Kashering Pre-Seasoned Cookware

Q. I bought a brand new pre-seasoned cast-iron skillet. Must this pan be kashered before it may be used?

A. “Pre-seasoned” means that a coating of shortening or fat has been applied to the pan by the manufacturer. This layer of fat is baked onto the surface of the pan to create a protective barrier which prevents the iron from rusting. This presents a kashrus concern since shortenings and fats may be animal based. Even if the company asserts that they use vegetable sources, there is no simple way to verify the veracity of this assertion. Furthermore, vegetable fat may be non- kosher if processed on the same equipment as animal fat. Rav Belsky zt”l ruled that this layer of fat is not only absorbed into the pan, but it also forms a visible external layer that must be removed before using the pan for kosher cooking. Scraping off this layer of fat is no simple task. The easiest way to kasher the pan and remove the fat is to perform libun by placing the pan in an oven and running a self-cleaning cycle. This will accomplish two things simultaneously: the external layer of fat will burn off and the absorbed oil will burn off as well.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.