Here's how I season my large Jambalaya pots (AKA wash kettles, gypsy pots, hog pots).......some as large as 30 gallons. Clean the interior with Bar Keeper's Friend followed by a second water washing with Liquid detergent then a good rinsing. DO NOT skip this important step. Then warm your pot over an outdoor burner using a small flame. Then intent is to "warm" your pot on the bottom and sides and completely dry it. Allow your pot to slowly get HOT. Put a little lard (or Crisco shortening) in the pot and when it is melted.....CAREFULLY smear it completely around the pot....both inside and outside......using a wad of paper towels. Wipe off all excess lard....no puddles allowed. You only want a "thin" coating of lard. THIN is important. Then using a PROPANE torch heat the pot "evenly" and completely around it. After it gets hot all over....start working the torch in smaller areas...heating that "small area" to the smoking point of the lard. As you do this, you will see it turn black. Don't heat any longer after it turns black....move your torch to another adjacent area and repeat. Continue to keep your pot hot by heating completely around it with your torch....then focus on a smaller area again. Do not let your pot overheat in any one area to the point of where the seasoning flakes (or burns) off. It is important that you do not burn off the seasoning that you just laid down. The more you do this....the better the seasoning layers will develop. FYI, on a very large pot I use the kind of propane torch that they sell at Harbor Freight for de-icing driveway or for burning grass. For smaller pots I use a smaller propane soldering torch. To prevent future rust in storage and to help further develop its good seasoning layer. Coat the interior and exterior of your pot lightly with some melted lard (purchased stuff...not bacon fat). NEVER EVER coat your pot with regular cooking oil as IT WILL eventually get sticky, gummy, and go rancid. There is nothing worst than that rancid taste in your cooked food. You can prevent this from ever happening by simply using either Crisco shortening or purchased Lard for coating your pot between use. ......grapeseed oil is highly recommended for indoor oven seasoning (less smoking). Best of luck to you in your outdoor cooking adventures. Dan Semper Fi-cus

love2weed, I agree that the pan should be cleaned well first, then seasoned. I don't have a self cleaning oven, so that's out, but I have used spray on oven cleaner, put the pan in a garbage bag and left it overnight. Then you have a clean pan and you can start from scratch with seasoning. I also use shortening to season cast iron, some oils seem to get rancid to me. I rub all over, inside and out and put the pan in the oven upside down with foil under it to catch any drips. 350 for a couple of hours (maybe 3 or 4 if I forget), or 400 for an hour or so will start it off nicely. The very best seasoning method I've found is making french fries. Heat the oil hot enough to fry the potatoes and make a couple of batches. That oil soaks right in and in a couple of uses, you have a very nicely seasoned pan. I love cast iron, I have a set of skillets that I got in 1974 and they are nearly as slick as teflon. I'm still working on that old yard sale pan I got a couple of years ago, a Griswold "chicken fryer", but it's coming along... Annie

Once it's well seasoned you won't need to scour much, but at most use a plastic brush or scrubber. Lacking that, use some coarse salt and a paper towel. If it isn't seasoned and some stuff has stuck, here's what I find usually works: put water in the pan to cover the stuck stuff. Bring it to boil, then turn it off. Let it soak a little while you clean up the rest of the kitchen. Then use salt or a plastic scrubber to dislodge the stuck stuff. Once clean, rinse out with hot water, paper towel it dry then put back on the burner on low for a minute or so to drive the remaining moisture out of the pores of the iron. While the pan is warm, put a tiny amount of oil (I use grapeseed) and use a paper towel to rub it into the inside of the pan. You don't want it really greasy, it'll attract dust. Oh, and if your cast iron piece has a lid and you live in a humid climate, don't store it with the lid snug or the inside will rust. You can fold up a paper towel and put it on the rim, then put the lid on to allow air to circulate within the pot.

I am so encouraged to see this many 15" skillet users. : ) Have you used a French Top, Homechef? I've watched some videos of those and they look pretty interesting. I wasn't sure if they'd have issues with cooler edges by virtue of design or not. I'd love to try using one and see if it would work well for us or not. I didn't realize the island guard pushed the range so far forward Ci Lantro. That's great that it lets you use larger pans on the back burners of the Wolf. We won't have the freedom to do that in our kitchen, but that might help others to know that info. : ) I hear you about the Kenmore with sealed burners. That's what we had when we had a gas stove before we moved and switched to electric 6 years ago. Meh, I was glad to leave that one behind. That's neat your mom used to use a big skillet, Lazy Gardens. I'm assuming she was cooking on gas, since the electric underneath ours is a no-go. We do have and use 2 12" cast iron skillets, too LWO. But there are times when it would be nice to throw a massive amount of food into the big skillet and let 'er rip. ; ) I'd love to see a pic of your tractor disc-wok setup. Sounds awesome! Mistman- oh, oh, a real live Blue Star owner! I'm going to have more questions for you. I'll start another thread so other BS owners can join the fun. Gyr Falcon, it's great to hear it works on the GE Profile. I picked my skillet up (also a Lodge brand) in the camping section of Wal Mart 7 or 8 years ago. I was so excited to find it, but it's my most underutilized pan right now. CTDM, excuse my gawking at your cast iron collection. Those are gorgeous! Love how they shine. I hope it doesn't take 100 years to get a patina like that on ours. My one 12" lodge is getting a nice sheen to it, but the other one that we've been using for about a year still has a rough surface in the bottom even after seasoning it in the oven and using it a few times a week. Both are Lodges. Yes, the 15" skillet is honkin' heavy. Please stay tuned for questions about the Blue Star. I'll be starting another thread soon. Glad to hear from another long-time user, Loyalandtrue. Comfort foods, those are the best, aren't they. That's exactly what I want to do, Cindy103d: Brown lots of meat, onions, or mushrooms all at the same time. Or potatoes, or a huge stir fry, or...now I'm getting hungry, LOL. I love the name of your pan. I might have to christen ours something similar if it comes back into service.