Cooking Sprays – Just. Don’t. Use Them.

I’m just gonna go on another rant about a popular food product on the market today… I’ve noticed that a lot of people are buying cooking sprays. So I did a little research, and I’d like to share with you what I’ve found.

These cooking sprays tout “All-natural”, and “fat-free cooking” on its label. But they are sneakily deceiving!

Let’s look at the ingredients of Pam cooking spray: canola oil, grain alcohol from corn, lecithin, propellant.

Canola Oil

Canola oil should not be used for cooking as it is heat-sensitive, goes rancid easily and turns into trans fats at high heats. It is also a genetically modified crop that is sprayed in extremely high amounts since it is genetically modified  with roundup and engineered to withstand the pesticide.

Propellant

Yes, this word definitely should concern you when you read the label! The propellant that Pam uses in its cooking spray is called isobutane which is also known as propane. Isobutane is a hydrocarbon gas, and according to Environmental Workers Group is classified as a human toxicant and irritant.  It is used in food or as an additive with limited or no toxicity information available. There is nothing “all natural” about propellant.

Sneaky Label Laws

The Nutrition Facts labels on this product has a “recommended serving” of a third of a second or less. This translates to less than half of a gram of fat per serving, allowing the company to label the product as “fat-free” according to the labeling law. This is a shame since most people don’t even go as far to read labels and simply buy it because of its flashy packaging. Now even if they do read the label they would think they are consuming a product with no calories, and no fat.  This company shamelessly uses labeling laws to their advantage to make consumers believe that they are actually using an oil that is fat-free, which in fact does not exist.  Basically, this product is mostly canola oil that has other additives and chemicals in it to make it into an aerosol spray so you use less of it.

Environmental Consequences

An oft-ignored drawback from the use of these products is the waste contributed by the empty aerosol can.

Build-up On Cookware

On top of all the health reasons not to use cooking sprays, these products also tend to build-up on stones, bakeware, and non-stick pans. So if the health and environmental reasons weren’t enough for you, now your sacrificing your expensive cookware.

The Facts About Fats

There is a huge fear out there about fats. The fact is, fats are an essential part of our daily diet.  We need them for energy, hormones, and they are constituents of our cell membranes.  When cooking with them, at the end of the day it will not make a big difference if you use half a gram vs. 1 gram in the dish you’re cooking.  Of course this is a nutrient that needs to be watched portion-wise, but it’s all about balance in your diet. Using simple oil on its own is definitely better than using a spray that contains chemical toxicants and irritants.

What are the best fats to cook with?

For baking and stir-frying: coconut oil, or ghee (a.k.a clarified butter).  They are the least heat sensitive oils, and will not turn into trans fats when heated up like other oils.  That being said, they should not be used to deep fry anything. There’s no healthy method of deep frying, there’s also nothing health promoting about deep fried food anyways.  Coconut oil has many other benefits for your body – its a kind of fat that your body will metabolize first for energy, increases immunity, and aids digestion.

So step away from the cooking spray, people! Now you know the facts.