cooking oil??

elle_321
elle_321 Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just curious, I use olive oil when I am cooking. I try to use it sparingly, just enough to stop meat from sticking. I am interested as to how everyone tracks this. Do you add 15mls of cooking oil to every meal you cook? Even though you probably don't eat 15mls of oil....or do we!! The olive oil I use is like 120 cals for 15mls! that is a lot to add to your meal. I am usually cooking for a family of four or five, so the amount of oil I use depends on how much meat I need to cook. sometimes it's more like a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon.
Then I read posts from these people saying they can't eat enough calories! I have to wonder are they adding things like olive oil when they use it to cook?

Replies

  • browntoker
    browntoker Posts: 27 Member
    I add the oil into my calories if I use it. One thing to check out is cooking oil spray which has very little calories and can be used as a substitute for straight up oil.
  • lilacinfinity
    lilacinfinity Posts: 283 Member
    There are better oils to cook with than olive oil. if you like olive then cool, but if you're cooking in it because of it's goodness, it's largely a waste of time as all that goodness is broken down when it is heated. Use it for dipping and dressings though, or stir through pasta. Yummo!

    That said, I add the oil to my log when I use it, but I'll often only use 1 tbsp to cook the whole meal, of which I generally eat 1/6th, so I only need log 1/2 a tsp of it.
    Usually I just use a non-stick liner and bake in the oven, rather than frying. So no oil to log. Or if frying it's often a fattier cut of meat so no need to add extra : )
  • Gdeeaz
    Gdeeaz Posts: 60
    I do add the calories. I highly recommend buying one of those oil spray bottles. I bought a two pack from Costco and use it every time I cook. You use so much less oil.
  • margarethumphreys58
    margarethumphreys58 Posts: 51 Member
    One thing I do when I cook with oils is just create a recipe, because I cook for myself hubby and daughter, and it will divide it up between the servings. I'm pretty sure you don't eat that much oil! I also agree about using sprays, they are amazing and work beautifully.
  • JoJo__Fit
    JoJo__Fit Posts: 258 Member
    I always measure with a teaspoon or a tablespoon when I cook. When cooking for my family I use coconut spray
  • MsQt
    MsQt Posts: 793 Member
    No I don't add my oil intake in my diary. I only use Extra Virgin Olive Oil. And I don't really measure, I just put a decent amount in my pan.
  • elle_321
    elle_321 Posts: 63 Member
    thanks everyone. I will get a spray today and give it a go. I have tried grilling the meat but the family complains it is too dry.
  • peachcats
    peachcats Posts: 99
    I use a refillable oil sprayer(not the pam kind, I don't enjoy aerosol in my food.) with olive oil in it and simply weigh the before and after to figure out how much oil I used. I find it much easier than measuring it out in a tbsp and it spreads much more evenly across the pan.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
    I just use the recipe app and figure out my servings and put all my ingredients in there and I get a set amount of calories that I use for my meal, rather than breaking it up. I use coconut oil. I use olive oil every blue moon, but before I switched over to coconut oil, I used a cooking spray. But, coconut oil is healthier than the cooking spray, so I ditched it.
  • JennKie1
    JennKie1 Posts: 200 Member
    I use olive oil too, but try to use it really sparingly. I bought one of those "Misto" spray bottles - it's great. I would estimate it's probably only about a teaspoon total to coat the pan. Probably the best $12 I've spent in a long time.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I use palm oil and coconut oil. I am openly admitting that I do not have the sources on hand at the moment, but I have read on more than one occasion that they are better to cook with when trying to lose weight. The only problem is that they heat up quickly and burn at lower temperatures, so I had a bit of drama with that adjustment.
  • chezjuan
    chezjuan Posts: 747 Member
    Generally, I log the whole amount of oil I use for cooking if there is no leftover. If I am doing something like oven frying, which uses about 3 tbsp. of oil, I will measure the left over oil and subtract it from the recipe amount. I've found that when I do things like oven or pan frying, the food absorbs anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of the oil. That can mean estimates would be off by +/- 120 or more calories for the recipe if there is leftover oil that I don't measure.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    1.) DO NOT USE EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FOR COOKING (It smells funny when you heat, you know why, because you are destroying it ...)... It was not intended to be heated ... Use coconut oil, it has a high smoke point ... (canola oil is just bad ... research it)

    2.) It is not necessary to use oil when cooking meat ... if you get your pan hot enough and leave the meat alone, i.e. don't poke at it or constantly flip it, you'll get a good sear on it and it will not stick to the pan ... Also, for the love of everything culinary, please, use a stainless steel pan ... not that non-stick Teflon BS ... Though, some of that ceramic, "green-ware" is nice ...
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I measure my oil in a teaspoon (I never use more than a teaspoon) and figure out the calories according to the bottle label (even though it's always the same) and then add it in. For example, if I'm using a a teaspoon to cook 2 servings of tilapia and saving one serving for the next night, I divide it in half and log for each meal.

    Nothing goes unlogged for me because I want to stay accountable.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
    I use a refillable oil sprayer(not the pam kind, I don't enjoy aerosol in my food.) with olive oil in it and simply weigh the before and after to figure out how much oil I used. I find it much easier than measuring it out in a tbsp and it spreads much more evenly across the pan.

    I like this idea of weighing the spray bottle! That's what has kept me from using my spray bottle--I couldn't think how to measure it! (But to answer the OP, I do always include it in my logging, exactly because a Tbsp has 120 calories--that would be a lot to just overlook, even if I do only eat a third of it.)
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    I use a refillable oil sprayer(not the pam kind, I don't enjoy aerosol in my food.) with olive oil in it and simply weigh the before and after to figure out how much oil I used. I find it much easier than measuring it out in a tbsp and it spreads much more evenly across the pan.

    I like this idea of weighing the spray bottle! That's what has kept me from using my spray bottle--I couldn't think how to measure it! (But to answer the OP, I do always include it in my logging, exactly because a Tbsp has 120 calories--that would be a lot to just overlook, even if I do only eat a third of it.)

    Putting some oil on a paper towel and rubbing the pan with it will accomplish the same goal ... If you're so worried about aerosol in your food, than I would assume you would also not want BPA in your food ... Storing oil in plastic isn't a really goo idea ... Just an FYI ...

    ETA: weigh the paper towel pre- and post oil application ...

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