Question about Cooking with Oil

laurenz2501
laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
in Food and Nutrition
When you cook something in oil obviously you add it to the recipe on MFP, right? For instance if I use about 4 tablespoons and cook chicken breasts in it, I wouldn't put 4 tbsp in the recipe builder because I'm not eating all the oil that I used to cook the chicken with. Most of it ends up in the pan. It adds a lot of calories to the recipe though. What do you guys do about that? Just put maybe 1 tsp of oil per piece of chicken? Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
    I add it, just to be safe, but I don't fry very often, either.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    I mostly add it, but I don't usually cook with large quantities of it, so I probably eat a larger percentage of what I use, if that makes sense. If I was using several tablespoons, and a lot was left in the pan, I'd probably try to measure or estimate how much was left and deduct it.
  • laurenz2501
    laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
    If I was using several tablespoons, and a lot was left in the pan, I'd probably try to measure or estimate how much was left and deduct it.

    Good idea. Thanks :)
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    I brown my chicken without oil.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
    Whenever I use oil to saute or roast anything, instead of trying to measure what's left, I just add 1 tbsp olive oil to my recipe or log. Or if I use a very little amount I'll put in 1/2 tbsp.
  • daverigg
    daverigg Posts: 11
    olive oil can be used. healthier. just don't heat it as high as you would veg oil or it will smoke something bad. it works great when you have a taste for fired food. fish also.

    edited: use extra virgin light. (no..that don't mean to go out and find a young skinny guy) lol.
  • elizak87
    elizak87 Posts: 249 Member
    I add it because I know some will soak into the food. I use sprays though because they coat the pan without an excess in oil
  • cs821
    cs821 Posts: 48
    I add it to the recipe, however whenever I fry something, I use a 1cal per spray olive oil. I've started using this when I was on slimming world and it's great. I fry with it, use it to stop pasta sticking and also use it when making roasted veg and potatoes as it helps give them a nice crispy coating. Sorry if I sound like I'm advertising for the company lol, but I'm just sharing a healthy alternative :smile:
  • laurenz2501
    laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
    edited: use extra virgin light. (no..that don't mean to go out and find a young skinny guy) lol.

    :laugh: good one, i'll remember that :)
  • laurenz2501
    laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
    I add it to the recipe, however whenever I fry something, I use a 1cal per spray olive oil. I've started using this when I was on slimming world and it's great. I fry with it, use it to stop pasta sticking and also use it when making roasted veg and potatoes as it helps give them a nice crispy coating. Sorry if I sound like I'm advertising for the company lol, but I'm just sharing a healthy alternative :smile:

    i'll have to look for that! great idea, thanks!
  • laurenz2501
    laurenz2501 Posts: 839 Member
    Browning something without oil is wayyyy too advanced for me haha. it would burn. even when I use Pam (do I blame the electric stove or the user?) :wink: . I can cook a few things fairly well, but still learning.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I mostly add it, but I don't usually cook with large quantities of it, so I probably eat a larger percentage of what I use, if that makes sense. If I was using several tablespoons, and a lot was left in the pan, I'd probably try to measure or estimate how much was left and deduct it.

    This, exactly. I don't find oil to be satiating, so even though the fats in my oil are healthy, I minimize my use of it.
  • sonny368
    sonny368 Posts: 61
    I add it just to be sure....and I try to cut other fats because 4 tbs are 476 Calories that on a daily diet plan of 1600 represents the 30% so ojust the total amount you have to take daily !
  • kinrsa
    kinrsa Posts: 111 Member
    I use 0 calorie cooking spray (okay, it really has like 4 calories, I know) but I don't log it. And when I make popcorn I use less than a tbsp of sunflower oil but I don't log it. I make popcorn maybe twice a month & use the cooking spray for everything else so I don't think it's a big deal. If I used more than 2 tbsp a month I would start to log it.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
    I just add it per the recipe and figure it's better to overestimate my calories than underestimate.
  • EmmaM2211
    EmmaM2211 Posts: 536 Member
    The Hairy Dieters had a tip I liked. They used a pasty brush to brush oil on the pan. then you can use the healthier olive oil but only a very small amount :-) xx
  • amymichelle1226
    amymichelle1226 Posts: 150 Member
    I usually use olive oil cooking spray, but when I use olive oil, I use very little so I don't log it. If I was using gobs of it, I would but I don't worry about it. I'm still losing weight...if I get to a point where I'm not losing weight, then I'll reconsider not logging it.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    I add everything that goes into the recipe, including all the oil...
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Whenever I use oil to saute or roast anything, instead of trying to measure what's left, I just add 1 tbsp olive oil to my recipe or log. Or if I use a very little amount I'll put in 1/2 tbsp.

    This is what I do. I usually cook my sweet potatoes in the oven cut up in slices, and I add about a tbsp of coconut oil to the dish, but most of it ends up in the bottom and not on the sweet potatoes, so I count 1/2 tbsp. For general frying, I usually count a tbsp (can't live in the South without a little fried okra every once in a while!).
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    olive oil can be used. healthier. just don't heat it as high as you would veg oil or it will smoke something bad. it works great when you have a taste for fired food. fish also.

    edited: use extra virgin light. (no..that don't mean to go out and find a young skinny guy) lol.

    Very important info! When it smokes, it creates free radicals--cancer causing stuff--so try not to heat it above medium heat if it's EVOO or medium high if it's the light version.
  • jerbear1962
    jerbear1962 Posts: 1,157 Member
    I'm very cautious of how much oil I add, I use a non stick pan and use chicken or beef broth if possible and add as little oil as needed to brown whatever I'm cooking. I have a half container of oil that is almost a year old with the little amount I use.
  • ritasice21
    ritasice21 Posts: 200 Member
    I just use my misto, which cuts down the consumption. I have found that 8 mississippi's equates to 1 teaspoon. I do not measure the remains if I do use tablespoons because I figure there are meat juices in there also, not just oil, so I would be underestimating.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    Have you tried using broths instead of the oil? When pan-frying veggies, I use reduced sodium vegetable broth, when I cook chicken I use chicken broth... Cuts A LOT of the calories. And fat.

    I still use oil occasionally, but I like to use half the oil the recipe calls for and sub the rest with a broth
  • Yoshima
    Yoshima Posts: 58
    Whenever I use oil to saute or roast anything, instead of trying to measure what's left, I just add 1 tbsp olive oil to my recipe or log. Or if I use a very little amount I'll put in 1/2 tbsp.

    This is what I do, too. I also have bought myself an oil mister so I can only just "lube" the pan a little for certain things.
  • ashleykovacs
    ashleykovacs Posts: 9 Member
    I cook chicken on the george foreman and if i use oil i use my misto sprayer.. you can get it at tj max (states) or homesense (canada)
  • Ph4lanx
    Ph4lanx Posts: 213 Member
    Personally, if I use oil, it's Coconut Oil. If no oil, then I use a ceramic pan. :)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Since I cook for four, if I add two tbsp of oil to the pan, I will log 1/4 of that, so 1/2 tbsp to my diary. It may be a little less with some still in the pan, but I don't think the difference is large enough to concern myself over.

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