New pan

[sweetwater sugar shack]

Is it necessary to wash brand new pan with anything out her than water

[jbelany]

My new Smokey Lake pan was wrapped in a protective plastic. I peeled the plastic (a huge pain), rinsed it with water, and started boiling. First time ever and lucked out with some great tasting syrup!

[Big_Eddy]

Leader recommends a first boil with baking soda.

From one of their instruction sheets.

"To ensure the pans are good and clean with no residues, set the splashboard on and fill the pans with 2-3 inches of water. Add one pound of baking soda for every 200 gallons of water. Start the fire and bring the evaporator to a boil for approximately 30 minutes. Drain the pans, refill with just water, repeat the boiling process, and drain completely. "

http://www.leaderevaporator.com/pdf_files/american-or-king-pans.pdf