Air fryers have become a popular kitchen gadget as they provide a healthier alternative to deep frying, but there’s one ingredient you should avoid using with it
Cooking sprays, often hailed as a healthier alternative to traditional cooking oils, could be doing more harm than good.
Despite seeming like a harmless addition to your air fryer, these sprays contain an ingredient that can damage the appliance. This is particularly true for supermarket-bought sprays.
The culprit is a chemical additive called lecithin, which is used as an emulsifier in many food products to improve texture. However, this ingredient has a detrimental effect on air fryers.
Air fryer chef and expert, Sam Milner, warned Homes and Gardens about the dangers of commercial cooking sprays: “Chemicals added to commercial spray oils cause damage to your air fryer, since they contain an emulsifier called lecithin, which slowly breaks down the coating on your air fryer.”
In fact, such cooking sprays should be avoided with all non-stick products, as the breakdown of the coating could potentially release harmful chemicals into your food.
Martin Bucknavage, a food safety guru from Penn State’s Department of Food Science, spilled the beans to The Spruce Eats about the pitfalls of using certain cooking sprays in air fryers. He warned that the lecithin found in these sprays has a “low smoke point” and is “less stable” compared to those with high smoke points, leading to damage at air fryer temperatures, reports the Express.
Martin cautioned: “This can gunk up your equipment, specifically the tray or basket and potentially ruin the surface.” He also highlighted that such sprays might not only alter how your food looks but also its taste: “The spray oils can cause discolouration and produce a slightly off flavour.
“If you have ever sprayed Pam onto a hot pan, you see how dark the colour gets.” Despite their reputation for being a healthier choice, Martin suggests avoiding cooking sprays to preserve your air fryer.
For better alternatives, he recommends oils like avocado, canola, peanut, sesame or sunflower. Keep your gadget in tip-top shape by coating the basket lightly with a non-aerosol spray bottle, a silicone brush or simply using kitchen roll.