I do the same thing as wekick. I rinse them in hot water and either dry with a paper towel or place on the burner until it's dry. Then I wipe a small amount of oil on the inside. Since I have 2 skillets that I stack I place a paper towel inside. None of mine came with instructions to season after each use. If by chance you scrub it with soap and remove the seasoning then you'll have to redo it. If you have burned on particles of meat just use some kosher salt and a plastic scrubber and scrub. My kids gave me a Lodge pre-seasoned skillet last year and that one is my favorite. It just seems to have a better seasoning than the ones I did myself. I have 2 Le Creuset enameled cast irons Dutch Ovens. I bought mine at the Le Creuset outlet and saved a bundle. But I also have 2 Martha Stewart enameled cat iron Dutch Ovens that I bought at Macy's and the quality seems the same to me. I even like the fact that the lids on Martha's are dimpled on the inside so that the moisture that condenses on the lid drips back into the pot and doesn't run down the lid onto to the counter when you lift it up. Macy's frequently puts them on sale for 40% to 50% off. That's a great buy. Here is a link that might be useful: Martha's Dutch Ovens

if I compare a 36in 600 CFM hood and an identical 42in 600cfm hood, even though the CFM is the same, the larger one may be closer to a 36in 900 CFM? Intuitively, I'd lean towards the larger capture area as being more effective, although I can't say how much more effective. If you watch steam and smoke rise from rangetop to the hood perimeter, it's clear that the column rises as sort of an expanding funnel and the hood has a relatively small draw area at the front and front sides. But once the "effluent" is more than an inch or so away from the sides, the hood draw is much weaker and it rises above the hood--about 1.5" seems to be a max. On mine the draw around the front lip literally rolls and then is drawn into the hood space. From what I've seen, the extra 3" of hood with a 27" deep would give somewhat of an advantage. Also, I used to work in restaurants and if you look how line hoods are designed, capture area is maximized to cover all cooking surfaces and often extending a few feet beyond (some even have air flow devices to handle makeup air and maximize the upward flow to the hood). Perhaps someone who paid more attention in physics and fluid dymanics classes could weigh in . . .

As the OP I have a few things to say. Yes, I asked for help but had I known that by doing so I was putting my kitchen up to a "tribal council" decision, then I wouldn't have. Perhaps I should have worded my inquiry differently, such as "Does anyone have experience with a 36" inch island hood over a 36" range?" I apologize if anyone somehow felt affronted by me not taking your advice after you put in the time and effort to offer me your opinion. To be clear, I wanted to go with a 42" hood over my 36" BlueStar. My wife and interior designer however, were also concerned about limited storage space given the constraints inherent to the overall floor plan of the house. I originally posted on here to give me ammunition for my argument for the larger hood. But after reading mojavean's post it got me thinking. I realized that I do the majority of my cooking on two burners plus one for simmering. If I reconfigured the 36" range so that the burners I'm likely to use the most (22k btu) are directly under the middle of the hood, it actually would be BETTER under a 36" hood, than not reconfiguring and having the 22k burners at the front left and right, and thus closer to the edges of a 42" one. If you want, we could have an argument over fluid mechanics over that. I did point out how a smaller hood would be sub-optimal to my wife and did read some of the comments to her. However, I know that compromising is a vital part of a healthy relationship. And a compromise to a smaller hood which is arguably equivalent for the majority of the cooking that I will do seems fine to me. Plus, she is now fully aware of the potential odor and grease issues and I can always refer to this thread in the future should she complain about greasy plates and smelly shirts. Lastly, in regards to the skiing analogy. I'd argue that the most important piece of ski equipment is not the skis but the boots themselves. That's why boots are so much more customizable. You can't deny that you'd ski better in $1500 boots and beginner skis than the other way around. To me, the range is the equivalent of the boots. I can cook a pretty good meal on a 36" BlueStar with just rudimentary ventilation. I can't say the same if I had a hot plate and a custom made, fancy hood guaranteed to capture all possible effluent.

No problem, kkcooks. I just got back from a road trip myself. I call those disposable pans "foil pans" and admit I probably see more of them from take-out (which usually have cardboard rather than foil lids) than anywhere else. I never thought of using one to "self-clean a charbroiler. I am more inclined to remove an open burner range's drip pan for in-sink cleaning than my wife is and appreciate that the single grates are lighter than the double grates of Wolf's sealed model (which should benefit my wife even more). I liked the simmer burner's central flame and was a bit confused when an appliance store salesperson told me the sealed model's burner gave a better simmer by distributing the flame more widely. My guess is that the difference isn't all that great. I wonder whether the choice comes down to appearance more than function for most people (I think both look fine). Regarding the griddle being "too hot", ibbuzz, I thought more people would have that complaint about the charbroiler. In my experience, both griddles and charbroilers need to be learned. A few uses usually provides all the experience that's needed, occasionally at the expense of some burned items. Just don't cook anything expensive or cook for your in-laws (fortunately, mine are exceptionally understanding) the first time you use them.