cast Iron skillets

So I have been using one of these for baked cornbread. Now when I try to use it everything sticks. I tried rubbing it with canola oil and bake in oven. Ugh. Sticky...
So I put it in the oven and just baked it at a high temp. That helped some. I read that I should have use a solid shortening. So I bought a small container of lard. The skillet is in the oven again with lard baking. If this doesn't work, is there any other suggestion how to fix it, short of buying another one. I might also mention that this skillet is one I bought at a thrift store. I had seasoned it in the oven when I first got it, but don't remember what I put on it.

Season it again. There are tutorials online and on youtube that should help!

One thing, are you washing it with dish soap after using it? That can cause the seasoning to wear off and you may need to recondition/season it again.

I've had the same one since I was 19, my mom gave it to me, and she had it for decades. (It's a Southern thing lol.) It is super old but still cooks incredibly well.

^ What she said. Also I don't know if you do this, but I once found out the hard way you can't use it for acidic liquids like tomato sauce. I've used cast iron forever, but have really cut down on it now that I'm older. (It's not good to keep absorbing iron when you get older since your body can't get rid of it.)

I've always just wiped the inside with a little cooking oil and put it on the burner on low for 15-20 minutes to re-season. Then I turn it off and let the pan cool on the burner and that's always worked just great.

I used the lard and baked it in the oven for several hours. It seems to be some better, but I can still see a few bad dry looking spots. I am going to try it again and see what happens.

Thank you both for the input. StarryEyed, I know about washing with soap. My husband is the dishwasher here and I think he forgets sometimes. :lol3:

If it were mine, I think I'd start completely over.

Give it a good scrubbing with a brush and lots of dishwashing liquid. Or a steel wool pad. A real good scrubbing. This will be the only time you do this.

Slather the pan with lard or shortening (since you already have the lard, use it). Rub the lard in really well with a paper towel.

Put the pan in a preheated oven at 350 for one hour.

Take it out and slather it again with the lard. Another hour at 350.

Do it the third time if you think it's necessary. One hour at 350.

Store it with paper towels on top. Don't stack the pan in with other pans with paper towels to protect it.

From this point on, never wash it with lots of dishwashing liquid. You should be able to rinse it out with a plastic scubby and only a drop or two of dishwashing liquid and use the liquid if you absolutely have to. You can also use kosher salt to clean out your pan after using it. If it starts to stick again, re-season.

Never soak cast iron.....you're inviting rust. They need to be completely dry before you put them away.

I have Grandma's cast iron frying pans and I use them. I'm not supposed to use them on my glass-top stove, but I do....I just never move the pan once the food is in it (to prevent scratching the top of the stove) and I'm really careful. I only move the food, never the pan. 

I have a dish towel that I only use for drying cast iron....it's pretty beat and it doesn't look the best anymore, but it's only used for those pans. I use my Pampered Chef scrapers on the pans and kosher salt. To make sure the pans are really dry, I put them on a burner at very low heat for a couple minutes.

Good luck! You simply cannot beat a good cast iron pan!

I did scrub it with some Dawn and a stiff brush. Then I put the lard on it and baked it in the oven at high temperature several hours. It looks so much better now. There is one place in the bottom that looks dry and around the edges and up the sides a bit. I am going to lard it again and cook it some more. I appreciate all the good feedback. Maybe I can get it usable again. I also have the glass cook top and rarely use it on top the stove. I like baking cornbread in it.

I love making cornbread in a cast iron pan. And although we hardly ever have fried chicken anymore, the best fried chicken is done in cast iron. It's how I've always made liver and onions. There are some foods that just taste better if they've been cooked in a cast iron pan.

I am cooking it again now with the lard. I hope it works.