cowboy wrote:
> I have recently acquired a lot of Calphalon anodized & All-Clad stainless
> cookware. Both companies say not to use cooking sprays such as PAM etc.
>
> but I LIKE the convenience of a spray, and I like using just a tiny bit of
> oil that the spray allows.
>
> they are discouraging the use of these sprays, because of the vanish-like
> coating that they impart over time to cookware, which seems impossible to
> remove
>
> (I found this out, fortunately, on some cheap cookware, my high end stuff is
> still a "cooking-spray virgin" for the moment)
>
> so, has anyone figured out the magic bullet? which ingredient of PAM-style
> cooking sprays is the culprit, the alcohol or the lecithin?
>
> Is there some alternative spray that doesn't form the varnish and won't ruin
> my new cookware?
> Or some type of "aerosol oil mister" that folks here use?
>
> I want to take care of the nice cookware, but I am hopelessly addicted to
> the idea of a "spray", and the varnish seems to ruin cookware, since it
> seems like it will never come off, no matter how much you scrub.
>
>
> thanks for any ideas
>
> chef cowboy
>
>

I never cared for cooking spray, they make too much of a mess IMO and I
don't like the flavor that some impart. That said, I keep a 750ml
bottle fixed with a bar pour spout filled with olive oil on the counter.
Cheap doesn't look bad and functional...mine's an empty schimirnoff
twist bottle with labels removed chosen for the easy to grip design. A
little bit is enough to keep foods from sticking to the pan and if you
do want the surface completely coated a pastry brush will do the trick.

Jessica