"james a. finley" > wrote:
> What is to be gained by seasoning the outside of a pan?

To keep it from rusting. I suppose it depends on climate and how well you
dry things, but the "seasoning" on the outside will minimize the chance of
rust. Just to make sure I get a lot of iron or tinned steel items perfectly
dry before I put them away, I tend to put them in the oven for a few hours
to drive off any residual moisture. Not that I turn the oven on... I still
have one of those "antique" gas stoves with pilot lights. It's pretty warm
in there.