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I absolutely could not live with out my cast iron! I have three pans plus a comal. http://gabrielaskitchen.com/supplies/utensils/comal/

Just that seasoning it on the grill might be the way to go for the initial seasoning, since that can generate some smoke.

I'm not sure of the chemistry (damn, my food science textbook is home). I always assumed that the fats break down, oxidize and polymerize to form the initial layer. Subsequent heatings cause the fats to further deteriorate until there's nothing left but a matrix of carbon. As you use the pan, you're adding new layers of fat so you have many layers of fat/carbon to hold everything together. Of course, this is just a presumption.

I've had some problems with my seasoning adhereing to the pan -- after a while, it starts flaking off. Anyone else have that problem? And, what do I do for it?

Heat the pan first, then add the fat (to not have problems with cast iron "de-seasoning")

Limit the acidic foods you cook in it, like tomato sauce. You can cook them, but wash it right away and then heat it up to dry it.

I have my mother's cast iron pans from the late 40s early 50s. I feel so fortunate. They are going strong, I cook in them almost every day. About 15 years ago I added a large Dutch oven to my collection. It's well-seasoned but nothing like the patina of the older pans. I adore cooking in cast iron.

Mine was going along fine until the seasoning decided to chip out along the edges, leaving deep patches unseasoned and rust-prone. I've been trying to oil it and stick it in the oven whenever I can to build it back up, but I'm not really sure what went wrong.

I suggest you keep my mother away from them. I have a couple of cast iron pans my grandmother gave my mother. My mother hadn't used them for several years and had them stored in the garage. They hadn't rusted or anything but for some reason she decided it was best to clean them with Comet and steal wool before handing them over to me. They turned out surprisingly bright. She did re-season them before handing them over but I still ask myself why. When I figure out which of my sisters has my grandmothers comal I can only hope it didn't meet the same fate as the pans.

I have several cast iron pans handed down from grandmothers. I really love them but I find myself (probably irrationally) concerned every time I cook meat in them. I worry that when I cook meat in the pan that when finished, instead of just wiping it out with a paper towel and salt and then greasing it and heating it and putting it away, that I have to use a little soap and hot water to get rid of anything leftover from the raw meat. I'm not generally a paranoid person and I feel like this worry is unnecessary. I am bothered by this behavior because I feel like every time I do this I'm losing the potential for greater and better seasoning on my pans which is what I am going for by using them!

Help cure me AT Kitchn readers! What do you do when cooking meats in your pans? Do you ::gasp:: cook meat and then veggies while the meat rests and not clean it between? Oh I need to be educated! And set free!

RedEngine88: Soap between meat and veggies? Say it ain't so! You should never be using soap on cast iron at all, much less exactly when you want to keep the excellent meaty bits. If you cooked the meat properly, don't you think you also cooked all the juices and bits leftover? There aren't going to be any raw meat bits in that pan.

I love my cast iron skillet - I often cook meat in it, then veggies right after or later. It's great for fajitas!

I don't ever use soap on it, but if it gets a lot of stuff stuck on the bottom I pour some water in it while it's still hot and that usually de-sticks most of the grossness. It's sortof like deglazing, but less delicious. Then I rub it down with salt and oil to maintain the season, which is a trick I saw Alton Brown use.