Pam and Spices

benchstep

Does everyone calculate the calories when cooking with pam and spice like onion or garlic powder?

cmriverside

No.

cmriverside

Well, Pam and spices have calories...but not at the quantities I use. I don't actually use Pam, I just use butter or coconut, walnut, avocado or olive oil.

AnnPT77

I don't use PAM, but do use spray oils, usually olive or avocado oil. The zero or minimal calories on the label are for like a 1/3 second spray.

A lot of times, I spray more than that, sometimes quite a bit more. Because oils are calorie dense, I do weigh what I used, in those cases. (Put spray bottle on scale, zero it, spray desired amount, put bottle back on scale, note negative grams - it's what I used.) Usually, it's 4-8g, so 35-71 calories.

If I'm spraying something like a baking sheet so food doesn't stick, but only put a food on a small area of it and don't spray more oil on top, I maybe wouldn't bother.

I don't count most spices for calories, other than things I've learned can be calorie dense, that I'm using a fair amount of (sesame seeds, say). I often log spices, more as a reminder of what I ate for future reference or when I've been tracking something for another reason. (Example: I tracked turmeric for a while, to see how much I was eating, when thinking about supplementing.)

I don't use onion/garlic powder, I use the actual vegetable, and do track those, though usually they're not that many calories (44 for a whole medium onion, around 6-8 for a single garlic clove).

I find it easier just to log pretty much everything on autopilot, not go through a thought process about what to log and what's not worth logging. I make fewer mistakes that way, but that's a personal idiosyncrasy thing, probably.

Close is good enough.

lemurcat2

I usually log a little (about 10 cals) for a spray of oil. I don't bother logging spices or garlic or coffee. I don't think this is consistent or the "right" way to do it, it's just what makes sense for me in balancing logging and the perceived burden.

benchstep

Thanks for your input.

Idontcareyoupick

I don't.

perryc05

Anything oil related I log. Dried herbs and spices not so much. Curry pastes in jars which contain oil then yes.

BarbaraHelen2013

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

yirara

What is pam?

When I cook with more spices then yeah, I do log them. I often make spice mixes. Currently have something like a shawarma mix and berbere ready to be used. The berbere comes in at around 70cal per dinner. So that's quite substantial. I put them into meals and use them per weight. For smaller amounts I usually also weigh them and log, though, depending on mood I might only log per teaspoon or something like that. If I just use a pinch of cumin then I don't.

lemurcat2

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

Yes, that's what it is.

cmriverside

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

You win the Best Logger Award. :flowerforyou:

I wouldn't even know how to log something like basil or curry powder. . . you say, "it’s surprising how they can add up." Really? Like how many calories for a tablespoon of dried herbs? I can't imagine it's more than 20 calories and that would totally ruin the joy of cooking for me. I'm a creative! Don't hold me down.

emmamcgarity

I don’t log spray oil. But I do use a spray bottle that is not aerosolized to keep me from spraying too liberally.

Anything that I cook that would involve sautéed onions or garlic is a dish that I am already using the recipe builder for. I do include onion and garlic for the recipe builder and also spices. Not because I want more accurate calorie counts on the recipe from minor ingredients. I include them so that I can easily find the ingredient list the next time I want to repeat the recipe.

cmriverside

@emmamcgarity

I include them so that I can easily find the ingredient list the next time I want to repeat the recipe.

^^This is genius.

Just as an aside, the database on the Recipe page still uses asterisks, so the Admin-entered ones are so much easier in that database.
MFP: HOW HARD would it be to bring back the asterisks?? (Pay no attention to my rant if you've only been on MFP for a few years, this is an old-school rant.)

GoRun2

I like the idea above about spray oil. I'll have to try that.

I don't log garlic, coffee or other herbs/spices. If I have a slice of onion, I don't log it. If I have half an onion in something, I log it. Often I'm just logging mixed vegetables, I don't eat half an onion by itself.

I don't eat my exercise calories and leave about 100 calories for inaccurate logging. My friend logs things like 2 calories for cup of coffee. I just can't do that.

AnnPT77

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

Apologies: I could see how it would read that way. Yes, PAM is spray oil, but it's a specific brand. I was saying that I don't use that brand, but do use other products of the same type.

AnnPT77

cmriverside wrote: »

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

You win the Best Logger Award. :flowerforyou:

I wouldn't even know how to log something like basil or curry powder. . . you say, "it’s surprising how they can add up." Really? Like how many calories for a tablespoon of dried herbs? I can't imagine it's more than 20 calories and that would totally ruin the joy of cooking for me. I'm a creative! Don't hold me down.

Most dried herbs (i.e., plant leaves) are near zero (couple calories/tsp), ground seeds/bark/roots can be higher (something like cumin, turmeric, cinnamon might be around 7-8 calories/tsp), oily seeds like sesame maybe 15-20 calories. There's no need, arithmetically speaking, to limit your joy.

yirara

AnnPT77 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

You win the Best Logger Award. :flowerforyou:

I wouldn't even know how to log something like basil or curry powder. . . you say, "it’s surprising how they can add up." Really? Like how many calories for a tablespoon of dried herbs? I can't imagine it's more than 20 calories and that would totally ruin the joy of cooking for me. I'm a creative! Don't hold me down.

