Peggi, a former guest of mine recently wrote me and asked about my thoughts on the use of non-stick vegetable oil sprays.
“Did I like it and would I recommend that people use it?” she asked.
Most definitely! Vegetable sprays (i.e. PAM and other such brands) are great for multiple reasons. My most common use is for spraying baking pans. I couldn’t tell you the last time that actually took a paper towel or pastry brush to wipe and grease the interior of a baking pan. The aerosol nature of the spray makes it much easier to get into the nooks and crannies of pans such as Bundt pans and others with decorative elements.
I know a lot of people that use the combination spray (oil & flour, i.e. “Bakers Pride”) for baking and then have a regular can of just vegetable oil spray for other things like lightly spritzing saute pans. I have used the oil and flour sprays but in my opinion find that they’re not necessarily startlingly better than simply spraying a pan with vegetable oil spray and then dusting it myself with flour. Sure, maybe you don’t have the flour scattered about afterwards, but it’s one less can and product that I have to keep on hand and find room for in the pantry. I already have flour and a can of vegetable spray…why not just use them!? (By the way…tap the pan on a paper towel or piece of parchment or waxed paper to get the excess flour out of the pan. Wad up the paper and toss it…no mess!)
Vegetable spray is also great for using in non-stick pans for a light coating of oil when you’re trying to minimize fat and cut back on calories. It is important to note however that vegetable oil spray is NOT Fat Free. It’s FAT IN A CAN for crying out loud!
Read the ingredient label:
Yes, I know the front of the can reads “O calories” and “O Grams of Fat” and in the case of PAM it even reads “For Fat Free Cooking”. Hellooo…..remember, it’s FAT IN A CAN!!!!!
The reason that they can label it as “0 Calories” and “0 Grams of Fat” is because the serving size has been manipulated to make it so miniscule that they can make that claim. Government regulations in the U.S. state that if something has .5 grams of fat or less per serving it can be labeled as “Fat Free”. That’s right..the marketing folks are working overtime to persuade you to give them your hard-earned dollars! Take a close look at the number of servings on that can of vegetable spray in your cupboard and you’re likely to see that it contains anywhere from 500-700 portions! Take a look at the serving size and you’re likely to see it being between 1/4-1/3 of a second spray! Based on that information we probably need to replace that can only once every other year if we’re lucky!
Don’t get me wrong…I HIGHLY recommend using vegetable sprays in the kitchen but be realistic about them and understand that it’s nothing more than oil (typically soybean) with a propellant to help aerosolize it. It’s going to function just like any other oil (including adding calories and fat grams).
Here are a few additional thoughts and suggestions you might find helpful:
Recommendations for Using Vegetable Oil Sprays
- Vegetable oil sprays are best used in non-stick saute pans which need to have oil added prior to heating to extend the life of the non-stick coating. Pans without a non-stick coating should be heated before oil is added. If the vegetable spray is added to an already hot pan it will tend to create a sticky residue that will increase the clean-up.
- When using vegetable spray on a griddle or saute pan for cooking pancakes or crepes, be sure to wipe the pan or griddle’s surface with a paper towel after spraying. This will help to evenly coat the surface with the oil and create a more uniform color since fat doesn’t carry heat as evenly as metal. Failure to wipe the pan or griddle will cause the pancakes to have a “mottled” appearance.
- Olive oil spray is particularly good for spraying the cut surface of thinly sliced break when making crostini. Lay the bread out on a parchment-lined pan and spray evenly with vegetable spray before seasoning with salt, pepper, and any particular herbs you might like. This makes quick work of the process and allows you to bake until crispy with minimal concern that they’ll end up soggy and oily.
- Vegetable spray is great for layering phyllo dough in situations where the buttery-taste of butter isn’t absolutely necessary.
- Fat is the enemy of egg whites. Be particularly cautious not to do any spraying of non-stick sprays near egg whites that have been separated but not yet whipped. The overspray can easily drift into the whites and prevent them from whipping up.
- Minimize burning and extra scrubbing by only spraying the surface of baking pans that will be in contact with the batter or dough. For instance, in a cupcake/muffin tin, don’t spray the flat surface around each o
f the cups. The oil will only burn and darken if not scrubbed clean and will ultimately cause the pan to absorb more heat. - Save some money by getting a good quality trigger spray bottle from a beauty supply store (or other store) and fill with your own oil. Make sure that it’s one that will be able to do a spray rather than just a stream. This is also great for making quick use of buttering phyllo dough (just fill bottle with melted butter and use to spray dough evenly. If the butter solidifies, simply place bottle in some hot water to re-melt it.)
