Cooking With Oil

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tdrusk
tdrusk Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How should I measure my oil when I am cooking with it? I don't think it is fair to count 4tbsp of oil when I know some it is being burned away. Is there a percentage I can count?
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Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    I don't pan fry with much oil, so I log it all. You could weight your pan plus the oil, cook, and re-weigh your pan to find out how much your food absorbed.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    I would log it all, as some of the weight in your pan at the end would be the bits of food stuck to the bottom etc which would have different macros. I would say just fry with less oil.
  • GingerbreadCandy
    GingerbreadCandy Posts: 403 Member
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    I just count the tablespoons. :/ Even if I put a tablespoon and then wipe it with the water.

    So, I will be 50 calories under what I really ate. No biggie.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    Log it all. Use smaller amounts. Most non-stick pans don't need very much oil and you've probably been using far too much anyway.

    Yes, a small amount will burn off or stay in the pan afterwards. But better to over-estimate than under-estimate on fats.

    If you're actually pouring excess oil out of the pan after cooking, you could measure it pre- and post-cooking and only log the difference. But if you have enough excess oil to pour out of the pan after cooking, you probably didn't need to use that much in the first place. 4tbsp of oil sounds excessive for pretty much any recipe -- I usually find a teaspoon or two suffices for just about anything I cook.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    GingerbreadCandy wrote: »
    I just count the tablespoons. :/ Even if I put a tablespoon and then wipe it with the water.

    So, I will be 50 calories under what I really ate. No biggie.

    Wait, what do you mean "wipe it with water"?

    OP, log it all. Use less. I assume you're cooking for a family? I only use half a tablespoon for any meal I prepare for myself.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Log it all...swings and roundabouts

    why would you ever need 4 tbsp though? Cut it down to 2 tsp, invest in a good non-stick ...onions sauté in water or stock etc
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I use less oil. If I'm pouring out excess oil after cooking, that's my cue that I'm wasting oil. If I'm cooking for just me, I never need more than 1 teaspoon (~40 calories). If it's a family or multiple meal dish, say 4-5 servings and I use 1-2 tablespoons, I log whatever fraction of the oil I take for myself for that serving.
  • ccesq73
    ccesq73 Posts: 21
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    Obviously how much oil you need to fry something depends on what you're cooking. For people who don't know what you're cooking to tell you you're using too much is just judgmental and not particularly helpful.

    I had this very issue last week. I refuse to log oil I'm not actually consuming. Instead I measured it before and after cooking. Since oil expands when heated, I waited until it cooled to room temperature to measure what was left in the pan.
  • kikityme
    kikityme Posts: 472 Member
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    Nope, it counts. It doesn't burn away, it gets soaked into the food. I suppose you could measure what's left...

    4 tbsp is deep frying in my opinion, unless it's just a ginormous pan.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Spray oil also a good solution if low on calories left
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
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    i put the pan on the scale, add the oil and count it. little bit holds a lot of calories. :)
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I'd log it all or learn to cook with less oil.
  • GeeWillickers
    GeeWillickers Posts: 85 Member
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    Log it all. People overthink this. When I eat bacon I account for all the fat even though I'm draining it. Trying to micromanage down to the exact minute detail is an easy way to set yourself up for frustration.
  • nataliea683
    nataliea683 Posts: 64 Member
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    if you are cooking meat, measure out a tablespoon (or whatever measurement you want) and brush the oil onto the meat don't pour it into the pan then you know how much you are using. that's what i have seen chefs do on cooking programmes and I've done it myself a few times - saves time and oil! not sure how it would work if you are frying off onions or something but it definitely works for meat!
  • carlosjenno
    carlosjenno Posts: 174 Member
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    Don't use much oil, but when I do it's only ever a splash or extra virgin olive oil and I tend not tow rorry about it too much. The benefits of it far outweigh any deficits.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I would only bother measuring the oil in the pan after cooking if there was a lot leftover. The way I prepare food though that usually isn't the case, so I don't worry about it. I figure that I'll be overestimating calories a little bit, but it is so easy to underestimate calories that I'm sure it works out fine.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
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    I assume OP is talking about deep frying. How are you guys deep frying stuff in a teaspoon of oil?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    nilbogger wrote: »
    I assume OP is talking about deep frying. How are you guys deep frying stuff in a teaspoon of oil?

    Haha, I guess you're right. I've never deep friend anything. Surely he shouldn't count all the oil if he has tons left over from deep frying.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    I'd use a lot less oil to start with, and it all counts. I generally use 1 tsp in a small skillet (and then add small amounts of water if that doesn't seem like enough) and 2 tsp to 1 tbsp in a large skillet and log it as part of my recipe. Using nonstick skillets really helps.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    nilbogger wrote: »
    I assume OP is talking about deep frying. How are you guys deep frying stuff in a teaspoon of oil?

    ^^Deep frying? That is truly a thing of the past for me. Way too many calories.

    Get a bottle at a cooking store for spraying oil, and a good non stick skillet. You won't be sorry. It is a good investment.

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