Most dried herbs (i.e., plant leaves) are near zero (couple calories/tsp), ground seeds/bark/roots can be higher (something like cumin, turmeric, cinnamon might be around 7-8 calories/tsp), oily seeds like sesame maybe 15-20 calories. There's no need, arithmetically speaking, to limit your joy.

Actually, I remembered I'd saved a meal for a tuna pasta. Lately whenever I cooked it I wasn't too happy with how it tasted. Looking back at this I remembered how much sugar to add, and which herbs. So totally useful to actually log spices and herbs.

benchstep

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

Pam is an oil based spray.

benchstep

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I don’t know what Pam is (always thought it was a brand name for some sort of spray oil, but Ann’s comment above suggests otherwise).

I always count oil, using the bottle, scale, zero, use, read negative grams method described already. Mostly though, I just cook without any oil, it’s seldom necessary.

I also always count spices, when making a recipe it’s surprising how they can add up! Although, if I’m honest…I weigh the original tsp of this, 2 tsp of that…but later in the recipe when I’m tweaking the balance I don’t always remember to log the extra shake or two of a spice or herb!

Pam is an oil based spray

benchstep

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I don't use PAM, but do use spray oils, usually olive or avocado oil. The zero or minimal calories on the label are for like a 1/3 second spray.

A lot of times, I spray more than that, sometimes quite a bit more. Because oils are calorie dense, I do weigh what I used, in those cases. (Put spray bottle on scale, zero it, spray desired amount, put bottle back on scale, note negative grams - it's what I used.) Usually, it's 4-8g, so 35-71 calories.

If I'm spraying something like a baking sheet so food doesn't stick, but only put a food on a small area of it and don't spray more oil on top, I maybe wouldn't bother.

I don't count most spices for calories, other than things I've learned can be calorie dense, that I'm using a fair amount of (sesame seeds, say). I often log spices, more as a reminder of what I ate for future reference or when I've been tracking something for another reason. (Example: I tracked turmeric for a while, to see how much I was eating, when thinking about supplementing.)

I don't use onion/garlic powder, I use the actual vegetable, and do track those, though usually they're not that many calories (44 for a whole medium onion, around 6-8 for a single garlic clove).

I find it easier just to log pretty much everything on autopilot, not go through a thought process about what to log and what's not worth logging. I make fewer mistakes that way, but that's a personal idiosyncrasy thing, probably.

Close is good enough.

When I make roasted butternut squash slices I can't use the actual onion it would not flavor each butternut slice but I can sprinkle the onion powder on the slices. In other recipes I use the actual spice (ie onion, garlic, etc.)

paperpudding

I do not log cooking spray or spices/herbs.

I dont deep fry anything so the amount of spray oil I use is minimal - and these come under things not worth the bother for me.

although I get the point about logging them for recipe purposes

glassyo

Before I got out of the habit of nuking liquid eggs/egg whites every night for dinner, I would use cooking spray to coat the bowl.

I also spray I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (don't judge) and sprinkle a cinnamon/splenda concoction on a couple pieces of bread (and I'm really not shy about how much) every day and don't log it.

wakegrrl

GoRun2 wrote: »

I don't eat my exercise calories and leave about 100 calories for inaccurate logging. My friend logs things like 2 calories for cup of coffee. I just can't do that.

I tend to log along these same lines. I can see where I'll have to become more precise as I get closer to goal and may not have as much calorie leeway. I love the spray oil weighing method and should probably start doing that now.

kshama2001

emmamcgarity wrote: »

I don’t log spray oil. But I do use a spray bottle that is not aerosolized to keep me from spraying too liberally.

Anything that I cook that would involve sautéed onions or garlic is a dish that I am already using the recipe builder for. I do include onion and garlic for the recipe builder and also spices. Not because I want more accurate calorie counts on the recipe from minor ingredients. I include them so that I can easily find the ingredient list the next time I want to repeat the recipe.

Yes, I put everything in the recipe builder because I tend to deviate from recipes and this is a useful place to have a record. I'll also add water in the recipe builder, especially for rice dishes as some recipes call for WAY too much water even though we are both using long grain raw rice.

disasterman

I would never bother logging spices. Most condiments I don't. I log olive oil, for instance if I'm using it in a salad dressing, but I just use tbsp estimates. I often round up for calories eaten and down for calories burned and have been able to get fairly predictable results this way -which I think should be the goal. So my advice is to be consistent with what and how you log, then adjust your calorie goal based on observed results because there's probably more error in calculating your BMR than anywhere else anyhow. Once you get things dialed in, it doesn't matter how accurate or precise you are if you're seeing predictable results.

Not everyone's the same though. If it really bothers you feeling like you're not logging everything, then go for it. Personally, if I had to worry about logging calories for parsley and basil I'd give up but I'm not super into details usually.