What Kind of Oil Do You Use for Air Fryer?

Choosing the appropriate oil to use in your air fryer can significantly enhance your recipe and simplify the cleaning process afterward. So, which oil is best suited for air fryers? You’ll be pleased to learn that numerous oils are available for use in this appliance. Continue reading the article to discover the top oils for optimizing your air fryer experience.

Below, we will discuss the properties of oil that make them suitable for air fryers. Besides, you can also know about most healthy oils that you can pick for cooking in the air fryer.  

What Makes an oil Suitable for Air Fryer?

The quality and suitability of the oil to be used in the air fryer vary based on their properties. Let’s see some of the properties of the oil you should consider while selecting an oil for use in the air fryer.

Smoke Point

The smoke point is the temperature where the oil begins burning and smoking. This also makes the oil lose its natural flavor. There are different smoke points for every oil. The rule of thumb is to select a cooking oil that arrives at a high temperature. Usually, you can cook foods at up to 400 F temperature. So, it would be better if you pick an oil that has a higher smoke point than 400 F. Using oils with lower smoke points may not offer you the desired taste.

Flavor

Almost all the oils out there arrive with a flavor. Based on the oil you are using the flavor may vary. What you need to do is to go for oil which flavors go well with the dish you are cooking. Besides, some oil arrives with a strong flavor which can impact the taste of the food. So, be aware of the oil’s flavor before using it on the air fryer.

Consistency

The consistency of the oil also varies. Some of them are very thin while the other is thick. This also put an impact on how much oil the food is absorbing. Based on the dish you are cooking; you will want a heavy or thin oil. So, select the oil with the right consistency based on the dish you are cooking.

What Kind of Oil Do You Use for Air Fryer?

From the above discussion, you may already understand that oils with higher smoke point and the neutral flavor is something you will prefer for air fryer cooking. Another thing you might want to consider is the healthiness of the oil. Let’s see some of the best oil you should consider while cooking in the air fryer.

Best Oils for Air Fryer  

When it comes to the best cooking oil for the air fryer, the avocado will be on top of any given list. The oil has the highest smoke point, which is more than 500 F. That means you can use it while cooking in the air fryer without any further thoughts. It is also flavor neutral, making it a perfect oil for most of the recipe. Extra light olive oil is another excellent oil you can consider for air fryer cooking. It has a 470-degree F smoking point while being more flavor neutral than avocado oil.

The oil that will come next on the list is soybean oil which has a smoking point around 460 F. The oil is tasteless and suitable for any dish. Although the healthiness of the oil is a thing to discuss, it is used by millions of people around the globe. If you are being aware of the health values, coconut oil is something you should consider. It has a neutral taste with 450 F smoke point, making it a perfect cooking liquid for air fryers.

Some other oils you can consider for cooking in the air fryers are vegetable oil, extra virgin olive oil, etc. They have a smoke point below 400 F but are still suitable for cooking most of the dishes in the air fryer.

Oils You Should Avoid

There are some certain oils you should never use while cooking in the air fryer. Such as the pam oil. The pam oil along with the other aerosol cooking sprays comes with an ingredient known as lecithin. It is something that can destroy the non-stick coating of the air fryer. It also adds a thick sticky layer of gunk which is almost impossible to remove.

You should also avoid any pressurized propellant oil sprays or pumps. Oftentimes, they include a chemical that is not good for health. Moreover, these oils can damage the lining and peel off the coating when you cook things at high temperatures. Instead of purchasing canned oil, you should go for a spray bottle and then add the usual oil to it.

How Much Oil Should I Use?

Well, it depends on the amount of food you are cooking. For average servings, around 1 to 2 tablespoons of cooking oil are enough. If you are following any recipe for cooking the food in the air fryer, it should include the amount of oil needed. The amount of the oil will also vary on what you are cooking. Some dishes will require a bit of extra oil while you can cook some others even without any oil.

Such as, while cooking the packaged frozen foods, you don’t require using any oil. That is because these foods are already pre-cooked and include oils in their crust which is enough for cooking. Most of the meat dishes like steak, burger patties, hot dogs, etc. don’t require oil while cooking in the air fryer. That is because the fat in the food is enough for cooking. Although, you can add a little oil for the taste.

Conclusion

While using the air fryer for the first time, it can be a bit confusing to pick the right oil and determine how many oils you should use. We hope that the above discussion will help you to get rid of these issues. If you want to get the best performance while cooking in the air fryer, you should consider using the recommended oils.