I’m sure most of you have a can of cooking spray in one of your kitchen cupboards. That handy little spray can makes it quick and easy to grease baking pans and cookie sheets! But when it comes to useful ways to use cooking spray, it turns out that greasing your brownie pan is just the tip of the iceberg!
Related: 9 Unexpected & Useful Things You Can Do with Vegetable Oil
Today I’ll be sharing 13 additional ways to put cooking spray to good use, both in the kitchen and beyond! These brilliant tips will save you both time and effort, so much so that you’ll wish you had known them sooner! And if you have a use for cooking spray that isn’t listed here, I would love to hear about it! Drop me a line in the comments on this post, and you and your tip could be featured in a future blog post.
13 Ways to Use Cooking Spray
1. Silence Squeaks
Any oil can help silence squeaky hinges, chains, and other metal parts. But not all of those oils come in handy spray cans like cooking sprays do! Just spray a little oil onto the squeaky area, then enjoy the silence that follows. :-)
2. Remove Bugs
You know those bugs that get splattered on the front of your car? Sometimes they can seem downright impossible to remove! But instead of struggling and potentially damaging the paint, go grab your can of cooking spray! Spray a bit onto the stubborn bug, wait a few seconds, then use a microfiber cloth to wipe the area clean.
3. Loosen Locks
Sometimes locks get stiff and hard to turn, but there’s an easy fix for that. Just coat the key to the lock in a bit of cooking spray, then use the key to lock or unlock the door. The cooking spray will transfer to the mechanisms inside the lock, and it will help make things glide a little easier!
4. Make Popcorn
Instead of buying a special popcorn oil for making homemade popcorn, just use your can of cooking spray! It makes it much easier to achieve an even coating of oil on the kernels, which is one of the keys to perfect popcorn!
Related: How to Make Amazing Homemade Popcorn in Your Microwave
5. Prevent Stains
I’m sure many of us have a few food storage containers that are now slightly orange due to tomato sauce stains. But here’s a tip that can help you keep it from happening again! Before filling the container, coat the inside with a bit of cooking spray. When you put your leftovers inside, the cooking spray will act as a barrier between the plastic and the food, which should prevent the reaction that stains your containers.
6. Go Fish
A light coat of cooking spray on your fishing line can help you cast farther. The oil will keep the line from getting snagged on itself, so there’s less resistance as it unspools.
7. Grate Cheese
At one of our recent planning meetings, someone mentioned how hard it is to clean dishes that have cheese on them. So this is a very timely tip! The next time you go to grate cheese, coat the inside and outside with a bit of cooking spray first. The cheese will slide easily, you’ll get fewer clumps, and clean-up will be MUCH easier!
8. Shovel Snow
Shoveling snow is already hard enough, but it can be downright infuriating if you’re struggling with a stubborn shovel! One way to make it easier is to spray both sides of your snow shovel with cooking spray. The light coating of oil will help your shovel slice through snow and ice, and the snow will slide right off the shovel! Your driveway will be clear in no time.
9. Paint Your Nails
After painting your fingernails, give them a quick spray with cooking oil. Not only does it help set the polish and help it dry faster, but it will also moisturize your cuticles!
10. Clean Soap Scum
Cooking oil can help break down stubborn mineral deposits and soap scum in your tub or shower. (Just make sure to wash the area thoroughly afterward – you don’t want anyone to slip and fall!) A tiny spritz of cooking spray can also make your faucets and fixtures really shine!
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11. Shape Patties
Your hands are often your best tools in the kitchen, but sometimes it turns into a sticky situation! You can make many hands-on tasks (like shaping burger patties) easier by coating your clean hands with a layer of cooking spray. No more sticking!
12. Measure Sticky Liquids
Measuring honey, molasses, and maple syrup can be a pain because once you put them in the measuring cup, they tend to want to stay there. So next time you’re measuring out something sticky, coat the measuring cup with cooking spray first. The sticky liquid will slide right out!
