When I got married three years ago, I had a honeymoon fund instead of a typical registry. But one of my besties knows me too well. Though Tanyia and I have traveled the world together, she got me and my new husband a vibrant red Always Pan from Our Place, knowing that we were as in need of high-quality cookware as we were cash to get us to Sicily and Malta.

The ceramic pan was a revelation. Not only was it nonstick, but I read on Our Place’s website that the multi-purpose new member of my kitchen crew was designed to be longer-lasting and safer than most nonstick pans, thanks to a coating without PFAs, lead or cadmium.

Pretty much every day, I would spray my pan with avocado oil, then sear pork chops or chicken breasts to perfection in it. But then one of my favorite editors at EatingWell asked me a question that changed my home cooking forever: “Does cooking spray actually damage your nonstick pans?” It had never occurred to me that this could be the case. I reached out to the maker of my go-to pan to find out, and it turns out that the answer is yes, cooking spray can damage nonstick pans.

How Does Cooking Spray Affect Nonstick Pans?

I always thought that I was doing the healthy thing by limiting oil, spraying just what I needed to lubricate the pan. In some ways that’s true, but in others, I may have been doing more harm than good. Stephanie Hongassociate director of product development at Our Place, told me that most aerosol sprays contain additives that are more than I bargained for.

The most common is lecithin, a fatty substance that’s in everything from eggs to sunflower seeds. Lecithin isn’t harmful to our health—in fact, most commercial lecithin comes from soybeans, and it may even be beneficial for heart health. But our pans? Not so much. “Over time, lecithin can leave behind a sticky residue that builds up on the pan’s surface, becoming increasingly difficult to clean and gradually diminishing the effectiveness of the nonstick coating,” Hong said.

But lecithin isn’t the only potential problem. There are other chemicals in many cooking sprays. Though generally included in such small amounts that they’re not harmful to your health, there could be trace amounts of substances like butane or propane in your spray. According to Hong, “Many spray oils also contain chemical propellants, which are prone to breaking down under high heat. This instability can lead to scorching, residue buildup and long-term damage to the nonstick surface, ultimately causing the very sticking you were trying to avoid.”

It turns out that my preferred spray, Chosen Foods, doesn’t contain lecithin or any chemical propellants. In fact, it’s composed of 100 percent avocado oil. So am I in the clear? Maybe not. Hong explained, “Even if you’re choosing your own oil and misting it from a spray bottle you fill yourself, your pan might not like it. The ultra-fine oil particles (even from pure oil options or refillable oil-misters) can burn and carbonize during cooking, leaving behind a stubborn residue that bonds to the pan’s surface and gradually impacts the pan’s nonstick performance.”

What Should You Use Instead?

That’s a lot of points against spraying. So what does Hong recommend instead? She’s specific not just about how to apply oils but also what kinds to use. “To preserve the quality and lifespan of your nonstick pans, skip aerosol sprays and choose high smoke-point oils like avocado, grapeseed or canola,” she said.

Does that mean I can skip oil altogether? For example, I usually put bacon straight into the hot pan because it quickly produces its own fatty lubrication. But Hong isn’t a fan of that idea, either. “Always cook with some form of oil, fat or liquid and avoid placing empty pans on high heat, as overheating can also degrade the nonstick coating,” she said.

The Bottom Line

That means that my cooking habits are now getting a major overhaul. Since hearing from Hong, I’ve continued buying avocado oil from Chosen, but now I get it in big bottles instead of spray cans. I drizzle as little in the pan as possible, but it is still more than I’m used to using. However, I’m happy to be preserving the life of one of my best wedding gifts. Here’s to it lasting in its impressively nonsticky form far beyond the three years that it’s served me in good stead so far!

To preserve your own nonstick pans, be sure to follow Hong’s advice and skip the spray. Then be cautious about what form of oil you do use. It should be something with a high smoke point. I’ll give Hong the final word here, as I think she summed it up perfectly: “Although cooking sprays may offer quick convenience in the kitchen, they can compromise the integrity of your nonstick cookware.”