I feel like I need a counting calories for dummies lesson! So check it out, my latest recent food has been squash/eggplant/green beans in the toaster oven for sprinkled with olive oil (Fine...DRENCHED in olive oil) and salt. I know some of the oil 'burns' off but I know a lot of it doesn't, do I really have to count the calories of however much olive oil I use?

I do. My opinion is, yes - you should. I would think the oil more soaks in rather than burning off. I'm careful to measure these days as opposed to whirling the bottle wildly like the chefs on Food Network.

Yes, count all the oil. It's always better to overestimate by a little then to underestimate.

Your meal sounds yummy!

I count all the oil, also. I agree with the overestimating rather than under... I was was underestimating on most of my recipes without oil... Once I changed my formulas to include the oil, I lost weight faster, too.

Your meal does sound yummy.

Yeah, I don't know how much oil really burns off of food. I wouldn't think much. It's not going to evaporate like water or alcohol.

The oil doesn't really burn off (unless it's burnt, so if it tastes good, pretty much all the calories are still in there). Now, if you have quite a bit of oil left in the pan (if you're frying for example, or there's a lot left over in the roasting pan), that's alot harder to determine how much is in the food, vs in the pan. For frying oil, you can measure the oil before and after and get a fair idea, but that works best for deep frying, not pan frying or sauteeing, because some of the liquid isn't oil, but the mostly water liquid that came out of the meat or veggies.

The less oil you use, the more accurate your count will be.

For roasting veggies, it's hard to drizzle just a little oil, some veggies get soaked, and others get nothin. I find that if I toss the veggies and oil in a ziploc or tupperware container, a little oil goes alot further, so I can use a lot less oil. I wash the veggies and cut, then lay them on paper towel and use more paper towel to blot them dry. They don't have to be bone dry, but the less water on them, the better they roast. I then put the veggies in the tupperware or ziploc and add about 1 tsp of oil per pound of veggies. I then shake like mad. If the veggies still seem "too dry" to take my seasoning blend, I'll add another tsp. When I first started doing this, I was using a tbsp of oil per pound, so you can add more oil, but you want to use the least that gives you the taste you want without leaving oil left in the pan when you're done. Once the oil is distributed, I add about a tablespoon or more of dry seasonings (my favorite blend is just ranch dressing powder with a dash of extra garlic and Lawry's seasoned salt), and shake again, and then pour the veggies into a roasting pan (I prefer glass) and bake at about 400 to 425 until tender and carmelized.

I love doing this with green beans, though I tend to add a little bit more oil with the green beans (about a tbs per pound) and extra seasoning, and cook them beyond just tender. They're tender at about 20 minutes, but I cook them 10 or 15 minutes more so the thinner beans get crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and it's my version of mock french fries. I love them. Can't buy them too often or I'll eat them til I'm sick (the calories aren't the problem, a lb of green beans is a calorie bargain, but a little rough on the tummy if you've got IBS, like I do).

I also count all the oil, even tho some "burns off" and some gets left behind in the pan. I figure it is better to be safe than sorry. I also measure it very, very carefully. It is easy to seriously under estimate how much you are using.

Roasted veggies... Yum!

I agree that you should add calories to your count for cooking oils. I bought a Misto on Amazon and I love it! You pump the lid to add pressure and then the olive oil sprays out in a fine mist. It works great for roasted vegetables. I use a lot less oil!

http://www.amazon.com/Misto-Gourmet-.../dp/B00004SPZV

No, it actually (unfortunately) doesn't.

Why not measure your oil before you pour it over your veggies. I measure out my olive oil by the Tablespoon before drizzling it. If I eat 1/2 the veggies, then I estimate that I've eaten 1/2 the oil. I don't worry about any left in the bottom of the pan or whatever after it's cooked. In this one area I am ok with over estimating.

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The whole oil and veggies in a bag thing is a great idea. My problem is I always have oil in the bottom of the pan, and like was said, it's hit or miss how well everything gets coated.

I admit, I'm not much of a cook which makes this whole eating healthy thing problematic at times. I'm also challenged on time. This entire working full time and going to school full time is kicking my (not so little) behind!

I've found that in most instances 1-2 teaspoons of oil is all that's really necessary for roasting veggies. I put them in a bowl and toss them with the oil and seasonings before putting them in the pan. That way all the pieces are coated.

I always measure my fats. I'd count all the oil and divide by the number of servings.

My stomach just growled! I know what I"m having with dinner tomorrow.

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I don't roast eggplant. Not one of my favorites and I find it is the one veggie that really requires a lot of oil in order to roast nicely.

But the others - green beans, squash, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, brussel sprouts - all roast beautifully - using no "real" oil. I use cooking spray. And it comes out just perfect. Give it a try. It "spreads" all over leaving everything coated. Though the spray is really oil, you use much, much, MUCH less. Saving oodles and oodles of calories.

Keep talking! What kind of cooking spray. Seriously, five years ago by theory was 'if you can't nuke it, why bother?' I've come a long way since than, but that's a lot of years of not cooking (and no-one ever teaching me how) to make up for.

I like the Misto a lot and I'm going to buy it. I think I knew I needed to count those calories but didn't want to, plus I end up with soooo much oil in the bottom of the pan. Thanks everyone!

I agree with rockinrobin that cooking spray like PAM is a great way to lessen the amount of oil in cooking. But when I want to use olive oil or butter in cooking, I measure carefully. With all oil, 1 TBSP is about 100 calories. None of it burns off, sad to say... So to cook six skinless/boneless chicken breasts, I use 1 TBSP olive oil and 1 TBSP butter, melted together in the pan. Much of the oil stays in the pan, so the amount of oil on each breast is pretty small. But the flavor is great.

Jay