I like to use a cooking spray, such as Pam, for certain kinds of frying. I never know whether I should spray the pan cold, wait until the pan is warm, or whether it really matters.
Thoughts?
What kind of pan? What are you cooking? And the answer is usually cold.
Yes, cold, because most cooking sprays have flammable propellants, plus the oil itself is flammable. If you must live dangerously and use spray on a hot pan, look for a non-stick spray designed for grilling. The no eyebrow look doesn’t work for most people.
Julia Child told me to never put fat in a cold pan, so I don’t. I live dangerously, and often spray Pam (actually I have a refillable oil sprayer) directly into a pan sitting on a gas burner, and have yet to cause myself any injury, nor have I ever had a near miss of any kind. And absent an open flame, there is only miniscule danger of making a flamethrower by accident. I’d go with Julia and oil your pan when it’s warm.
Sure, unadulterated oil. But many store-bought sprays contain propellants that are pretty flammable, so I err on the side of caution if using those or advising internet strangers on safe use. It’s one thing to pour or mist some olive oil onto the surface of a 350-degree pan, but a commercial spray plus gas flame plus high-heat cast iron may be less safe.
This is an endless argument in cooking. Some insist that adding fats to a hot pan increase the tendency of food to stick to the pan, others say no. The only big problem I see is that if the pan is too hot, the fat or oil will burn. I think it also helps distribute heat if you add it cold, but I haven’t done anything like a scientific study.
As for spraying Pam on a hot stove, well I think flames are cool, so that wouldn’t stop me. But I almost always grease a cold pan.
Thanks everyone for the advice.
I was thinking about it this morning when I pulled out my non-stick pan and was getting ready to fry a few eggs. I was taught in a cooking class years ago to never to put “ingredients” in a cold pan, so I let it warm up a few minutes before spraying. I don’t let the pan get so hot that the oil immediately smokes or turns brown.
I guess the answer is “it doesn’t really matter”.
I’d agree with that, unless the question is “How do I get some really cool flames?”
I’ve seen it make a difference with a cast iron pan. The pan should be hot before it’s oiled. The expanation I heard is that moisture from the air is absorbed onto the pan’s surface. Oiling it when it’s cool traps the moisture there, which can lead to sticking. Getting it hot evaporates the moisture, after which oiling prevents sticking. Whatever the reason, the difference has been very noticeable in my experience.
I should likw to think there’s quite a lot of middle ground between “pan as cold and dark as my soul” and “pan so hot any oil instantly scorches.” I oil a “warm” pan.
I know loads of people who use Pam and gas stoves and I have not EVER heard of an accidental flamethrower incident. Also, cite that there is ANY danger from pam+electrical coil stove. What would be the means of ignition?
I prefer to add oil when the pan is cold or perhaps warm. I need to be able to see that shimmer point happen. If a pan is too hot, I would think oil could go from cold to smoke very quickly.
For the most part, it doesn’t really matter. If you spray onto a hot pan, the layer of oil is so thin that it’ll get up to heat before you have time to add the food anyway. Starting from cold is somewhat safer: For one, you’re not going to accidentally spray the burners and start a fire, and for two you’re not getting the pan hotter than the smoke point of oil so there’s less chance of burning.
I learned from the Frugal Gourmet ‘Hot pan, cold oil, food won’t stick.’ It’s not true, though.