Who knew? Cooking spray

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momerlyn

Cook
Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Messages
65
Location
Cedarburg, WI
While making a baked chicken dish yesterday, I re-read the instructions on my can of cooking spray; a store brand. I never noticed this on any other brand: it said that, after spraying, you should heat the dish before adding food!

I don't know what kind of difference it made, but I did it, and yes, clean up was easily accomplished. Has anybody else known about this? (And if you all say yes, where have I been?)
 
I will have to ditto what GRK said and add - - the saying is "hot pan, cold food, food doesn't stick". I guess it's the same even for the cooking spray.
 
I have never seen that before, but then again I have never looked. It would make sense though. You want your fat to be hot before the food touches it usually.
 
Never Heard of that. I noticed that you said clean up was easier. I wonder if heating the spray had some effect on the chemical compound of the spray. Since the aresol in cooking sprays is what is bad for you and destroys your pans leaving that sticky residue.

I recommend an air sprayer for you health and your pans!
 
I guess I will have to be the first person to say yes! I thought everyone knew!

You should find that heating the pan first, before spraying (so you spray when hot) will give even better non-stick results.

Those spray cans are expensive...Get one of those plastic garden pray bottles. They are usually 500ml (about 1 pint). Those cost a dollar or so. Then buy a bottle of the best quality oil you can. Oil sprays just fine from those plastic pray bottles...I know cos I have been doing it for years. You get 4 to 5 times more oil for the same price as a can and you have more control over mist size.

:chef::chef:
 
.... Since the aresol in cooking sprays is what is bad for you and destroys your pans leaving that sticky residue. ...

The cooking sprays that come in a can (all of them that I am familar with) are not pure oil - they are a blend of oils and include added lecithin - which gives the spray it's non-stick quality ... BUT can cause the pan to develop a sticky residue if too much is used and ESPECIALLY if sprayed on non-stick cookware. The problem is that the lecithin is a chemical cousin of non-stick coatings - it forms a chemical bond which causes it to form an incomplete polymer (like not properly seasoning cast iron to fully polymerize the oil - leaving a sticky residue) - it has nothing to do with the propellant used as far as I know.

Now, I will admit that I have not read the labels of every iteration of every brand of cooking spray on the market. But the ones I have read seem to all agree on the "do not use on non-stick cookware" idea.

I can't use canned non-stick sprays indoors because I have asthma - it has nothing to do with the propellant - it has to do with the amount of fine particulate matter (mist) in the air. I have no problems if I go outdoors to spray it as long as the wind is at my back. I have a similar problem using a spritzer bottle to spray pure oil - just not as much of a problem because the mist is not as fine and does not linger in the air as long.

Personally - I find that if I pour a little oil into my pot/pan and wipe it around with a folded up paper towel I achieve the same results - I wind up with a small amount of oil coating the surface without it being aerosolized - and thus no over-spray that I have to wipe up off of the stovetop or a counter top.

Now - back to momerlyn's post ... I had never seen that either, but in some ways it might make sense. The heat will break down the surface tension in the small spray particles - allowing them to spread out and provide a better more uniform coverage of the pan surface.
 
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The cooking sprays that come in a can (all of them that I am familar with) are not pure oil - they are a blend of oils and include added lecithin - which gives the spray it's non-stick quality ... BUT can cause the pan to develop a sticky residue if too much is used and ESPECIALLY if sprayed on non-stick cookware. The problem is that the lecithin is a chemical cousin of non-stick coatings - it forms a chemical bond which causes it to form an incomplete polymer (like not properly seasoning cast iron to fully polymerize the oil - leaving a sticky residue) - it has nothing to do with the propellant used as far as I know.

Now, I will admit that I have not read the labels of every iteration of every brand of cooking spray on the market. But the ones I have read seem to all agree on the "do not use on non-stick cookware" idea.

I can't use canned non-stick sprays indoors because I have asthma - it has nothing to do with the propellant - it has to do with the amount of fine particulate matter (mist) in the air. I have no problems if I go outdoors to spray it as long as the wind is at my back. I have a similar problem using a spritzer bottle to spray pure oil - just not as much of a problem because the mist is not as fine and does not linger in the air as long.

Personally - I find that if I pour a little oil into my pot/pan and wipe it around with a folded up paper towel I achieve the same results - I wind up with a small amount of oil coating the surface without it being aerosolized - and thus no over-spray that I have to wipe up off of the stovetop or a counter top.

Now - back to momerlyn's post ... I had never seen that either, but in some ways it might make sense. The heat will break down the surface tension in the small spray particles - allowing them to spread out and provide a better more uniform coverage of the pan surface.

Now I know how my daughter ruined my non-stick All-Clad frying pan. Thanks for that info.
 
Some motocrossers use Pam under their fenders so the mud doesn't build up during a race. I usually use WD-40, but in a pinch I'll grab the Pam. That's all I really use it for since I don't bake. LOL
 
Just read the direction on my can of Pam, spray on cold surface, no mention that it had to be heated first. What you are saying about heating a pan after spraying, but are you going to preheat a casserole dish before you assemble lets say, your lasagna?
 
Some motocrossers use Pam under their fenders so the mud doesn't build up during a race. I usually use WD-40, but in a pinch I'll grab the Pam. That's all I really use it for since I don't bake. LOL

also works with paper shredders. spray a piece of paper with Pam and run it thru the shredder to lubricate the prickly parts.

returning now to your regularly scheduled post............
 
cooking sprays

I don't like cooking sprays because they contain questionable ingredients. You could buy a mister and put your own quality oil in it.
 
The cooking sprays that come in a can (all of them that I am familar with) are not pure oil - they are a blend of oils and include added lecithin - which gives the spray it's non-stick quality ... BUT can cause the pan to develop a sticky residue if too much is used and ESPECIALLY if sprayed on non-stick cookware. The problem is that the lecithin is a chemical cousin of non-stick coatings - it forms a chemical bond which causes it to form an incomplete polymer (like not properly seasoning cast iron to fully polymerize the oil - leaving a sticky residue) - it has nothing to do with the propellant used as far as I know.

Now, I will admit that I have not read the labels of every iteration of every brand of cooking spray on the market. But the ones I have read seem to all agree on the "do not use on non-stick cookware" idea.

I can't use canned non-stick sprays indoors because I have asthma - it has nothing to do with the propellant - it has to do with the amount of fine particulate matter (mist) in the air. I have no problems if I go outdoors to spray it as long as the wind is at my back. I have a similar problem using a spritzer bottle to spray pure oil - just not as much of a problem because the mist is not as fine and does not linger in the air as long.

Personally - I find that if I pour a little oil into my pot/pan and wipe it around with a folded up paper towel I achieve the same results - I wind up with a small amount of oil coating the surface without it being aerosolized - and thus no over-spray that I have to wipe up off of the stovetop or a counter top.

Now - back to momerlyn's post ... I had never seen that either, but in some ways it might make sense. The heat will break down the surface tension in the small spray particles - allowing them to spread out and provide a better more uniform coverage of the pan surface.


Mm:glare: I didn't knew that
 
Don't feel bad, Mommer, I only recently learned about heating a baking pan if I wanted something crisp. Should be a no-brainer, but I didn't know that.
 
Wow! Thanks ever so much for the infomation. It's fun to learn; and thanks to Monerlyn for bringing this to our attention.
 
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