13. Slice & Dice
How is anyone supposed to dice or mince foods when they won’t come off your knife? The easy answer is to coat your knife with cooking spray first! The food will slide much more easily off your knife, so you can finish faster. (This is especially helpful for sticky stuff like garlic!)
Do you have any unusual uses for cooking spray?
My husband has used cooking spray on the snowblower chute to keep snow from building up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve used cooking spray to loosen label glue.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bought a Miso sprayer and put in my coconut oil. I use it instead of bought cooking sprays. I know what is in my spray. Coconut oil doesn’t go rancid, and works great on and in everything. It is my go to for cooking and such. Just my humble opinion.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The miso sprayer method is better! No propellent, no chemicals, no metal can to recycle. One note though: coconut oil can become contaminated and get moldy, as has happened to me when I buy the xlarge jars at Costco. It should stay sterile in the sprayer though. I have coconut oil, but not a miso sprayer, so I’ll look for one. Thanks.
All of these tips are absolutely wonderful! My bathroom sink is always grody, so will use it there. Most of these tips can be done with a paper napkin and a swipe of cheap vegetable oil, while others do lend themselves to the spray.
The comments are a treasure trove, as usual. Thanks Jillee!!! I need all the help I can get. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great idea Deborah!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you pour your drinks or water from a pitcher, first spray a dab of cooking oil onto your finger and then wipe the spout of the pitcher. When you pour that first glass of water from the pitcher, it won’t be as apt to dribble.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great article! However I do think there is cause for concern the cooking spray is may be bad for health https://www.google.com/amp/www.foxnews.com/health/2015/11/03/truth-about-what-s-really-in-cooking-sprays.amp.html. This article tells you how you can make your own cooking spray. I don’t know about you all, but I’m not a big fan of eating chemicals.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also I would recommend just using glass instead of plastic for your leftovers, especially liquids. That way you’re not eating the chemicals in the plastic. Great article though and I do plan on making my own spray and using a lot of these tricks that you posted!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great advice and article, thank you! I have heard that they eventually gunk up items because of the chemicals. Now I can use the advice of the article, and use Jilliee’s tips :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The article said that they, “bought an oil mister spray bottle. Then, I added my own oil (avocado is best for high heat) and the mister worked beautifully, adding a light spray of oil to my pan.”
The link is no good.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use cooking spray when making homemade pizza. Spray a little on your hands to prevent pizza dough sticking to your hands while spreading dough on pizza pan. (works with any kind of dough).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Perfect!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Water works too and makes the dough crispier. I also use water on my hands while forming baguettes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Measuring peanut butter is another food that is made easier by spraying the measuring spoon/cup with cooking spray.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite use for my olive oil cooking spray is polishing my stainless steel appliances. Works great!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve used WD 40 on locks before when doors locks started to get sticky. I’ve use a small amount of oil on a paper towel when we were out of the WD40. Where I live the humidity in hot months can cause the doors to stick. I’ve using the cooking spray for years on my plastic containers. I have a set that will fit just perfectly in my lunch bag for work. It does help a lot to do this with foods containing tomato sauce.The containers have gotten slightly stained when we’ve run out of spray or another family member gets their hands on them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would caution your readers about using any type of oil on a lock. That little bit of oil on the key will attract dust, dirt, lint from your pocket or purse and deposit it in the lock mechanism. Vegetable oils are particularly troublesome because over time they react with oxygen and polymerize (become thick). The best lubricant for a lock is powdered graphite. Found in the hardware store, this small plastic tube will have a thin tip which will fit in the lock. A single $3 tube will probably last a lifetime.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for this! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the tip!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Spray the olive oil flavored spray on lettuce — directly onto the leaves and shake up & down. It will coat them and is far fewer calories than actual olive oil. Do the same directly onto cooked vegetables. Very good substitutes.
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