Wasted oil/fat when making pancakes.

Hi people. I eat pancakes a couple time a week for breakfast.
I wanna know how much of that olive oil I use, when baking the pancakes, gets in my food.
And therefor how much gets in my body.

I use 1tbs of olive oil when I make pancakes.
So for every pancake, I have to use 1, as the oil disappears when I have to make pancake number 2, and so on.
(If I don't add some oil/fat for every pancake, then they'll burn)

For every pancake meal, I'll end up making 5 pancakes, meaning that 5 tbs had been used.

So, when I'm putting this info in my MFP diary, should I add "5 tbs olive oil?
Because that's about 600 calories, which is insane!!!
Some of the oil gets in the food and some don't, I hope.

So how many percent of that added oil gets wasted and how much gets in my food?
Please advise :)
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Replies

  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    I use a spray like PAM myself.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    If you don't log the oil....
    And you stop losing weight....
    Then you know where to look :wink:
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    If there isn't any oil in the pan then it's absorbed into your food.

    Also a TABLESPOON per pancake is way more than you need. I don't think I even use a tsp to make an entire individual batch (~3) of protein pancakes.
  • AmykinsCatfood
    AmykinsCatfood Posts: 599 Member
    Invest in a good ceramic non stick pan. I have one where I don't even need to add anything, pancakes just slide off.
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    I either use Pam or I lightly coat the pan and wipe away any excess. Not too concerned with it.
  • miss_jessiejane
    miss_jessiejane Posts: 2,819 Member
    You should get a better frying pan, you shouldn't be using that much oil for pancakes.
  • angdpowers
    angdpowers Posts: 311 Member
    I agree with the other posters above.
    That's why its important to log because its a real eye-opener to why so many of us are heavy.

    Oil will not evaporate that quickly, so if you keep having to add (ie 1T for each pancake), then it is indeed being absorbed into the pancake itself.

    PAM still has cals because you will most certainly use more than 1/4sec spray, but it would be a FRACTION of the 600cals you are consuming now.
  • ubermofish
    ubermofish Posts: 102 Member
    Olive oil for pancakes? Any particular reason you can't use a more neutral oil or even butter?

    At any rate, if you're super concerned about absorption vs waste you could always weigh your skillet before (with oil) and after removing the finished product, and find the deficit there.
  • husseycd
    husseycd Posts: 814 Member
    Use a misto. 10 calories per spray
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Coconut Oil. :wink:
  • Where do you think it goes, if not into your food!?!?
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Where do you think it goes, if not into your food!?!?

    The ether....
    It all goes back there
  • Where do you think it goes, if not into your food!?!?

    The ether....
    It all goes back there
    i feel like there is a joke here that went over my head.:grumble:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Wow that is a lot of oil... I use a tiny bit of butter and log it.
  • sirrdk
    sirrdk Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks everybody for replying.

    I use olive oil because that's the only oil that's good for me, according to a "bloodtype diet".
    Also I'm lactose intolerant.
    But coconut oil seems like the perfect alternative. I'm gonna use that instead.
    But I still want to log it in my diary.

    When I make the second pancake and don't add oil for the second time, they'll burn
    So a new pan would be a good start. But I cook other places besides my home as well, so I can't bring the pan with me all the time.

    But I would like to know how much oil gets absored in food when frying on pan.
    Because some of it gets "steamed" away etc because of the heat.
    Is there a "rule of thumb" percentage of absored oil/wasted when cooking?

    I find that hard to believe that I have eaten 5 tbs of oil :/

    Thanks all
  • shireeniebeanie
    shireeniebeanie Posts: 293 Member
    Believe it.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Olive oil for pancakes? Any particular reason you can't use a more neutral oil or even butter?

    At any rate, if you're super concerned about absorption vs waste you could always weigh your skillet before (with oil) and after removing the finished product, and find the deficit there.

    I just love your response and the Cosby photo.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    I think you're meant to count it all unless you have some left in the pan to pour away. Steam is water not fat and any fat in the haze would be too little to be worth measuring. Wiping your pan with a piece of kitchen roll dipped in oil would be a good way to just grease your pan rather than frying them.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,858 Member
    Invest in a good ceramic non stick pan. I have one where I don't even need to add anything, pancakes just slide off.

    ^^^This! I looove my ceramic pans.
  • Chezzie84
    Chezzie84 Posts: 873 Member
    Thanks everybody for replying.

    I use olive oil because that's the only oil that's good for me, according to a "bloodtype diet".
    Also I'm lactose intolerant.
    But coconut oil seems like the perfect alternative. I'm gonna use that instead.
    But I still want to log it in my diary.

