Cooking oil is a chemical made from plants or animals. It has the unique color yellow and exists as a liquid at room temperature.
Currently, the cooking oil market is very diverse. Different cooking oil products have different nutritional compositions for different purposes. People should choose a suitable cooking oil depending on their intended use.
There are many different types of cooking oils that you can cook in an air fryer, too. So What Is The Healthiest Oil To Use In An Air Fryer? Read this blog to find out!
Why Do I Need Oil In An Air Fryer?
Though you must have thought about getting rid of cooking with oil when you choose the best air fryer, there’re still some dishes that require some oils.
Those might include chicken breasts and unprocessed potatoes. Adding oil will prevent them from sticking to your cooking pan. Yet, you don’t need as much oil as deep frying. It only takes a thin layer of oil spray or mist on the food before putting it inside of your appliance.
Don’t misunderstand here! Some other foods that are already cooked that you’re storing in your freezer, like Frozen french fries or tater tots, can do well without any oil.
What Is The Healthiest Oil To Use In An Air Fryer?
Be picky when it comes to oil! Though saying goodbye forever to oil is not the wisest idea as it somehow contributes to your health, choosing the wrong type of oil can only worsen your condition. For the best purchasing decision, refer to our guides as below.
***Read More: Are Air Fryers Toxic – Benefits and risks
Best oil with high smoke point
Oils with high smoke points that won’t burn at high temperatures are those that release no smoke or cause no burning at high degrees. As your food is sitting in the frying pan in a closed appliance, you won’t want any burning that can damage your fryer. Or else, bringing a bad odor or taste to your dishes.
In case you have no idea about the smoke point of your oil at home, we’ve got you covered:
- Avocado Oil: 375 – 400°F/190-205°C
- Coconut Oil: 450°F
- Butter: 200 – 250°F
- Extra Light Olive Oil: 468°F
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 375°F
- Grape Seed Oil: 390°F/195°C
- Ghee (clarified butter): 485°F
- Sesame Oil: 350-410°F/175-210°C
- Soybean Oil: 460°F
- Peanut Oil: 450°F/230°C
- Vegetable Oil: 400-450°F/205-230°C
As for the regular olive oil, you can utilize it at a temperature of around 375°F/190°C or less. If you’re heating it higher than 400°F/205°C, it can start to burn and give off a rancid smell.
Also, take note that an overcrowded fryer will cause food close to the heating element, resulting in burning.
***Read More: Air Fryer Vs Deep Fryer Cooking Time: Which is Your Option
Best Oils for Added Flavor
It’s best to consider your favorite flavor. A wrong combination wouldn’t work well and may worsen your dish. For instance, when cooking prawns or coconut shrimp, avocado oil won’t work as well as coconut one. Using coconut oil on your prawns at a low temperature will leave a tasty coating on your food.
You can also use infused oils, the kind that has the spices in them, like cayenne-infused olive oil. They are good for cooking spicy food or dishes with lots of fruit flavors.
Remember to refrigerate these oils if you make them yourself instead of buying pre-flavored ones from the store.
How Much Oil Do You Use When Air Frying Foods?
This amazing appliance was born to replace the necessities of using oils. Still, the food will be better with a little bit of oil except for those high in fat and releases fat when it cooks.
Then, the question would shift to the ideal amount of oil used in the cooking process. Usually, there is no exact answer to this question. It will depend on the cook’s estimation. The more or less oil that they use will be based on personal taste.
For example, if I make my favorite buffalo wings in the air fryer, I will add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to the surface before frying. This will help my food taste better.
Talking about frying chicken, my advice is every time you flip the chicken over. You should spray the oil on it. That way, it will get a nice coating, and there won’t be any dry spots remaining.
When you are cooking, you can use a small spray bottle to spray the items lightly. Most breaded and coated recipes need a light spray from time to time. Frozen food that is not coated usually does not need an oil application.
***Read More: How To Reheat Burger In Air Fryer – Using Guide
What are the benefits of healthy oil?
Although high-quality oils are more expensive, they often taste better and have added health benefits.
One more advantage of using oil with this appliance is that it requires much less oil. Because deep frying requires lots of oil in the process, people tend to choose medium-quality ones to save their budget. Therefore, you can choose the ones with the best quality without worrying about money with air frying.
The best oil you can get your hands on is premium cold-pressed light olive oil. It’s one of the healthiest oils available and gives air-fried foods a crispy, light texture.
We recommend using avocado oil over extra virgin olive oil when cooking at high heat with an air fryer. When heated, extra virgin olive oils have lower smoke points than light or very light types of the same vegetable based-oil. Avocado has one of the highest smoking points, so it is our top choice for this appliance!
Olives Are Considered to be The Best Oils
Frequently Asked Questions
#1. Why Is Air Fryer Harmful?
While air fryers have their benefits, they also come with a collection of adverse effects. As mentioned above, consuming oil doesn’t always mean unhealthy, a right amount of oil intake would significantly benefit you.
Though air frying reduces the risk of acrylamides, it doesn’t mean you can avoid harmful compounds that are still created by high-heat cooking with meat.
What’s more, air fryers run risks for creating other potentially dangerous toxins like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines when there is a lot of heat involved.
A notable point to make here is that using this appliance doesn’t guarantee a healthy meal. It’s you who gets to decide what to cook inside of it. Don’t let the fact that it requires no oil blind you and believe that air-fried food is no harm!
***Read More: Do Air Fryers Use A Lot Of Electricity? Secrets Of Awesome Air Fryers
#2. Can I Use Pam Cooking Spray For The Air Fryer?
In addition to being a tasty option, cooking with Pam is also healthier than other options. That being said, there is a list of kitchen tools you should avoid using Pam on so that your food comes out the best way possible. And somehow, air fryers land on that list!
Besides Pam, avoid spraying similar cooking sprays on nonstick surfaces as it can cause an unsafe gummy and sticky surface.
Pam Cooking Spray For The Air Fryer
Final Thoughts
Though using this wonderful appliance is a way to avoid all those greasy and oily dishes that may harm your health, it’s still an indispensable condiment for cooking. Believe it or not, more or less oil still needs to be used.
Hopefully, this article “What is the healthiest oil to use in an air fryer” has helped you find useful information and treat your family to a healthy lifestyle!
