Recommended way of clearing large lava pools

Unfortunately if you want to remove the lava completely and then be where that pool is gravel/sand really is the best way to go about clearing that out.

The only alternate that I can think of would be to bucket every block of lava out and then put it into a single block area. This would then just require a single piece of gravel to get rid of. If you are good at bucketing then this might be a bit faster and save you on some shovels.

In my experience dropping gravel in from above is the best method, however if you want an alternative you could try convering the laval into cobblestone using water and then mining out the cobblestone.

As with the gravel method you first need to dig so that you are above the lava, and then Place a water source somewhere above the lava so that it will flow over the lava creating a floor of cobblestone. Then carefully mine away the cobblestone (most of it will drop into the lava below) and start again on the next layer.

Honestly though, using gravel is probably easier.

Moving the lake 10 to the side is actually a faster and easier way of managing your lava, When you find a large Pool, don't want to use it just yet, but need it removed, Putting it into a nearby 2d pool is very handy, gets it out of your way, and yo know the dimensions of your self made pool. Unfortunately, you can't just place lava beside lava, you need a wall to click on, so make a long run, 20 by 2, into a wall where you wont step on it, so you can click on the back wall for the first row, and click on the floor of the "ditch" for the second row. I've made many long passages lit by this kind of floor light:

Vertical Cross-section of hallway:

X=any none burnable block,
Z=Lava
A=air (the hallway I use usually are 3 tall and 2 wide)

XXXXXXX Because the connection is only one high you wont 
XAAXXXX accidentally slip into it if your running down 
XAAXXXX the passage. You could do this to both sides of 
XAAXXXX your hallway, but if I'm just using it to store 
XAAAXXX lava I need moved, I haven't needed to make anything 
XXXZZXX larger than 32x2 during excavation.
XXXXXXX