Grease

Grease in cooking is a form of cooking that uses fat—most often from animals—to cook, crisp, and flavour food.
It’s an important technique in the culinary arts, producing tender food with rich, flavourful results.
In this guide, you’ll learn all about what grease in cooking is and how to do it right.

Grease Cooking Definition

Grease meaning in cooking, is a culinary technique that uses fat—usually from animals—to cook, crisp, and flavor food. It dates back hundreds of years and was used by our ancestors to prepare much of the food they ate. By using fat to cook, it made food more tender and flavorful, as well as conserving nutrients in some cases.
Today, grease cooking is still widely used in many types of cuisine around the world.

These fats can be used to cook a variety of different dishes.

• As an Ingredient;
  It is used as an ingredient in recipes to prepare many different food dishes.
• Prevent food sticking;
  Grease is something that is used in cooking to make the food not stick to the pan, both in baking and frying.
  Such as greasing a pan.

Types of Fat and Oils Used for Greasing

There are many types of fats and oils that can be used as an ingredient for greasing, and it’s important to consider which one you should use depending on the type of dish.

Common types of cooking fat include butter, margarine, lard, bacon fat, and vegetable oil.
You can also use small amounts of olive oil, sesame oil, canola oil or coconut oil when making sauces or dressings and sometimes baking.
Be sure to choose healthy fats in moderation so as not to exceed your dietary guidelines!

How To Grease A Pan

A Quick and Easy Guide to Greasing A Pan.
Greasing your pans correctly is an important step in successful baking and cooking.
Knowing the right way to grease a pan can prevent your food from sticking, or ensure that baked goods come out with the perfect shape.

Let’s look at how to do it, what materials you’ll need, and some tips for successful greasing.

1. Choose the right type of fat.
   The type of fat you choose will depend on both the type of food you’re baking and your own dietary preferences.
   Choose something that is heat stable, like butter, vegetable oil, lard, coconut oil, or shortening.

   Make sure whatever you use won’t burn at the temperature you’ll be cooking at.
   Additionally, make sure to choose a fat that won’t impart any flavour to the food if it is relevant.

2. Prep your tools and materials.
   Before you start greasing, make sure to have all your supplies ready.
   This can be a paper towel or a brush if available. A spoon or anything that could help spread the fat around the pan evenly is also helpful.

   Additionally, have the fat of your choice ready and make sure you’ve heated it up to room temperature if it needs to be done so.

   Prepare everything before getting started, so once you get going it’s easy sailing!

3. Use an even layer of grease to coat the pan.
   Once your supplies are ready, use your chosen fat to coat the pan evenly.

   Spread it in a circular motion with either a brush or paper towel until the surface is smoothly lubricated.
   Make sure to cover all edges and corners evenly so nothing will stick when baking!

4. Heat the pan before adding ingredients.
   Before pouring in the ingredients, put your pan in the oven for a few minutes.
   This will help distribute the fat evenly, so that nothing cakes up when you bake.

   Additionally, applying a bit of heat helps to activate the fat and form an even layer over the surface.
   Be sure not to get the pan too hot, as this will cause the fat to smoke!

5. Clean up using warm soapy water or parchment paper
   After you’re done, it’s important to clean up your greased pan.

   You can either use warm, soapy water and a cloth or sponge, or opt for parchment paper.
   This will prevent any oil from being left behind and help you avoid the hassle of scrubbing when you’re done!

The 3 Methods For Greasing a Pan

1. Grease a Pan Using Butter, Margarine or Shortening.

   The best way to grease a pan is by using butter.
   Butter will give a bit of richness to the cake batter and will help the outside bake to a golden brown.
   The butter will coat the entire pan and will help with the release of anything that is cooked in it.
   It also has a high smoke point which means that it can handle high heat without burning.

   Margarine is not a good choice for greasing a pan because it does not have as high of a smoke point as butter does.
   This means that when cooking anything in the pan, you run the risk of burning it.

   The same goes for shortening which also has a lower smoke point than butter.
   ,Shortening is also flavourless and the batter is less likely to brown.

   1. Cut a square of wax paper large enough to hold 1 Tbsp. of butter or shortening.
   2. Hold the butter so that the wax paper is between the butter and your fingers.
   3. Spread the fat over the interior of the pan being careful to cover the entire interior. You don’t have to apply a thick coat.

2. Greasing A Pan Using Oil.

   Greasing a pan with oil is a common cooking technique in which some type of oil is applied to the surface of the pan, usually before cooking.

   The oil prevents food from sticking to the pan and also makes it much easier to clean afterwards.
   It also helps food cook more evenly and can provide a little extra flavour.

   1. Take a square of paper towel and fold it in to quarters.
   2. Place paper towel over the top of the open bottle, tipping so that towel absorbs oil.
   3. Spread the oil over the inside of the pan making sure to cover the entire interior.

3. Grease A Pan Using Spray.

   Greasing pans can a tricky thing to do.
   There are many ways that people have come up with to grease a pan and it can be confusing as to which one is the best.

   One way is by spraying the pan with cooking spray, then wiping it off with a paper towel or cloth.

   1. Spray the oil over the inside of the pan lightly over the interior.
   2. Using a paper towel, spread the oil over the entire interior. it does not have to be a thick coat.

Greasing and Flouring a Pan

Many recipes for baked goods call for the baking pan or cake pan to be greased and floured prior to adding the batter and baking.
Even non-stick pans need to be greased and floured for some recipes.

By greasing and flouring the pan you’re creating 2 layers of non-stick protection.
The greasing agent will allow the flour to adhere to it and as the cake bakes, it will cling to the flour and not to the side of the pan.

Any flour can be used to flour the pan, but generally just use the flour that the recipe uses.
This way you won’t be altering the taste or composition of the batter.

If it is a chocolate cake made with cocoa powder, you can use cocoa powder in the place of the flour so that the cake retains a rich, dark exterior with no white flour residue.

1. Grease the pan as per the how to grease a pan instructions above
2. Add 1 or 2 tbsp. of flour or cocoa powder to the greased pan.
3. Pick the pan up and tilt it about, allowing the flour to distribute and cover the entire interior of the pan.
   The flour will stick to any greased surface.
4. Invert the pan over the kitchen bin or a sink and tap it gently with your hand to remove any excess flour.