Old Mountain 10160 Pre-Seasoned 11-3/4-Inch Cast Iron Loaf Pan

I own a LOT of cast iron..in fact, I probably own most of what Lodge has put out and typiually only purchase Lodge but I needed some additional bread pans and since cannot find Lodge brand any longer I purchased 2 from Sante Cabin and 2 from Old Mountain. Old Mountain arrived quickly, well wrapped/packaged and completely treated. Washed and used to encounter bread that dropped effortlessly from the pan without need for barely any prompting. After a few more uses the finish was even better...perfect.

The Sante Cabin cast iron arrived a few days later, washed to prepare for use and pan immediately began to rust. Description indicates "true seasoned" and "ready to use right out of the box" but also denotes "non-seasoned". It is NOT seasoned and rusted immediately after washing. On the other hand, the two Old Mountain loaf/bread pans were perfect. WAshed easily, zero rust, true non-seasoning and a beautifully shaped loaf.

Excellent purchase!

I have been looking for an alternative to non-stick for some time, and I finally decided on cast iron for a healthy replacement. After reading other reviews, I decided to try the Old Mountain one. I followed the instructions for new out of box care, and after using it for the first time, I noticed some of the finish came off onto my loaf. I had also noticed an odd smell coming from the pan. I was concerned about what the factory "pre-seasoning" was made of (it's made in China), so I scrubbed it off and followed the instructions for re-seasoning. I used grapeseed oil, and it worked perfectly!

Despite the issues with first time use, this pan does get 5 stars as the smell disappeared after the re-seasoning, and everything I have made (from wheat bread to banana bread) has popped right out with perfect, golden crusts. My recommendation is to re-season it before first use, it's definitely worth the money and improves after every use.

The casting and finish of this pan is of low quality.
Save your money and look for an AMERICAN made Lodge brand loaf pan in a second-hand store.