Cooking spray is almost magical. Spritz it on your cookie sheet or your grilled cheese skillet and the finished food just slides off without sticking. The air fryer, however, is a whole different story. Just like sprays can damage nonstick cookware, experts warn that they can also harm the popular appliance.
“Cooking sprays such as Pam often include soy lecithin, an emulsifier, in the formulation,” says Martin Bucknavage, an expert in food safety in the Penn State Department of Food Science. “This is less stable than high smoke point oils and will deteriorate at temperatures used for air frying. This can gunk up your equipment, specifically the tray or basket, and potentially ruin the surface.” So, if your cooking spray includes soy lecithin, avoid using it in your air fryer.
Smoke Point
The smoke point is the temperature where oils begin to smoke. Smoking means that the oil is beginning to break down, and that can cause an unpleasant smell or taste. 400°F or higher is considered to be a high smoke point. Popular high smoke point oils include avocado oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil.
Cooking sprays can also have an impact on the taste and look of food in the air fryer. “The spray oils can cause discoloration and produce a slightly off flavor,” says Bucknavage. “If you have ever sprayed Pam onto a hot pan, you see how dark the color gets.”
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How To Prevent Sticking Without Cooking Spray
Because air fryers give you a nice, crisp coating without traditional frying, it might seem odd to add oil to the cooking process, so it’s no wonder some people opt for cooking spray. Instead, choose an oil with a high smoke point like avocado, canola, peanut, or sunflower. A very little goes a long way.
Lightly coat the air fryer basket in the oil using a non-aerosol spray bottle, a silicone brush, or by wiping the oil on with a paper towel.
“And with an air fryer, the nice thing is that you can use less oil than pan frying,” says Bucknavage, who uses sunflower oil in his air fryer. He also really likes to use ghee for cooking, including in the air fryer.
More Ways To Keep Food From Sticking in the Air Fryer
- Oil your food. Instead of spritzing the basket, toss the food itself in a light coating of oil before using the air fryer.
- Use air fryer liners. There are disposable parchment paper liners that look somewhat like coffee filters, or choose dishwasher-safe reusable silicone liners. You don’t need to use oil with these liners.
- Try racks or trays. These inserts are metal racks that keep your food elevated just a bit, which allows even cooking all around. It also keeps your food from touching the bottom of the basket, which prevents sticking.
- Make a foil packet. Arrange your food inside a piece of aluminum foil, and then roll up the sides. Make sure that air can circulate all around the packet. When your food is finished, you can toss the used foil and your air fryer should be perfectly clean and ready for the next meal.
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