oil mister or sprayer

[Darienne]

Bought an inexpensive oil mister from a local chain kitchen store. Couldn't get it to work after 4,000 pumps. Phoned and they said 'OK. Return it.' Then I got it to work last night after pumping it 6,000 times. Phoned and said...'it's OK. I got it to work.'

Now I need it and it won't work. OK. Back it goes. My arm isn't made for this type of pumper mechanism.

Who uses what kind of mister? Please. Don't break the bank.

Thanks.

[Pierogi]

The only brand I'm aware of is the Misto, of which I've owned two. They were not inexpensive. I believe each one was around 20 bucks, US. They both started out working fabulously, but both of them, within 6 months, petered out so that the lovely full, robust shower of olive oil became a pathetic little weak "p*ssy" stream. I tried soaking the tube assembly in hot water, reaming out the little hole in the nozzle with a needle, loading up the chamber with sudsy water, nothing restored the spray. They just kept piddling.

I've had a few friends have similar experiences with Mistos as well, so I don't think its a unique problem. I gave up after the two, and just brush or drizzle. I do keep a can Trader Joe's brand EVOO spray in the pantry, but don't even use that too often.

I just don't think those pump-up misters are a good design for use with oils.

[rlibkind]

Some warehouse stores have them. I bought one (might have been a Misto) for less than $20 a couple weeks ago at BJ's Warehouse. Works like a charm.

[nickrey]

As Pierogi described, my pump up mister worked fine for a while but then just shot out a stream of oil.

I've gone completely away from misters, brushes, etc and use a squeeze bottle filled with oil.

[Anna N]

As Pierogi described, my pump up mister worked fine for a while but then just shot out a stream of oil.

I've gone completely away from misters, brushes, etc and use a squeeze bottle filled with oil.

This is exactly what I do. None of the ones I owned worked for long and they are almost impossible to clean. Further, unless you use them frequently the oil will go rancid rather quickly.

[Darienne]

Thanks to all for the replies. The answer seems obvious. Take the thing back and go for the squeeze bottle, etc.

The eggplant cutlets were dredged in seasoned crumbs so I couldn't use a brush, but a squeeze bottle would work a bit better than my frustrated dripping from my fingers. The cutlets didn't know any better and they were wonderful.

Thanks again for the help.

[sparrowgrass]

When mine quits spraying, I fill it with the hottest water from the tap, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, pump it up and let it spray until it sprays correctly. Then I empty it, fill it with plain water, and pump and spray until I am sure no soap remains in the pump mechanism. Then fill it with olive oil, pump and spray into the sink until the water is gone.

Mine is several years old, and this treatment works every time. I use mine a lot--to flavor popcorn, mostly.

[Gayle28607]

Thanks for your report, sparrowgrass. I have a Misto hidden away that I have kept in the hopes of being able to revive it. I'm off to try your method! It would be nice if this worked. Meanwhile I've grown accustomed to drizzling olive oil with abandon on everything. Not such a bad alternative, except the few times when you really need that light mist on top of crumbs or something.

[PedroG]

I had a plastic pump spray which worked like a charm for years until it ruptured when I filled it too high and pumped it too much. Now I have a Cuisipro Stainless-Steel Spray Pump Non-Aerosol Mister which after a few month became a piddler like Pierogi described. I filled it with 70% alcohol and sprayed until the nozzle was clean, now it works again as it should.

[qrn]

When mine quits spraying, I fill it with the hottest water from the tap, add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, pump it up and let it spray until it sprays correctly. Then I empty it, fill it with plain water, and pump and spray until I am sure no soap remains in the pump mechanism. Then fill it with olive oil, pump and spray into the sink until the water is gone.

Mine is several years old, and this treatment works every time. I use mine a lot--to flavor popcorn, mostly.

The Misto website recommends just that...I do mine every couple months and all is well...

Bud

[Darienne]

Took the mister from post #1 back from whence it came.

Today, on a whim, bought a Paderno brand mister half-price and thought what can I lose? I'll keep the receipt and take it back if it doesn't work.

OK. Fill half full. Pump several times to get it started. Well, several times was exactly 31 times. Picked it up again after three hours and it is still pumping. Who knows?

Thanks for all the helpful posts.

[PedroG]

I had to clean my Cuisipro Mister (or Mistress, for political correctness?) again and did it like Sparrowgrass described, and it works like a charm, sprinkling my salads every day (I prefer a sprinkle over a mist wafting all over the kitchen).

I never had a problem with rancidity using EVOO from Tuscany.

[Fat Guy]

A couple of these things have made their way through my kitchen and, eventually, into the trash. I'm just not sure they have much utility. What are you all using them for?