    When I make the second pancake and don't add oil for the second time, they'll burn
    So a new pan would be a good start. But I cook other places besides my home as well, so I can't bring the pan with me all the time.

    But I would like to know how much oil gets absored in food when frying on pan.
    Because some of it gets "steamed" away etc because of the heat.
    Is there a "rule of thumb" percentage of absored oil/wasted when cooking?

    I find that hard to believe that I have eaten 5 tbs of oil :/

    Thanks all

    You are using far too much oil. A tbsp for each pancake is a lot and is not needed. I use a 1/2 a tsp per pancake.
    Personally I think you are over complicating things. Log all the oil you measure and leave it at that.
  • sirrdk
    sirrdk Posts: 12 Member
    Well, I use the same amount of oil as I did with butter, back in the days before I got lactose intolerant.

    If I use a small piece of butter (2-3 gram) for a pancake, then I have to add more butter when making the 2nd and 3rd.
    I have never been able to make pancakes (more than 1 pancake) with only butter added from the beginning.
    It allways disappears and I have to add more grease the more pancakes I make.

    Or am I the only one?

    Do you guys add a couple of grams of butter and can make for example 10 pancakes with that?
  • softwind
    softwind Posts: 579 Member
    I'd invest in a good cast iron pan and use either a misto or cooking spray. That really is a lot of oil. When we make pancakes we only have to spray the pan every 3 or 4 pancakes.
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
    I use a non-stick pan and no oil to make pancakes, though my batter recipe has a little oil mixed into the batch (like 1 tblspn for the whole batch). If you're worried about calories, substitute:

    - egg white or unsweetened applesauce for whole egg
    - whole wheat flour for up to 50% of the white flour
    - add a handful of blueberries or sliced strawberries
    - add flavor with a bit of cinnamon or vanilla (or both!)
    - almond milk for cow's milk

    And use the nonstick pan. You'll find they're fluffier and less greasy.

    Spend the extra calories on more maple syrup.
  • annarop
    annarop Posts: 11 Member
    I tend to put oil (or butter) in the pan, then when it's spread nicely, wipe away the excess with a paper towel. You can then use the paper towel to wipe the pan between pancakes (be careful of burnt fingers/fire, health and safety is not so much my thing ;) ) - you can usually make 3-4 more pancakes using the same teaspoon or so of fat, without them starting to stick.
  • sirrdk
    sirrdk Posts: 12 Member
    Okay, maybe my pan sucks. I'll get a new ceramic one :)

    But I still haven't got my question answered correctly.
    Does 100% of the oil get absored in my food, or another percentage?

    Thanks.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    But I would like to know how much oil gets absored in food when frying on pan.
    Because some of it gets "steamed" away etc because of the heat.
    Is there a "rule of thumb" percentage of absored oil/wasted when cooking?

    Sorry.

    Due to the molecular properties of oil, it does not evaporate or "steam" away the way water or other liquids might. If it evaporates at all, it occurs very slowly - much more slowly than it takes to cook a pancake.

    If you are using a cast iron pan, it is possible that some of the oil is being absorbed into the metal - this is likely to be minimal, though.
  • sirrdk
    sirrdk Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks Shannon, that's what I was looking for :)
    So it would be the same if I use coconut oil/butter, I guess?
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    Thanks Shannon, that's what I was looking for :)
    So it would be the same if I use coconut oil/butter, I guess?

    Yep.

    I really do suggest you get one of those mistos or invest in a nonstick skillet for making pancakes. We make ours on something like the link below, and we don't use any oil at all.

    http://www.target.com/p/hamilton-beach-electric-griddle/-/A-13686258?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=13686258&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=13686258&LID=3pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13686258&kpid=13686258&gclid=Cj0KEQjwnZShBRDfxqzr55rcyMEBEiQA1iRNP0FZtjJKBzyqFT0CsIptjzytNz7y0JcAUTbrkU_kS9oaAoF08P8HAQ
  • sirrdk
    sirrdk Posts: 12 Member
    Wow, that one looks amazing :-)
  • captmiddy
    captmiddy Posts: 147 Member
    Actually it isn't a forgone conclusion that each T of oil is going to the pancakes. If you are burning your pancakes you are probably smoking your oil. This means some of your oil is burning off. It is likely your pan is too hot. If you lower your temp, you could likely also lower the amount of oil. I typically cook pancakes around a nudge above midpoint on my gas stove.