Do You Track Olive Oil??

Shesabigstar

I have a recipe that I want to try tomorrow and it calls for sauteed garlic in 4 tbsp of olive oil. When you guys are tracking your food, do you track the olive oil or cooking spray that you cook with? I know olive oil is "good" fat but this is a really healthy recipe and the fat in the olive oil makes the numbers shoot right up there! Any suggestions for substituting the oil with something else?

ldalbello

Yes I always track olive oil as it has alot of calories.

bcattoes

Yes, I track all oils because they make the calories shoot right up. Not logging them won't make them disappear.

Shesabigstar

Thanks for your help! I'm not trying to make them disappear, I just didn't know if it cooked down while simmering, etc.

bcattoes

Thanks for your help! I'm not trying to make them disappear, I just didn't know if it cooked down while simmering, etc.

I know, I was just being silly. Actually if there is some left in the pan after cooking I'll subtract that amount. For instance if I cook a salmon fillet in 3 tbsp of oil and there is 1.5 left in the pan when I'm done, then I only log 1.5.

Shesabigstar

Oh, good thinking! This recipe calls for 4 but I'm going to see if I can get away with half that just to trim down the fat and calories.

belovedromena

You can just sautee the garlic in less oil. Just make sure you keep stirring so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn!

Wolfena

4 tablespoons sounds like a huge amount of oil.... why so much?? I'd think half of that (or even just one!) would be plenty.


(and yes, I count the calories in both oil and cooking spray- which is what I use more often)

kstep88

I agree with using less, maybe cut it in half. I always count the oil, even though I hate the numbers! (at least its healthy though)
Anyway, when I sautee garlic I use 1-2 tablespoons, and it works out great. I even add like half an onion and it's still enough.

Pangui

4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.

lsjett1

Use less! You won't even miss it!

vinylscratch

Pangui -- you sautee in water? Does that work? You'd make my life if that were true! How about rice vinegar? Would that do the trick?

quiksandy

I always track Olive Oil. I like that idea about subtracting what is left in the pan though. I never thought of that.

RedHotRunner

I don't track the cooking spray. They make an olive oil one that you could use and will work just as well as regular olive oil.

Jorra

4tbsp of olive oil = 477 calories. 56g of fat, mostly unsaturated.

MB_Positif

I do log it, but 4 Tbsp. sounds like a ton of oil, unless it is a pasta dish and you will be tossing it in the oil to coat the pasta/veggies/whatever. To just saute garlic I would use 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. if you aren't going to be using the oil as part of a "sauce"

Qarol

Yep. And butter. And worcestershire sauce. I cook with all 3 regularly...

LaurenAOK

How funny, I was just thinking about asking this same question today. Doesn't some of it "burn off" when you're sauté-ing, though? I just hate how many calories olive oil has, even though it's the "good" kind of fat.

AlabasterVerve

Pangui -- you sautee in water? Does that work? You'd make my life if that were true! How about rice vinegar? Would that do the trick?

I just saw a recipe the other day where they sauteed onions in 1/4 cup of water so I tried it with onions, green peppers and mushrooms and they turned out perfect. Huge eye opener and calorie saver!

adlwilmot

If it contains calories, track it. We track our healthy calories, right? So why fail to track olive oil just 'cos it's considered a healthy fat?

You don't need anywhere near that much oil to do garlic, and hardly any if using a non stick pan. I used to lob half a tablespoon in with everything to get it going in the pan e.g. spag bol, steaks, stir frys, etc. but when I started logging and realised how many calories are in oil, I cut WAY back. I know use a maximum of 5gr and everything tastes exactly the same as it did when I was using 4 or 6 times as much.

killagb

4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.

Low nutrient fat calories? High calories is not the same as unhealthy...and guess what...your body needs dietary fat. Perhaps do some research on olive oil before you say it's flat out not healthy....because that's incorrect.

killagb

How funny, I was just thinking about asking this same question today. Doesn't some of it "burn off" when you're sauté-ing, though? I just hate how many calories olive oil has, even though it's the "good" kind of fat.

Oil doesn't just evaporate into vapor....unless you're burning it and it's smoking.

Hotmess2012

Not sure what the other ingredients are in your recipe but if your cooking with fresh veggies like green peppers, onions, tomatoes they produce their own juicyness when cooked which will in return prevent the food from sticking, adds flavor and that way you can cut back the olive oil. Also using a LIGHT EVOO ( as Rachel Ray says) will definately cut back the calories and fat. Hope this helps :0)

jgranger221

Obviously too much of anything can be bad, but since you absolutely need fat in your diet, you can do a lot worse than olive oil. Around 70% of the fat is monounsaturated, the best kind, and it also has Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. Does it mean you should drink it out of the bottle? Of course not, but using a little to saute garlic or add body to a sauce is a good way to get healthy fats into your system.

LaurenAOK

How funny, I was just thinking about asking this same question today. Doesn't some of it "burn off" when you're sauté-ing, though? I just hate how many calories olive oil has, even though it's the "good" kind of fat.

Oil doesn't just evaporate into vapor....unless you're burning it and it's smoking.

Makes sense. I guess that was just wishful thinking :blushing:

TDGee

Popeye does. He's the jealous type.

vinylscratch

Popeye does. He's the jealous type.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

snowstorme

Not sure what the other ingredients are in your recipe but if your cooking with fresh veggies like green peppers, onions, tomatoes they produce their own juicyness when cooked which will in return prevent the food from sticking, adds flavor and that way you can cut back the olive oil. Also using a LIGHT EVOO ( as Rachel Ray says) will definately cut back the calories and fat. Hope this helps :0)

Also it's not recommended to cook with EVOO.
from whfoods.com:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132

"Oxidation of nourishing substances found in extra virgin olive oil, as well as acrylamide formation, can occur at cooking temperatures very closer to the 300F/148C range. For these reasons, we don't recommend cooking with extra virgin olive oil. "

Also Light EVOO is not lower calories, it is just more refined then EVOO
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/faqs/f/lightoliveoil.htm

SergeantSunshine_reused

4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.

Low nutrient fat calories? High calories is not the same as unhealthy...and guess what...your body needs dietary fat. Perhaps do some research on olive oil before you say it's flat out not healthy....because that's incorrect.

I was about to say the same thing.
Olive oil is great for you

Tori_356

I track EVERYTHING. Do it.

sninny

4 tablespoons of olive oil is NOT healthy. No wonder your tracker went off the charts.

I don't use any oil when cooking. I easily substitute water, vegetable broth or some other liquid. The garlic and onions come out just as great, even without a non-stick pan. I see no benefit to consuming all those low-nutrient fat calories.

Vegetable broth...that's a great idea!