Thread: defective cast iron pan?

we got the 12" Lodge cast-iron pan as a wedding gift and recently got the opportunity to use it for the first time. as I washed it with hot water and stiff brush I noticed that the white brush turned black. then also noticed black flakes on my hands as I handled the pan.

obviously this is not normal. the website where we registered for gifts listed the 12" pan as pre-seasoned, so there would be no pre-use procedure necessary.

we also have a 10" Lodge cast-iron pan and have not used it yet. since the weird discovery of blackened brush and black flakes coming off, we are leery of using the smaller pan.

any help and hints would be greatly appreciated! otherwise we're returning it as it may be defective.

A cast iron pan is pretty simple. There's no coating (ie ceramics) on the common Lodge brand pans, so the only thing that might be coming off of it is burned-on food.

You probably got one that had been used once and returned. Just throw it on the stove, put some water in it to abut 1/2" above the rim, and get it boiling. After its had ten minutes or so of that, turn off the heat, let it cool, then was it with a chore boy under hot water. Put it back on the burner, heat it up, grab some UN-flavored Crisco shortening on a paper towel and re-season it (rub the inside down with the Crisco and let it get hot until the Crisco starts to just barely smoke, then turn off the heat and wipe out the excess and let the pan cool).

thanks Glenn, but it's not "in" the pan that the black stuff is coming from. it's the handle and the wall around the outside the pan. and I wasn't using it on an oversized flame broiler that otherwise would have caused the soot to form there.

I'll try the recommended "coat the entire pan with veg oil and bake it in the oven for 1 hour" routine and see if that works.

Unless there is actual rust, I'd just clean, re-season it and consider it good to go. Seasoning can create a fair bit of smoke so be prepared or do it on the grill.

Originally Posted by FBJ

?....let it cool, then was it with a chore boy under hot water.

Say what?

Originally Posted by EshootzEscorez

Say what?

I assume he meant to say WASH is w/ a chore boy.....

But, what the **** is a chore boy.