Can you use cooking spray instead of actual oil to bake/roast/broil veggies or other foods?

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floreznatalie
floreznatalie Posts: 8 Member
edited February 2017 in Food and Nutrition
So I've been wondering if it's possible to use olive/coconut oil cooking spray on veggies or other foods requiring to be baked or roasted?

I ask this because I want to save calories by not putting oil on them. I know I could use just a little like most people do but I still prefer to save the calories. Would they turn out bad if i sprayed cooking(olive/coconut) spray on them instead of pouring oil? I especially want to do this with sweet potato because I want to make sweet potato fries and some of my veggies. Would it work?
Or would it also work using no oil at all?
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Replies

  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    Cooking spray is oil. It's not actually calorie free. So yes, it will work, but no, it won't be zero calories. Read the serving size on the can to learn why.
  • krwjohnson
    krwjohnson Posts: 46 Member
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    I've never tried to use anything but olive oil. I did start using nothing at all though and it's works! Just pop the veggies in the oven with some salt and pepper. They aren't as good, ha ha, but they are roasted. Not sure if you could make sweet potato fries this way but it would be a cheap experiment!
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    floreznatalie wrote: »
    annacole94 wrote: »
    Cooking spray is oil. It's not actually calorie free. So yes, it will work, but no, it won't be zero calories. Read the serving size on the can to learn why.

    Yeah I get that but it's still less calories than say a tsp or tbs of oil. So I atleast want to save some calories by using the cooking spray.

    Doesn't matter. It's oil. You can pour your oil into an oil mister bottle and do the same thing. It's just how much you use.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
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    krwjohnson wrote: »
    I've never tried to use anything but olive oil. I did start using nothing at all though and it's works! Just pop the veggies in the oven with some salt and pepper. They aren't as good, ha ha, but they are roasted. Not sure if you could make sweet potato fries this way but it would be a cheap experiment!

    I throw them in a Ziploc bag with a teaspoon of oil and various seasonings, seal the bag, toss it in the air a few times, and then dump onto a baking sheet.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    floreznatalie wrote: »
    fitmom4lifemfp wrote: »
    floreznatalie wrote: »
    annacole94 wrote: »
    Cooking spray is oil. It's not actually calorie free. So yes, it will work, but no, it won't be zero calories. Read the serving size on the can to learn why.

    Yeah I get that but it's still less calories than say a tsp or tbs of oil. So I atleast want to save some calories by using the cooking spray.

    Doesn't matter. It's oil. You can pour your oil into an oil mister bottle and do the same thing. It's just how much you use.

    Oh hmm do you think it would work using no oil at all then?

    You can find plenty of tips online. Just google it.

    http://www.vegancoach.com/how-to-roast-vegetables.html

    https://www.forksoverknives.com/plant-based-cooking-how-to-cook-without-oil/

    http://www.thekitchn.com/do-you-really-need-to-use-oil-when-roasting-vegetables-good-questions-216134
  • Sassafras106
    Sassafras106 Posts: 73 Member
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    You can cook them with the spray... I didn't like it when I tried it, but go for it!
  • Pocket__Cthulhu
    Pocket__Cthulhu Posts: 134 Member
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    I do this all the time. If you avoid holding the spray nozzle down forever, you will only have a very thin layer of oil, which is nice for something like broccoli that can easily soak up a ton of oil in the little green....nubs? I almost called them leaves. I find it more convenient. I usually just toss whatever I'm cooking in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-20 minutes and they usually come out great, but don't neglect salt and pepper.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    I always roast vegies without oil.... It works fine
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    I use the PAM olive oil spray all the time, works great for roasted veggies--but it's not 0 calories.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    I use cooking spray to spray the pan, put the veggies on top, spray the veggies, and then sprinkle my seasoning. The oil is still oil, and has calories, but I find it easier and less messy than using a container or bag to coat the veggies with oil.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    edited February 2017
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    MotherOfSharpei wrote: »
    I use cooking spray to spray the pan, put the veggies on top, spray the veggies, and then sprinkle my seasoning. The oil is still oil, and has calories, but I find it easier and less messy than using a container or bag to coat the veggies with oil.

    This.

    Ive put my oil spray on the scale, tared it, sprayed my veggies and put it back on the scale just to see how much I actually use, and for a whole pan of veggies, I rarely exceed 5g of oil, so like 40 calories worth for several servings of veggies, which is WAY less than of I had used oil from a bottle. So yes, it has calories, but you will use WAY less this way. I never track it unless I eat the whole tray then ill add 3-5g of fat to my meal
  • Sassafras106
    Sassafras106 Posts: 73 Member
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    I think I got too much oil on the veggies by spraying them and the taste was a little off
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    floreznatalie wrote: »
    So I've been wondering if it's possible to use olive/coconut oil cooking spray on veggies or other foods requiring to be baked or roasted?

    I ask this because I want to save calories by not putting oil on them. I know I could use just a little like most people do but I still prefer to save the calories. Would they turn out bad if i sprayed cooking(olive/coconut) spray on them instead of pouring oil? I especially want to do this with sweet potato because I want to make sweet potato fries and some of my veggies. Would it work?
    Or would it also work using no oil at all?

    Yes, you can use cooking spray. It is just oil in spray form.
    You want to be careful not to spray too much or you might equal what oil you would use regularly. Might as well just measure out regular oil if you are a heavy sprayer.
    I roast potato slices with cooking spray. I mainly spray the baking pan so things do not stick. I don't coat the potatoes in cooking spray.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I use cooking spray because it's easier to actually get the oil on all the veggies without using too much.

    But I still log 1 tsp of oil per serving or something.
  • Stella3838
    Stella3838 Posts: 439 Member
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    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I throw them in a Ziploc bag with a teaspoon of oil and various seasonings, seal the bag, toss it in the air a few times, and then dump onto a baking sheet.

    Love the Ziploc bag for this! You can get the veggies coated nicely by tossing them around without need a bunch of oil.
  • Jayco141
    Jayco141 Posts: 221 Member
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    Keep in mind most spray oils use a propellants and other chemicals that are not so great! Better to use oils like EVO or Avocado or Coconut.

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