What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?
Antonia Drummond Spoon University Lifestyle

Lifestyle

In case you never have Pam on hand.

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Do you ever realize how absent minded you are when you're baking? You know that feeling. When you're almost done and your oven is preheated to perfection, then you reach for your handy Pam spray to grease your baking pan and it's not there. This happens to me all the time. I wish I was kidding─it's happened like 5 times in a row this week alone.

Now, when this happens to me I do not have the time to run to the store to buy Pam. So, I just make do with other ways to grease my baking pan (or just pray that nonstick really is nonstick). Because cooking sprays aren't really good for you in general. Plus I'm a college kid on a budget.

Shortening

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?
Allison Curley Shortening is generally made of a combination of vegetable oils. As most non-stick sprays are generally a combination of vegetable oil and lecithin, shortening does a pretty similar job creating a non-stick alternative. Simply take a bit of shortening and rub it across your baking surface.

#SpoonTip: Put some flour on top of the shortening and you have a perfect non-stick surface for a cake. 

Butter

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?
Caty Schnack Many recipes call for buttering a pan instead of greasing it. This is  because the fatty cells in butter create a non-stick coat on your pan. I've used it many times by just taking a stick of butter and running it around the surface of a pan to grease (prime example: buttering a pan and coating it with powdered sugar for marshmallows).

#SpoonTip: Use a bit of cocoa powder mixed in with the flour if you're making brownies. Keeps the edges brown.

Vegetable Oil

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

Most commercial baking sprays are made with vegetable oil, which makes this a no brainer when it comes to using this as a replacement to grease your pans. All you have to do is pour some of your vegetable oil on a paper towel and rub it along the sides of the pan in order to make sure the whole thing is coated.

Bacon Fat

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?
Jenna Johnston This one is slightly less versatile, unless you don't mind a slight taste of bacon with your baked goods. Nevertheless, bacon fat makes a good substitute and─really─who doesn't love bacon?

Now get baking. It'll make you feel better.

Non stick cooking spray has been a common kitchen staple since the 1960’s. But not everyone wants the added chemicals found in cooking sprays, or maybe you just ran out and don’t want to make a run to the store to pick more up.

No matter why you are looking for a substitute for cooking spray, we have the best non stick options and will let you know how to use them.

So what are the best substitutes for non-stick cooking spray?

The top cooking spray substitutes are butter, lard, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, or another cooking oil.

The goal of non stick cooking oil is in the name, to keep your recipe from sticking to the pan! So when looking for a good alternative we need something that will keep our dishes from sticking. Let’s move on an explain how to use these cooking spray replacements.

Cooking Spray Alternatives

I love cooking and baking with natural ingredients. And for that reason I stopped using cooking spray years ago and I’ve never looked back.

I know many people love the convenience, and if you still like cooking spray I completely understand. But give these cooking spray alternatives a try and I bet you may just love the way your recipe turns out that you won’t be adding cooking spray to the shopping list anytime soon.

Butter

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

Butter is one of the oldest methods for preventing sticking to pans and it is still an exceptional way to go.

Butter is already in most everyone’s fridge and it is affordably prices. Butter will add a layer of flavor to any recipe and is particularly popular when baking.

Butter is higher in calories than cooking spray, but the flavor and cost benefits are well worth it in my kitchen.

Lard

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

I can’t decide whether butter or lard is my favorite substitute for cooking spray. But suffice it to say that lard is a great option when you are all out of cooking spray.

Lard got a bad rap over the years but it has been gaining in popularity in recent years, especially with those who are looking to include more natural ingredients in their cooking and less artificial chemicals.

Lard is packed with flavor and works well in many applications, including as a replacement for non stick cooking spray.

Vegetable Oil

What can I use if I dont have cooking spray?

Just in case you don’t have butter or lard on hand, I have a few more solid options for you. And vegetable oil is probably already in your pantry making it a great option when you don’t have cooking spray on hand.

So, cooking spray is basically just watered down oil (with chemicals added) so that means you can easily use vegetable oil as a substitute no matter what you are making.

It doesn’t offer the level of flavor as lard or butter, but it does come in at fewer calories.

Vegetable Shortening

Similar to vegetable oil, vegetable shortening is another readily available option for subbing for cooking spray.

Just coat your pan with it and you will be good to go. Vegetable shortening suffers the same lack of flavor as vegetable oil, but it’s still significantly better than cooking spray in my opinion.

Other Oils

Let’s say you don’t have any of the other options above (in which case it might be time to go shopping) you can use any other cooking oil you have on hand in place of cooking spray.

Olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, or any other variety you have on hand will work. Just do a light coating on the bottom of your pan and you will never miss that bottle of cooking spray.

Cooking Spray Replacement FAQ

What is the best cooking spray substitute for baking?

Lard or butter are the best cooking spray replacements when baking. They provide a non stick surface for your baked goods as well as a rich and creamy flavor.

You can also use vegetable oil or vegetable shortening if you don’t have butter or lard on hand.

Can you substitute flour for cooking spray?

Yes, flour can be used instead of cooking spray if you don’t have any of the other options. Flour can burn so watch your temperatures when using flour.

What is a good cooking spray substitute for waffle makers?

A thin layer of butter is the best substitute for cooking spray on waffle makers. You can use lard or vegetable shortening as well.

If you use oil to coat your waffle maker, check your owners manual first.

Can you use water instead of cooking spray?

It's as simple as it sounds when learning how to saute without oil or stir-fry, and yes, all you need is water.

Can I use flour instead of cooking spray?

The trick to a good substitute for cooking spray is adding flour. You know how your grandma used to butter, then flour the insides of the cake pan? There's a reason she did that! Homemade nonstick pan release is better than cooking spray because it's easy to make (you probably have all the ingredients!) and so cheap!