Cooking spray is a spray form of an oil as a lubricant, lecithin as an emulsifier, and a propellant

Propellant

A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...

 such as food-grade alcohol, nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...

, carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...

 or propane

Propane

Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...

. Cooking spray is applied to frying pan

Frying pan

A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab handle opposite the main handle...

s and other cookware to prevent food from sticking. Traditionally, cooks used butter, shortening, or oils poured or rubbed on cookware. Most cooking sprays have less food energy per serving than an application of vegetable oil, because they are applied in a much thinner layer: US regulations allow many to be labelled "zero-calorie

Diet food

Diet food refers to any food or drink whose recipe has been altered in some way to make it part of a body modification diet...

"; in the UK sprays claim to supply "less than 1 calorie per serving". Popular US brands include Pam

PAM (cooking oil)

PAM is a cooking spray currently owned and distributed by ConAgra. Its main ingredient is canola oil, a fat.PAM was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin who, with Arthur Meyerhoff, started Gibraltar Industries to market the spray. The name PAM is an initialism for "Product of Arthur Meyerhoff"...

 and Crisco

Crisco

Crisco is a brand of shortening produced by the J. M. Smucker Co. popular in the United States. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil...

. Sprays are available with plain vegetable oil, butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

 and olive oil

Olive oil

Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...

 flavor.

Cooking spray has other culinary uses besides cooking proper. Sticky candies such as Mike and Ike

Mike and Ike

Mike and Ike is a brand of fruit-flavored candies. They were first introduced in 1940 by Just Born, Inc., of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a family-owned company founded in 1923.-The candy:...

 that are often sold in bulk vending

Bulk vending

Bulk vending is the sale of unsorted confections, nuts, gumballs, toys and novelties selected at random and dispensed generally through non-electrically operated vending machines. Bulk vending is a separate segment of the vending industry from full line vending — i.e., the snack and soda vending...

 machines may be sprayed with cooking spray to keep them from sticking together in the machines. Coating the inside of a measuring cup

Measuring cup

A measuring cup is a kitchen utensil used primarily to measure the volume of liquid or bulk solid cooking ingredients such as flour and sugar, especially for volumes from about 50 mL upwards. The cup will usually have a scale marked in cups and fractions of a cup, and often with fluid measure...

with the spray allows sticky substances such as honey to pour out more easily. Vegetables may be sprayed before seasoning to make the seasonings stick better.