No-stick cooking sprays

[Tropicalsenior]

32 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I may be too late, but I had a mister bottle that worked well for a while until it clogged up.

 

Ditto for me. Couldn't even get it clean so I finally just pitched it.

[AlaMoi]

PSA for those using non-stick bake ware . . . .

every spray product mentioned that I've tracked . . . has lecithin as an ingredient.

it is an 'emulsifier' - used to ensure all the other spray ingredients 'behave as one'

 

if you have encountered a brownish unremovable coating - turning your non-stick into to stickware, , , ,

it's likely the lecithin component.  not even pure Teflon 'sheds' lecithin.

 

fwiw

Edited February 3 by AlaMoi (log)

[paulraphael]

I don't know how significant lecithin is, but most of these products probably use an oil high in unsaturated fats, to make sure it stays liquid and thin at wide range of temperatures. These are oils that will polymerize when they oxidize—either from sitting around a long time or from high heat. Oil polymerizing on a teflon pan is bad news. You're basically seasoning as if it's cast iron. That polymer coating is hard to get off without likewise removing the teflon.

 

There was a thread a while ago where someone said they had a chemical solution—something caustic enough to take off the oil gunk without harming the teflon. Maybe worth checking out. 

 

I'm inclined to try one of those refillable spray bottles, but don't know if they're designed to deal with oil polymerizing in the nozzle and the little pump. I'd want to know there's a good way to clean and dekunk the things.

[weinoo]

5 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

I'm inclined to try one of those refillable spray bottles, but don't know if they're designed to deal with oil polymerizing in the nozzle and the little pump. I'd want to know there's a good way to clean and dekunk the things.

I tried one of these things years ago.  Impossible to properly clean, but that didn’t matter - it basically sucked at its job.

 

my alternative is simple - parchment paper. At approximately $.08/sheet, a pretty good deal…

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Katbite-200-Pcs-12x16-inch-Heavy-Duty-Unbleached-Flat-Parchment-Paper-for-Baking-White/899307061?wmlspartner=wlpa&expiryTime=1739721453174&c=mWebSmartBanner&vtcWeb=Xwhj-IoRalSTNxs9H6Co-s

[Shel_B]

20 minutes ago, paulraphael said:

I don't know how significant lecithin is, but most of these products probably use an oil high in unsaturated fats, to make sure it stays liquid and thin at wide range of temperatures. These are oils that will polymerize when they oxidize—either from sitting around a long time or from high heat. Oil polymerizing on a teflon pan is bad news. You're basically seasoning as if it's cast iron. That polymer coating is hard to get off without likewise removing the teflon.

Pam spray has been applied to the nonstick pan used for cornbread for about five years. Never once have I encountered the polymerization issue you describe. Maybe the temp at which the cornbread is baked isn't high enough to cause the problem? It's baked at about 350-deg F.

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

Parchmnet paper is a good idea 

 

I use the rolls , readily available @ MarketBasket 

 

Ive found that the brown paper works better than the white 

 

Its splipery-er.

[mgaretz]

I have bought avocado oil in an aerosol spray at Costco.  I gave up  on misters some time ago.  These days I simply pour a little avocado oil in the baking pan and spread it around with a paper towel.  A lot less mess than a spray (which I usually had to spread around with a paper towel anyway).  For something like a grate, I put the oil on the paper and then spread.

Edited February 17 by mgaretz (log)

[TdeV]

I use a silicone paintbrush to smear the oil around. Sort of like the one below (Walmart) 

Mine came from King Arthur which they don't have any more.

 

 

[paulraphael]

On 2/16/2025 at 10:48 AM, Shel_B said:

Pam spray has been applied to the nonstick pan used for cornbread for about five years. Never once have I encountered the polymerization issue you describe. Maybe the temp at which the cornbread is baked isn't high enough to cause the problem? It's baked at about 350-deg F.

That's right ... not an issue at that temperature. It becomes a problem when you preheat a frying pan. 

[rotuts]

Staff note: This post and responses to it were split from the I bought a panini press! Now what? discussion, to maintain topic focus.

 

 

Id be careful w PAM.    it can be very difficult to remove if the temp is too high

 

and thus ruin a non-stick coating.  there might be a version for grills that tolerates high tem ps

 

not sure.

[Smithy]

45 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Id be careful w PAM.    it can be very difficult to remove if the temp is too high

 

and thus ruin a non-stick coating.  there might be a version for grills that tolerates high tem ps

 

not sure.

 

There is a version of PAM intended for hot grills. You raise a good point.

[rotuts]

Id be concerned using any type of PAM on a surface

 

that would not survive a good scrubbing.

Edited 21 hours ago by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

Reports notwithstanding, I'm not so sure PAM is any worse than mayo or butter. They all have a ton of phospholipids which are supposed to be the issue with pam.

[rotuts]

@gfweb

 

I thought the issue was lecithin, which would build up and be difficult to remove

 

w/o bartenders friend and elbow grease .  so I goggled a bit :

 

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/stop-using-nonstick-spray-on-nonstick-pans/

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/cookware/cooking-spray-on-nonstick-pan/

 

https://learn.surlatable.com/heres-why-you-should-never-use-cooking-spray-on-nonstick-cookware/

 

most important is that Tramontina , a maker of some very fine pans , reasonably priced ( I have three , and love them )   :

 

''''   The warranty for our top-pick nonstick pan, the Tramontina Professional 10-Inch Restaurant Fry Pan, notes that the company is not bound to repair or replace the item if it hasn’t been “cared for according to the manufacturer’s instructions.” And the Use & Care instructions read, “Do not use nonstick aerosol cooking sprays in your cookware.”  ''

 

back in the day , I used PAM in my fancy pantsy 3 MIL copper pans from FR

 

and fortunately back then EasyOff  ( NaOH )  was sold as paste .  worked great. solved the problem

Edited 20 hours ago by rotuts (log)

[gfweb]

6 hours ago, rotuts said:

@gfweb

 

I thought the issue was lecithin, which would build up and be difficult to remove

 

w/o bartenders friend and elbow grease .  so I goggled a bit :

 

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/stop-using-nonstick-spray-on-nonstick-pans/

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/cookware/cooking-spray-on-nonstick-pan/

 

https://learn.surlatable.com/heres-why-you-should-never-use-cooking-spray-on-nonstick-cookware/

 

most important is that Tramontina , a maker of some very fine pans , reasonably priced ( I have three , and love them )   :

 

''''   The warranty for our top-pick nonstick pan, the Tramontina Professional 10-Inch Restaurant Fry Pan, notes that the company is not bound to repair or replace the item if it hasn’t been “cared for according to the manufacturer’s instructions.” And the Use & Care instructions read, “Do not use nonstick aerosol cooking sprays in your cookware.”  ''

 

back in the day , I used PAM in my fancy pantsy 3 MIL copper pans from FR

 

and fortunately back then EasyOff  ( NaOH )  was sold as paste .  worked great. solved the problem

 

Lecithin is a phospholipid found in egg yolks.  I doubt pam's lecithin is worse than that in mayo, and in the amounts used may be safer than mayo for the surface.

 

I still think spraying pam on the bread isn't much of a danger to the press.

 

PAM does make lecithin-free sprays.