PAM Tips and Tricks

In my opinion, one of the best inventions of the 20th century was that of PAM No-Stick Spray back in 1959. Throw away those messy, oily paper towels and get out the red and yellow can instead. It's a no-brainer.

In many instances it's a great substitute for butter, margarine, shortening or oil. Less calories too. Compare a one second spray of PAM into your egg pan at 7 calories to one tablespoon of butter at 104 calories and you get the idea. Plus, it's just easier...isn't lessening our labor and saving time still one of the major objectives of new product development today?

There are now eight different varieties of PAM to choose from, but when 101 Cooking Tips & Other Tricks with PAM No-Stick Cooking Spray (1983, 16 pp.) was published by Boyle-Midway, there was only one, now referred to as PAM Original. PAM Butter Flavor, the second variety, was not introduced until 1985.

This booklet was available to consumers who, in 1983, didn't have the luxury of using Google to instantly find four million and one ways to use this cooking spray. (Okay, I think the World Wide Web rates higher than PAM and just about every other thing in the Best Invention department.)

Besides some of the obvious uses like spraying PAM in the pan when frying eggs or cooking pancakes, some of the suggestions in this booklet are:

1. "Season" cast iron cookware in only five seconds with PAM.


2. Frying sausage? Don't forget to spray the splatter-guard lid.


3. Pam works on practically every pot or pan in the kitchen--aluminum, cast iron, crockery, enamel, copper-bottom, stainless steel or glass.


4. Use PAM in the pan before scalding baby's milk, making hot chocolate, cream sauce or soup. Messy "collars" practically melt away.


5. Spray Pam on the cheese grater.


6. Use PAM and presto...spaghetti and noodles won't stick! Pam even works on the tongs and colander. And here's a tip you'll love...spray the sides of the pot and the water won't boil over.


7. Make cook-ahead casseroles that practically clean ahead too--meatloaf, meat pies, even cheese'n macaroni. Just start with PAM. Then cook'em, freeze'em and cook'em again. Those crusty casseroles still virtually rinse clean.


8. Spray the meat thermometer.


9. With PAM on the poultry pins, there's no tugging or tearing. They glide right out.


10. PAM is marvelous for fancy cakes baked in bundt or tube pans. (Any cake but angel food--this batter has to stick and climb the sides of the pan to rise. PAM just won't let it.


11. You can use PAM for upside-down-cakes! Melted brown sugar and fruit won't stick, so the design stays pretty.


12. Do your cooked icings stick? Next time, spray the beater blades, the pan and the cake decorator.


13. Don't forget to use PAM on holiday cookie cutters--the dough won't stick. (PAM works like a shot on cookie guns, too.)


14. Stirring up a syrupy filling? Spray the mixing bowl.


15. Spray the measuring cup when the recipe calls for honey, molasses or any syrupy filling. It'll slide right out.


16. Spray the meat grinder and make paté more often.


17. PAM and food processors were made for each other! Spray the blades--cheese or dough won't stick.


18. Fast cooking deserves fast cleanup--so use PAM on microwave dishes.


19. Spray the kitchen shears before cutting marshmallows or fruit.


20. Try PAM in ice trays before making frozen desserts--even popsicles pop out!


21. Defrosting the freezer? Wipe the defrosted wall dry. Glisten it with PAM. Next time, defrosting will be easier.

One of my favorite ways to use PAM: When keeping red tomato-based sauce in a plastic container, spray the container with PAM first. It won't leave a red stain behind afterwards.