Off-season care of steel pans

[11-Nick]

This was my first year. I used a 2'x4' steel pan. After my last boil two nights ago, I dumped out the sap and have done nothing else with it yet. I am assuming I should do any scrubbing at this point, because the sugar coating the pan is what is protecting it until next year.
Just verifying this, though. Is there anything I need to do to the steel pan for now, or just keep it as is, and high and dry until next year?

When I get it out next season.... scrub it up good before first boil, or just start boiling in the "dirty" pan?

To those who gave me suggestions on steel pans... thanks. Glad I did it in steel. Was a cheap alternative to SS. It was easier care than you would assume steel would be (no rust). Boiled decent.

[Ausable]

Nick - lol - I hesitate to answer this one. No matter what I say on this subject - I will be corrected - numerous times. So I will tell You something not to do. One year - I thought it would look nice if I could make everything shine - I discovered vegetable oil shined up the outside of the pans and arch real nice - Than - if it worked so well on the outside ----- I shall take a clean cloth and coat the inside of my pans with vegetable oil - I did and wiped off the excess and they gleamed. I covered the pans till the following March. On pulling the covers - they still shined with a gloss enamel look - than the smell hit me - rancid vegetable oil. It took a lot of time to clean up that mess. Never - ever use vegetable oil inside your pans.... Normally - I clean with hot water and dry - I let air dry good before covering and they seem to come through in pretty good shape. I have heard of using a water - white vinegar mix to clean with also.

[Big_Eddy]

Flip it upside down on the lawn and wipe any loose soot off the bottom ( or if you have corn snow still around, rub the bottom back and forth on the snow for a while) then hang it high and dry with the inside down or against the wall. Next spring, brush the inside and then the outside with hot water and a stiff brush and start again. If you use soap, then double rinse. You are not likely to have much nitre in a batch pan. You can pressure wash instead of brushing but I found it was less effective and a lot messier, especially on the sooty side.