Salting the cookie sheet for fries/tots: Breaking Bad Eating Habits

joebert · **Site Rank:** Moderator

A year or so ago a buddy showed me a trick when making fries or tater tots on a cookie sheet in the oven where you sprinkle a thin and sparse layer of salt on the cookie sheet before putting the fries/tots on it and they don't stick when you cook them. It's not a ridiculous layer of salt, just enough to keep things from sticking. It's enough that there's no need to salt them after taking them out of the oven and enough to make me wonder about it.

I'm sure baking my fries/tots is several times better for me than using something like say, a fry-daddy or pot of oil. I'm still wondering about the salt though. Maybe there's an alternative to salt I could use to keep my fries/tots from sticking ?

Ziggy · **Site Rank:** Healthy BBF

Yep, baking is definitely better than deep frying.
Pam (a well known name) or any other brand of no stick cooking spray works really well to keep foods from sticking on the cookie sheet or in the frying pan. I buy Canola Oil No Stick Cooking Spray. On the nutritional facts on the back of the can it says... 0% fat, 0% cholesterol, 0% sodium, 0% carbohydrates, 0% protein, and 0% calories!! Don't know how that can be, but that's what it says!!

If putting salt on the cookie sheet works, guess that's a good idea for those who are going to salt their fries or tater tots anyway after they are done.

tammy · **Site Rank:** Site Admin

Baking is way better for you than frying! I always bake my tots! I buy extra crispy ones and they turn out really good. I usually salt them after I put them on the cookie sheet and before I put them in the oven. I think I might try putting a layer of salt down first next time to see if that helps them from sticking. Right now I don't have a problem with them sticking because I use Pam (non sticking spray) and that works fine. The only problem I have with the Pam is that it seems to make my cookie sheet real greasy afterwords. I try to wash it off, but it doesn't really wash off. I'm about to throw one cookie sheet away that has about had it!

Ziggy · **Site Rank:** Healthy BBF

tammy wrote:

I always bake my tots!

Sounds sooooo cute!! :haha:

Ziggy · **Site Rank:** Healthy BBF

tammy wrote:

The only problem I have with the Pam is that it seems to make my cookie sheet real greasy afterwords. I try to wash it off, but it doesn't really wash off. I'm about to throw one cookie sheet away that has about had it!

I wonder if one of those liquid dishwashing "degreaser" products would work on that?

joebert · **Site Rank:** Moderator

Could your cookie sheet problem have anything to do with your sink being too small for the cookie sheet ?
I know I hate washing mine in my tiny sink. I'm tempted to let a few things soak in the bath tub for a few hours.

tammy · **Site Rank:** Site Admin

My cookie sheet doesn't really fit in my sink all that well, but I'm able to scrub the whole thing with it stick up out of it. Maybe it needs to soak though. Never soaked anything in my bathtub before! Not sure that I want to do that though... how did that work out for you?

I guess I could check on some degreaser products. After I scrub the cookie sheet in the sink I also put it in the dishwasher and let the dishwasher do its' job. I always thought the dishwasher would take care of whatever I didn't get off while scrubbing in the sink, but I guess that's not true!

joebert · **Site Rank:** Moderator

Never done kitchen utensils in the tub, I don't see how it would hurt anything though, it all connects to the same plumbing. I've done horizontal blinds and things of that nature in the tub before when I smoked cigarettes.

tammy · **Site Rank:** Site Admin

I tried salting my cookie sheet for some tots a week or two ago and it kinda worked. The tots were not crazily stuck to the cookie sheet or anything, but I do think spraying the sheet with non-sticking cooking spray does work better. But I think if I'm ever making tots and I've run out of the cookie spray, I will use this technique.

joebert · **Site Rank:** Moderator

I must be using more salt than you did. They don't stick at all for be whether I'm doing fish sticks, cringle-cut fries, or steak fries which usually do stick. I actually did it this afternoon for fish sticks and cringle-cut fries.

tammy · **Site Rank:** Site Admin

Hmmm, maybe I need more salt! How much do you use? Enough to make the cookie sheet turn white?

joebert · **Site Rank:** Moderator

Enough so the food doesn't stick ? lol

Hopefully I'll remember to measure it next time. What I want to do is scatter the salt on the cookie sheet like normal, then I'll pat the bottom until it's all in one corner and tap it into a teaspoon to see how much there is. I'll have to make sure I measure my cookie sheet too.

Laughing Gravy · **Site Rank:** Moderator

Take a picture!

Ziggy · **Site Rank:** Healthy BBF

I tried the salt on the cookie sheet too... and the fries stuck!! Guess I didn't use enough salt like joebert said. I really like to use nothing on the cookie sheet... what I do is move the fires around on the cookie sheet with a spatula every few minutes.
Bottom line is... fries are not good for us in the first place... and... Americans eat way too much salt... so why add salt when baking fries in the oven? Most people put salt on their fries right before they eat them anyway.

Why start a bad habit if you have never used salt to bake fries? If you have to use something, use the no stick cooking spray because that works really good.

tammy · **Site Rank:** Site Admin

Ziggy wrote:

Bottom line is... fries are not good for us in the first place... and... Americans eat way too much salt... so why add salt when baking fries in the oven? Most people put salt on their fries right before they eat them anyway.

Why start a bad habit if you have never used salt to bake fries? If you have to use something, use the no stick cooking spray because that works really good.

I have to have a little salt on my tots when I eat them, them but I don't eat them that often so it's ok. When I used the method of salting the cookie sheet first, I didn't salt them afterwards... so I wasn't getting two doses of salt. If I don't use the salt on the cookie sheet, I usually salt the tops of the tots before baking anyway... so either way, I'm gonna get my salt.

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