7 Unexpectedly Awesome Uses For Cooking Spray

Just about everyone has a can of PAM or some other cooking spray in his or her pantry, and if you're like most people, you probably only use it every so often when you need to grease a cookie sheet or sauté pan. But that aerosolized oil can do a lot more for you than you think. Here are five other nifty things it can do around the house:

Make Grating Cheese Easier
Spray some onto the inside and outside of your cheese grater or microplane, and not only will nothing stick to it as you're grating, it'll make cleanup a lot easier, too.

Make Popcorn
Every kernel needs to be coated with oil in order to make popcorn at home, which isn't always easy to do. But if you spray the oil over your kernels as you're stirring them, each one will be coated with a thin sheen.

Avoid Stained Plastic Containers
Storing tomato sauce in plastic containers invariably leads to them being stained a murky red, but if you give them a spray before adding the sauce, it'll come out clean.

Set Nail Polish
Give your nails a spritz after applying nail polish, and it'll make your nails dry faster!

Chop Vegetables More Easily
Don't you hate it when more garlic gets stuck on your knife than on the cutting board? Spray your knife, and nothing will stick to it.

Save Your Measuring Cups
If you have to measure honey or some other sticky liquid, some of it will probably stick to the inside of the cup, giving you an inaccurate measurement. With a spritz of cooking spray, it'll all slide right out.

Remove Soap Scum
Oil breaks down lime deposits, so if you give your grime-covered sink or shower a spray, it'll all come right off.