/ck/ - Food & Cooking

Are Lodge cast iron pans good? It's the only brand I can find in my country. Do I have to remove the seasoning that is already on it to apply my own seasoning?

And I have never done this before obviously, but after coating a pan in oil and heating it up in the oven, would the pan be sticky or have a rancid smell if it's just kept in storage? Would bacteria and weird odors accumulate on the pan if I just wipe it down with a cloth after cooking?

So I got a cast iron skillet, but just bought a cheap lodge one. It's my understanding that the old wagners and whatnot are better because the surface was machined afterwards and is more smooth. Can i just sand down the inside of my shitty lodge pan to make it smooth and get a better surface?

If so, is there a point at which i should stop? I've sanded things to a polish before(Don't want to do that cause it's a shitload of work) but i'm not sure if there's an optimum smoothness/roughness for getting the nonstick coating going.

Just got my pre-seasoned iron cast skillet. Is there anything I should do before using I first use it?