Warning: I read that a new cast iron pan only holds about half the seasoning of a 30 year old one, and now I can't look at my new skillet the same

Richard Johnson · 2026-10-04T08:45:04.328588+00:00

I was poking around a cooking forum in Omaha last week and someone posted a side by side of a brand new Lodge next to their grandma's pan, and the old one had this dark glassy surface that made mine look half done. Turns out the older pan had built up layer after layer over decades, so it just cooks different, slides eggs right off while mine still grabs at the corners. Does anyone here actually feel a real difference between a fresh pan and one that's been in the family forever, or is it all in my head?

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Warning: I read that a new cast iron pan only holds about half the seasoning of a 30 year old one, and now I can't look at my new skillet the same | Cast Iron Comrades - The Community Guide