How and Why to Use Oil in Your Air Fryer

Air fryers have taken the culinary world by storm, changing the way we cook at home in just a few short years. It’s easy to see why they’re so popular. These nifty devices are smaller than most microwave ovens, but they can do the work of the conventional oven, convection oven, toaster oven, and microwave. Some air fryers even double as food dehydrators and rotisseries. They’re like the Swiss army knife of kitchen appliances. 

With an air fryer, you can prepare main dishes, snacks, sides, and appetizers in less time than it would take in the oven or on the stovetop—all without heating up your kitchen. Plus, its compact size makes it perfect for small kitchens or dorm rooms. 

At Primal Kitchen, we love our air fryers so much that we created a sidekick just for them. Meet your air fryer’s new best friend, Air Fryer Seasoned Spray Oil. Made with a blend of our much-loved avocado oil and MCT oil from coconuts, plus a trifecta of flavor perfection from garlic, onion, and black pepper extracts, this flavorful all-in-one seasoning spray makes it even easier and more delicious to prepare real food at home using your air fryer.

In this post, we’ll explain how to use an air fryer, answer some frequently asked questions, provide helpful tips, and share some of our favorite recipes. If you’re already an air fryer aficionado, jump straight to our tips for getting the most out of your air fryer. 

How to Use an Air Fryer

Air fryers act like compact ovens: Simply dial up the cooking temperature, place your food inside, set a timer, and voila! It’s incredibly user-friendly. But, as with many kitchen tools, there is a learning curve when it comes to mastering it. Air frying is not the same as cooking with an oven or stovetop. Here are some common questions new users ask.

Should you use oil in an air fryer?

One of the biggest points of confusion is whether you should use oil in the air fryer. It’s called a “fryer” after all, yet one of the selling points of air fryers is that you can make crispy, crunchy food without the need for a ton of oil. What gives?

You don’t have to use oil in an air fryer, but you can—and should—for the same reason you use oil in any other type of cooking: to prevent sticking and, more importantly, to help lock in moisture and flavor. Oil helps “seal” the surface of food and develop that desirable golden or crispy exterior that makes food look and taste so appealing. 

With air frying, though, you need only a small amount of oil compared to the several tablespoons you might use in a sautéed dish—or the gallon you use for deep frying. A quick spritz of oil over the surface of your food is all you need to create perfectly cooked, crisp-yet-tender vegetables, juicy meat, and crunchy appetizer bites with minimal added fat or the greasy remnants you get from deep frying. (A word of advice: Always spray oil directly on the food itself. Spraying oil directly into the air fryer can damage the machine.) 

We always reach for avocado oil when making real food in the air fryer. The neutral flavor of avocado oil pairs well with sweet or savory dishes, it has a high smoke point, and it sprays like a dream.   

What can you cook in an air fryer?

Main dishes, side dishes, snacks, appetizers, and even desserts are a breeze in an air fryer. Check out these recipes for just a taste (no pun intended) of what your air fryer can do:

• Steak bites
• BBQ chicken wings
• Fish sticks
• Buffalo cauliflower wings
• Potato chips
• Sweet potato fries
• Easy zucchini pizza bites
• Air fried guacamole (yes, really!)   

You can also use your air fryer to heat up frozen items like chicken nuggets or sweet potato fries, or to warm up leftovers. Really, the air fryer can do almost anything. Almost…

What can’t you cook in an air fryer? 

While the air fryer is an amazing piece of kitchen technology, there are some things it can’t do as well as other tools. While you can bake, roast, broil, or toast in an air fryer, it’s not suitable for cooking applications that require a lot of liquid, like simmering, steaming, or sous vide. 

Due to its compact size, you also won’t be able to cook large quantities. Some air fryer models can accommodate a whole chicken, but you probably won’t be cooking a Thanksgiving turkey in there.

Tips to help you air fry like a pro

If you’re anything like us, the air fryer will quickly become one of your most-used appliances. Follow these tips to master the art of air frying. 

• Don’t forget to preheat. Just like the oven, your air fryer needs to come to the proper temperature before you add the food.
• Apply cooking oil spray and any extra seasonings directly to your food before putting it in the air fryer. This is different from sautéing, for example, where you put the oil in the pan. Never pour oil directly into your air fryer.  
• “Spray, cook, flip, spray.” When cooking proteins or vegetables in the air fryer, the best way to create an even, perfectly crispy-crunchy exterior is to lightly spray both sides of your food, then place it in the air fryer. Halfway through the cooking time, flip the food and optionally give the top another light spritz before returning it to the air fryer to finish cooking. 
• To cook a recipe or packaged item that only has oven directions, follow this rule of thumb: reduce the recommended heat by 25 degrees Fahrenheit and reduce the cooking time by 25%. Always keep a watchful eye the first time you make a new recipe, and check for doneness a few minutes before the timer goes off.

Our Air Fryer Spray of Choice

We’re going to let you in on a little secret: At Primal Kitchen, we make the products that we want in our own kitchens. Our founder wanted a mayo with good fats, so he created the original Primal Kitchen Mayo. We wanted dipping sauces that tasted as good as (ok, better than) the ones at restaurants but with real ingredients and no seed oils, so we crafted outrageously good Drive-thru Dipping Sauces. 

We wanted a spray oil to use in our air fryers—one that would let us dispense a lusciously light coating of oil AND that would season food in one easy step. So, we created Seasoned Air Fryer Spray Oil, an all-in-one spray that makes meal and snack prep even quicker and more convenient in the air fryer.  

Primal Kitchen Air Fryer Oil contains a blend of avocado oil—our fave high-heat cooking oil you already know and love—with MCT oil. MCT oil is a liquid form of coconut oil, but don’t worry that it will impart a coconut flavor to your food. Like avocado oil, MCT oil has a neutral taste so the flavors of your food will shine through. Then we added extracts of garlic, black pepper, and onion for the perfect pop of flavor to enhance, not overpower, any dish you’re making. 

This smooth spray mists your proteins and veggies with just the right amount of oil and seasoning, using no chemical propellants or silicone, to make all your savory air fryer recipes even more appealing. Of course, you can also use this sublime kitchen companion for other applications, from roasting veggies in the oven to searing proteins in a skillet. Or try a light spritz just before serving for an extra flavor boost. 

If you’re not already using your air fryer every day, you will be once Seasoned Air Fryer Spray Oil hits your pantry!