Cooking spray: should you use it?

Sticky business Regular readers of my recipe columns might have noticed that I’m an advocate of pan coating (as well as cling-film, although that’s a subject for another Truc column). Also called baking spray, cooking spray or pan release, it’s a convenient alternative to the more traditional baking technique of “greasing and flouring” a pan. Instead of rubbing the interior of the pan with fat, such as butter or shortening, then coating it with a thin layer of flour to prevent batters and doughs from sticking, you just spray on some pan coating.

I admit to having some qualms about it. It’s not the pseudoscience alarmists who worry me – they claim to “tell us the truth” about cooking sprays, saying that because they contain multi-syllabic chemicals that the “researcher” can’t pronounce, they are unsafe. They also say that the propellant in pan coating is flammable and therefore dangerous if ingested.

Some people use cooking spray for dietary reasons, because the manufacturers often claim it has “zero calories” if used in what according to them is the correct serving size (a spritz of one-quarter of a second! Who uses that little?). These dieters offer sensible alternatives, including hand-squeeze (or pump) misters that spray on a thin layer of oil, which are cheaper than commercial pan coatings and also let you use the oil of your choice. This works for skillets when you’re searing a piece of meat but not when you’re baking because it lacks the ingredients that prevent the batter from sticking to the pan.

My main qualm about pan coating is the can itself, because it adds to our landfill problems.

I continue to use it though, because it has so many purposes other than spraying cake pans (for cookies and other treats baked on a flat tray, I use baking paper or reusable silicon-coated sheets).