Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer
Cons: Sometimes does more of a diffuse stream rather than mist
My family? We used to use a lot of “Pam” and “Crisco”-type cooking sprays. Just a spray here or there to keep dinner from becoming one with our pans. We liked that, at the same time, we were keeping calories to a minimum (hard to do when pouring oil from a bottle). Problem was we weren’t happy with the propellants, throw-away cans, and mystery ingredients. And then, one night, we found our Misto Olive Oil Sprayer while strolling through Wegmans. That was a year ago, and we’ve been super-happy with it.
The Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer is just that—it’s a pressurized pump for making mist out of olive oil. You half-fill it with olive oil (about three ounces), pump the lid a few times before each use to build pressure, then remove the lid and press the button. Voila! A fine mist of olive oil! We liked our Misto so much we bought a second just for keeping garlic-flavored olive oil!
The spray bottle is an attractive stainless-style brushed aluminum (it does also come in colors and patterns), and stands about seven inches tall. It’s reusable (as I said, we’ve been using ours for a year now), and, while I can’t say exactly how many calories there are per spray, I’m confident it’s negligible, considering how long three ounces lasts.
There’s no real clean-up here, other than keeping the exterior wiped off when necessary. We have put hot water in between fillings and sprayed it through because it seemed like a good idea, but it’s not required.
The Misto sprayer is perfect for grilling, roasting, sautéing, brush-free basting, and non-stick cooking. We like to use for non-stick, plus we’re fond of misting grilled veggies. A special treat is using garlic-flavored olive oil on sliced Italian bread, then toasting with sprinkled parmesan and thin-sliced tomatoes!
The only problem? Sometimes, if we don’t pump sufficiently, the spray comes out more direct, less misted. This can also be a problem if the nozzle has become a little clogged. That’s only happened a few times, and running hot water over the nozzle has taken care of the issue. Otherwise?
Perfecto! This is a terrific little contraption that paid for itself in just a couple of months (we used a lot of cooking spray). It wasn’t pricey, and I feel better about using this versus traditional cooking sprays. If you’re looking for a more wholesome-feeling way to keep your food from sticking and your veggies moist and pretty, Misto may be exactly what you’re looking for!
Oh, one last thing: the Misto bottle is made in Switzerland, the sprayer is made in the Netherlands, and assembly is in China.