[Darienne]

A couple of these things have made their way through my kitchen and, eventually, into the trash. I'm just not sure they have much utility. What are you all using them for?

Making eggplants cutlets in the oven for Moussaka and Eggplant Parmigiana.

[Fat Guy]

What's the advantage of spraying over just wiping a thin film of oil on the sheet pan?

[Darienne]

What's the advantage of spraying over just wiping a thin film of oil on the sheet pan?

I am following Rachel Perlow's recipe for Eggplant Cutlets which calls for spraying the breadcrumb coated slices of eggplant baked in the oven.

Edited July 30, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Fat Guy]

I see that direction and am wondering what happens if instead of spraying you just put a little oil on the sheet pan/parchment and wipe it around with a piece of paper towel, and leave the tops un-oiled until they come in contact with the oiled surface of the pan/parchment after flipping. Or, if the oiled tops are providing some sort of cooking benefit, why not just flip before the start of cooking, so both sides will be sure to have come in contact with oil?

[David Ross]

I just buy cheap plastic spray bottles at the Dollar Store. I use them for spraying fruit juices on meats when I'm slow-cooking outside in the summer. One of the main uses is for spraying peach nectar and apple juice on baby back ribs--both for flavor and the glaze they give to the meat.

The sugars in the juice can clog up the spray nozzle, and if you leave it out in the heat that compunds the problem. If you end up throwing out the bottle, you've only lost a few bucks since it isn't an expensive kitchen gadget.

[Darienne]

I see that direction and am wondering what happens if instead of spraying you just put a little oil on the sheet pan/parchment and wipe it around with a piece of paper towel, and leave the tops un-oiled until they come in contact with the oiled surface of the pan/parchment after flipping. Or, if the oiled tops are providing some sort of cooking benefit, why not just flip before the start of cooking, so both sides will be sure to have come in contact with oil?

Well, could do that...or could use my new oil sprayer doodad instead.

As noted above, I bought it on a whim...it was a sudden moment of whim buying. Happens.

[PedroG]

A couple of these things have made their way through my kitchen and, eventually, into the trash. I'm just not sure they have much utility. What are you all using them for?

I prefer my salads to be lightly coated with olive oil and aceto balsamico instead of being drowned in a sauce.

So for a salad prepared in the bowl, it's sprinkle (EVOO), toss, sprinkle, toss, sprinkle, toss, spice, toss, salt, toss, herbs, toss, spray balsamico, toss. I start with oil to prevent osmotic dehydration by the salt.

For a salad that is directly arranged on the plates like insalata Caprese, sprinkling EVOO is also preferable over pouring, and I then often use balsamico reduction (30% of original volume) in a 1ml-syringe with a blunt needle:

[Wholemeal Crank]

I have one that I adore, after hating my Misto: the Misto clogged so easily and quickly and the pump action just never felt like it went very far. I think this may be the same one, but I have to go home and check to be sure.

My current sprayer is now about 4 years old, and I do not remember giving it a soap or alcohol cleanout ever, but I might have forgotten the trauma (I do remember several failed attempts to resuscitate the Misto before I gave up). I think it reaches a high enough pressure that it just blasts the nozzle clean each time. And I use it sparingly, a few times a year, so it mostly sits, and yet doesn't clog.

What do I use it for? Primarily I use it for pizzas and foccaccias, where I want a light coating of oil, sometimes on top of the toppings, so the spray doen't disturb them, and sometimes underneath, where the spray again won't tear at a lightly proofed dough.

[Wholemeal Crank]

That was not the right mister linked in my last post: mine is from Emsa.

(click on the photo for larger image at flickr)

Edited August 8, 2010 by Wholemeal Crank (log)

[RobertCollins]

I've thrown out two of the Misto kind.

I then thought about a query like Fat Boy's, and felt I had enough challenges in the kitchen that I didn't need the headaches these things caused. As you have pointed out, almost every thing can be achieved some other way.

My son uses one to get oil on the grill bars, I showed him a paper towel with a teaspoon of oil on it. Yealp, nearly everything.

Edited August 8, 2010 by RobertCollins (log)

[Shamanjoe]

I bought my Misto originally to make Jeffrey Morgenthaler's Angostura-Scorched Pisco Sours. It worked wonderfully for that purpose, but I didn't make them often enough to justify the $20 to myself, so I started using it with oil for the month or two between sours. I've had the same problem other posters have described. It mists fine at first, then converts to a little stream after a while. Cleaning makes the Angostura spray fine, but the oil always seems to have the same problem. Now I use Trader Joe's EVOO spray like Pierogi and keep the Misto in the bar.

edited: to correct font and size

Edited August 8, 2010 by Shamanjoe (log)