use? Here are some hints: What oil do artists mix with pigment for a high quality oil paint that dries hard and glassy on the canvas? What oil is commonly used by woodturners to give their sculptures a protective, soft-sheen finish? It’s the same oil. Now what is the food-grade equivalent of this oil?

The oil used by artists and woodturners is linseed oil. The food-grade equivalent is called flaxseed oil. This oil is ideal for seasoning cast iron for the same reason it’s an ideal base for oil paint and wood finishes. It’s a “drying oil”, which means it can transform into a hard, tough film.

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  • I'm not really clear on how this answers the question; the OP wasn't asking what seasoning means, he was asking what the manufacturers use to season it (which is basically unanswerable, but still... this only addresses that on a totally hypothetical level).
    – Aaronut
    Jan 31, 2012 at 23:43
  • His original title/question was what "preseasoned" cast iron meant. I think he edited it after my answer. If I'm not mistaken, the OP can edit his question without a history for a certain period of time after posting the question.
    – Jay
    Jan 31, 2012 at 23:47
  • That grace period is 5 minutes... must have been a very fast edit/response.
    – Aaronut
    Jan 31, 2012 at 23:52

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