Probably dumb question about olive oil...

KristyMichelle716
KristyMichelle716 Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I was wondering what you think/know for a fact: when cooking with olive oil (specifically, sautee'ing veggies/etc. with a drizzling of it in the frying pan), do you log that as food for the day? I probably drizzle the equivalent of a few tablespoons, but it all gets "cooked up" in the process. Or does it??? :) Thanks for any help!!

Replies

  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    If I use it I log it.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I absolutely log it. You might have a bit of evaporation during cooking, but it's a very calorie-dense food so you want to make sure you're accounting for all the oil that is getting into your body.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I measure how much I put in, use the minimum I need for whatever I'm doing, and log all of it. I never have enough left in the pan to pour out or anything like that. I might be logging a little more than I actually eat, but probably not by much, and better safe than sorry - oil is calorie dense!
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    It is just soaking into whatever you ar cooking, so yes, it must be logged.

    If your pan has no oil on it after the cooking then if you eat all the things you saute'd in it then you should count all the oil.

    Good try though ;)
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited August 2016
    It doesn't evaporate much if at all, so if it gets "cooked up" it means it's soaked into the food and you should definitely log it. That's why it makes vegetables taste so much better. :)

    A few tablespoons of olive oil is like 350-360 calories. Your best bet to log it accurately is to weigh the amount before you drizzle it and keep it to a caloric level you're comfortable with.
  • KristyMichelle716
    KristyMichelle716 Posts: 30 Member
    Haha word, that was my assumption... But then again, I ain't no scientist! XD

    Do you use anything besides olive oil to saute yer veggies/etc.??
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    I grill mine mostly and use very little olive oil.. usually in a spray can so I can just lightly cover them.. Sometimes I don't use anything but seasoning at all. The grill is your friend! :)
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    I started using a non stick pan and surprizingly a small amount of olive oil will work pretty well. Like a teaspoon or two.
    Best of luck and good eating!
  • rebel_26
    rebel_26 Posts: 1,826 Member
    avocado oil has a higher flash point. I use it in stir fry applications.

    also these oils have good fats in them so add them to your daily. I also noticed the default in MFP discounts mono and poly-unsaturated fats (cholesterol lowering) so make sure to change those parameters if your macro-ing.
  • TrickyDisco
    TrickyDisco Posts: 2,869 Member
    Use olive oil sometimes in salad dressings but I prefer to cook (stir-fry etc) with rapeseed oil and log it all as it's around 40 calories a teaspoon.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    Use an olive oil spray, or a butter spray. None left in the pan and you'll have very little (if anything) to log.
  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    I use spray oil, olive oil kind from trader joes.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    edited August 2016
    Unless you left some in the pan or it burned up(bad cook like me?), it's in the food. I use coconut oil, peanut oil or butter for all my frying. I've started to steam everything and add a dab of butter afterwards for flavor.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    KristyMichelle716 wrote: »
    Haha word, that was my assumption... But then again, I ain't no scientist! XD

    Do you use anything besides olive oil to saute yer veggies/etc.??

    I use coconut oil.
  • BigTandthesquatters
    BigTandthesquatters Posts: 151 Member
    PAM(spray oil) + 1 tsp olive is enough to saute a whole onion, and 8oz string beans. So if did the math right it was 40 calories for the olive oil, and another 15 for the spray oil. so 55 calories. Before I was like you and using 2-3tablespoons then i did that math. That was 240 calories. I was eating a lot of vegetables so i used a lot of oil. I had to change it up.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I actually just throw a little water in the pan, rather than oil and "steam" them. Once they start to soften, I remove the lid and let the water cook off. It might sound bland, but it depends on what else you are doing with them.
  • timeisfiction
    timeisfiction Posts: 25 Member
    KristyMichelle716 wrote: »
    Haha word, that was my assumption... But then again, I ain't no scientist! XD

    Do you use anything besides olive oil to saute yer veggies/etc.??

    I use a splash of low sodium chicken stock sometimes (still have to count it but it is less than oil). Just watch for when it evaporates and add a teeny more. :)
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I spray olive oil into a skillet for cooking my stir fry. One time I weighed my skillet as I sprayed olive oil into it, and the weight increased by 1g. I now log 1g olive oil each time I cook.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Log it since you're eating it combined with the food you cooked. A few tbsp sounds like an awful lot.... I'd keep it to one or less. Oil is 120 calories per tablespoon.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    KristyMichelle716 wrote: »
    Haha word, that was my assumption... But then again, I ain't no scientist! XD

    Do you use anything besides olive oil to saute yer veggies/etc.??

    If the oil were disappearing in any significant amount from the pan while you saute, there would be a lot of smoke, and your smoke-detector, assuming you have one, would be going off. Barring that, your food is soaking up the oil (unless you have a pool of oil left in the pan when you're done.

    You could a non-stick pan and reduce the amount of oil you use. There are fat soluble vitamins you won't get the benefit of if you try to cut out all the fat.
  • KristyMichelle716
    KristyMichelle716 Posts: 30 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I actually just throw a little water in the pan, rather than oil and "steam" them. Once they start to soften, I remove the lid and let the water cook off. It might sound bland, but it depends on what else you are doing with them.

    Yes! I'm going to get a steamer. I do a lot of stir-fry veggie meals and add sauces and dressings and whatnot, so I think I'm just going to cut out the need for olive oil entirely. Thanks everyone for your replies and insight!
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited August 2016
    I stir fry with water. It works and when I make the sacue, it soaks up all the other sauces, tastes good and not watered down. The trick is to use the right amount of water. (I usually start with 1/4 cup for a skillet)
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I am pretty good now at dry frying. Certain things I will add absolute minimal amount of oil or use cooking spray instead.
  • kubyshechka
    kubyshechka Posts: 75 Member
    Log, it's 120 cal per tablespoon, it counts.
  • kubyshechka
    kubyshechka Posts: 75 Member
    I grill most of the year, and since I only oil the griddles I don't count that. I use a lot of spices to make food taste better.

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