Stacy Fraser's Blog

In the EatingWell Test Kitchen, we use cooking spray because it’s a fast, no-mess way to make a tiny bit of oil go a long way so we can keep calories in check. Calorie for calorie, cooking spray is similar to other oils: spraying for 1 second (enough to coat a large skillet) is about 9 calories; 1/4 teaspoon canola oil is 10 calories and would be just enough to very thinly coat a skillet.

In addition to using cooking spray to quickly coat a pan with a little oil, we also use it to coat breaded foods like chicken and fish for “oven-frying.” The oiled breading gives a deep-fried crunch with a fraction of the ­calories and fat compared to deep-frying.

Cooking sprays do contain propellants to push the oil out of the can, but the propellants are on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) list and...

As the EatingWell Test Kitchen manager, I've looked forward to our annual cookie contest for the past six years. Even though I was on maternity leave during most of this year's contest, overseeing the selection process was one part of my job that I just couldn't give up.

Related: 18 of Our Favorite Prize-Winning Holiday Cookies

We asked our readers for the best recipes for healthy, festive holiday cookies and more than 300 recipes flooded my mailbox. The recipes were screened by our registered dietitian to cull those that were too high in saturated fat, sodium and/or calories.

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