How to Save Money and Time by Getting the Most from Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Got any cooking oil in a spray can hanging around? Then what you have there, Gus, is aerosol gold. The sheer number of things that you can call upon cooking spray to do for you is staggering. Not all of the following means of getting the most from you cooking spray are going to be appropriate for everybody, but your odds of being able to use at least a few of the following tips are significantly better than the putting all your hopes on the Detroit Lions winning a Super Bowl in the next decade.
Popcorn Salt
Ever have problems with the salt sticking to your popcorn? Of course you do, You know you do. You make some popcorn and then salt it and, naturally, all that salt slides right off and accumulates on the bottom. End that today by going with butter-flavored cooking spray and using it to mist your popcorn. Only then should you salt the snack. And what a salty snack it is now going to be!
Nail Polish
Picked up this one from a cousin. If you want your nail polish to dry quicker, first apply the polish. Then immediately coat with a non-flavored cooking spray. Boom! The nail polish is dry and you can instantly use your fingers.
Shower Scum
Heck, you can even use cooking oil in a spray can for the purpose of cleaning not the kitchen, but the bathroom. You know that disgusting scummy build-up that accumulates on and around the shower door? A quick spritz of cooking spray is a wonderfully greasy lubricant that I can attest from personal experience in invested with some miraculous power to break down whatever is is that shower scum is made of. Give the cooking spray about five minutes to work its magic and then come back with a clean cloth. You will, trust me, be amazed at the ease with which wiping away much of the scum can be accomplished.
Lawn Mower
Okay, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit this use of cooking spray is not one that I am very familiar with. I hate mowing lawns and tend to stay far away from the mower. Family members who enjoy the solitude–I guess; to be honest I really don’t get it–swear by the use of generic store-brand cooking spray to keep the blades of the mower from becoming overwhelmed by sticky clippings. If you want to cut down on the time you spend mowing the lawn–you know, provided you aren’t some sort of Hank Hill type–then give the blades a thorough coating of oil from a cooking spray can before hitting the grass.
Just Like Clark Griswold
Remember “Christmas Vacation” when Clark Griswold took off like Mr. Toad for his wild ride on a sled? You can do that, too, thanks to cooking spray. Well, maybe not exactly like Clark; and why would you want to? But if you want to reduce the impact of friction on a sled with a smooth surface, head to the kitchen and bring out the cooking spray. Just be careful how much of the oil you spray onto the bottom of your sled. An overdose could have you zooming out of control like Clark.
Leftover Container Protection
Let me ask if this happens to you? You cook using some sort red sauce like tomato sauce or chili or hot sauce and you put the excess into a plastic container for storage and later use. Then, whether you actually do get around to using the red sauce later or not, comes the time for cleaning. Only thing is, the red has stained the interior of your plastic storage and it is a bear and a half to get clean. In some cases, the stain never goes away, right? Well, this is not a situation that necessarily must be. If you simply give the inside of your plastic storage bins a quick going over with cooking spray before you put any red sauce in, you will go a long way toward keeping that type of food from leaving temporary or permanent stains.
Squeaky Solution
As the image implies, a very common unintended use for cooking spray is greasing up door hinges and any other metal parts that may be producing an annoying squeaking sound.
