Sautéing with cooking sprays??

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orangegato
orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
in Recipes
I don't really cook, but I want to start. I saw a recipe that calls for sautéing in 2 tablespoons/30 ml of butter or oil. Can a couple of squirts of a cooking spray (like PAM) be an effective substitute for the oil or butter, or does one really need the higher volume of oil/butter to sauté properly?

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  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    It REALLY depends on the dish, imo. What are you cooking?
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I eat butter all the time, even when cutting, but mostly for added flavor. It's delicious. A tablespoon is only 100kcals.

    Two tablespoons of oil is a lot, hopefully for preparing multiple servings. Sauteing does require oil, and spraying oil is just a way to use less. It won't taste the same. Maybe for this reason, I tend not to saute much while cutting. A bamboo (or other) steamer can cook just about everything you might saute without any added oil.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
    edited November 2017
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    aeloine wrote: »
    It REALLY depends on the dish, imo. What are you cooking?

    For example: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/chorizo-tomato-egg-breakfast-skillet-recipe/

    but I was going to sub the chorizo for Beyond Meat feisty crumbles
  • OldHobo
    OldHobo Posts: 647 Member
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    I saw a recipe that calls for sautéing in 2 tablespoons/30 ml of butter or oil.
    Two tablespoons is, like, a pretty lot.
    Can a couple of squirts of a cooking spray (like PAM) be an effective substitute for the oil or butter
    I don't have any PAM but somebody left a can of Canola spray which I assume is comparable. Anyway, the aerosol canola spray can says, "Serving Size 1/4 sec spray (0.25g) Per Container about 565.
    A teaspoon of oil is about 4 grams. A couple squirts of PAM might be a half a gram. Two Tablespoons of oil is about 27 grams.
    So the question seems to be, "Is a half a gram of oil from an aerosol can comparable to 27 grams of oil from a bottle."
    I applaud your question and your interest in starting to cook. It's not rocket science. It's mainly just playing with food according to the common sense rules that apply to everything else. 27 grams of oil is no more comparable to 1/2 gram than $27 is to a fifty cent piece.

    With the exception of some baking recipes (actually, professional bakers call them formulas) cooking recipes for the home kitchen are really just guidelines and suggestions. If you are one of a dozen or more line cooks in a professional kitchen, that's a different story.
    So, orangegato, I'm guessing you're relatively young and have a lifetime of eating and cooking ahead of you. You have my permission to substitute chorizo for test tube pretend food if that's your heart's desire. :'( Maybe someday we'll compare notes.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    There are certain vegetables, mainly soft vegetables and greens, which are easier to sauté in a large amount of oil, such as mushrooms. To cut down on oil and calories, stir fry them in a small amount of oil (just enough to coat the pan) then reduce the heat and finish cooking in stock. In most sautéing situations you're going to get better flavor and texture with a small amount of actual oil than with cooking spray.

    Firmer vegetables you can just sauté with less oil, without worrying about the stock.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited November 2017
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    For the particular recipe you linked to, I would just cut the oil in half and use something nice flavored like olive oil (since the heat is fairly low). The oil adds a lot to the flavor and texture of this dish. I make something similar to this pretty often. I use a lot of paprika in mine.
  • orangegato
    orangegato Posts: 6,570 Member
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    OldHobo wrote: »
    I saw a recipe that calls for sautéing in 2 tablespoons/30 ml of butter or oil.
    Two tablespoons is, like, a pretty lot.
    Can a couple of squirts of a cooking spray (like PAM) be an effective substitute for the oil or butter
    I don't have any PAM but somebody left a can of Canola spray which I assume is comparable. Anyway, the aerosol canola spray can says, "Serving Size 1/4 sec spray (0.25g) Per Container about 565.
    A teaspoon of oil is about 4 grams. A couple squirts of PAM might be a half a gram. Two Tablespoons of oil is about 27 grams.
    So the question seems to be, "Is a half a gram of oil from an aerosol can comparable to 27 grams of oil from a bottle."
    I applaud your question and your interest in starting to cook. It's not rocket science. It's mainly just playing with food according to the common sense rules that apply to everything else. 27 grams of oil is no more comparable to 1/2 gram than $27 is to a fifty cent piece.

    With the exception of some baking recipes (actually, professional bakers call them formulas) cooking recipes for the home kitchen are really just guidelines and suggestions. If you are one of a dozen or more line cooks in a professional kitchen, that's a different story.
    So, orangegato, I'm guessing you're relatively young and have a lifetime of eating and cooking ahead of you. You have my permission to substitute chorizo for test tube pretend food if that's your heart's desire. :'( Maybe someday we'll compare notes.

    Thanks for giving me permission. I don't know what I would have done w/out it.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I often use a combo of evoo and spray.
  • trackme
    trackme Posts: 239 Member
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    I saute onions, mushrooms etc with a few sprays of Pam with a little bit of water and salt, works great. It does not taste the same as the oil, but if your trying to cut fat it works just fine.
  • kimcalica
    kimcalica Posts: 524 Member
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    I use Pam butter spray for a lot of things lol! Lost 130 lbs!
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
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    I've always thought you weren't supposed to use sprays on non-stick pans because they leave the surface covered w/ a gummy substance. Am I making that up?
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    I use the Bertolli extra virgin organic cooking spray for most things. Unless it's something that really needs a good fry (like something battered), I don't use oil anymore. I think a bit of grease (a la cooking spray) and a good, nonstick pan are all that you really need.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    I've always thought you weren't supposed to use sprays on non-stick pans because they leave the surface covered w/ a gummy substance. Am I making that up?

    No, you're right. For that matter sautéing with butter and oil in a non stick pan tends to ruin the non stick finish.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    orangegato wrote: »
    aeloine wrote: »
    It REALLY depends on the dish, imo. What are you cooking?

    For example: http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/chorizo-tomato-egg-breakfast-skillet-recipe/

    but I was going to sub the chorizo for Beyond Meat feisty crumbles

    Many soy proteins like Beyond Meat don't have very much fat in them, so they often need more than a spray of Pam to keep them from sticking. I've found that I almost never need a full two tablespoons of fat, but most recipes call for that amount. I usually wind up using about a tablespoon of oil when I'm cooking soy crumbles in a stainless pan, but I prefer to just cook them in a nonstick pan and skip the oil.
  • trackme
    trackme Posts: 239 Member
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    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    I've always thought you weren't supposed to use sprays on non-stick pans because they leave the surface covered w/ a gummy substance. Am I making that up?

    Your right, but I think the new sprays have a different formula and don't "gunk up" as much as previous. I will say, when I saute with only spray, it is with a non stick pan and I have not had any problems.

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