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You are ready to make French fries with your new kitchen gadget – air fryer, however, wondering what is the best oil for air fryer French fries? Well, knowing the key characteristics of how to determine the most suitable oil for your air fryer is already a good start.
Recently I was in the same situation as you while choosing the best oil for air fryer French fries and after doing my research, I put together 4 main characteristics always to look at when choosing an oil for air fryer French fries: quantity, quality, flavor and smoke point. Along with my research, I can firmly state that the best oil for air fryer French fries is olive oil.
Below in this article, I will show how I have applied these 4 features to pick the best oil for an air fryer with an explanation. Without a doubt, no matter what type of culinary skills you have, after reading this article you will learn everything you need to know about the best oil for the air fryer and will enjoy air frying French fries!
What is Best Oil For Air Fryer French Fries?
The air fryer stands out compared with other fryers because it offers a low-fat version of your favorite food French fries. Even so, by choosing fat you should go with olive oil which is the best oil for air fryer French fries, and here is why:
1. Quantity
One of the great benefits of an air fryer is the small quantity of oil you need to use in order to produce crispy and delicious chips.
Because you need just a spoon for air frying French fries, you may want to choose the best cooking oil possible. In fact, olive oil is recognized as the best cooking oil and proven to be the healthiest one.
2. Quality
In terms of quality and health benefits, olive oil is rich in antioxidants, “healthy” fats, and vitamins. Scientists have proven loads of health benefits of olive oil if it has been used with moderation. Indeed, olive oil improves people’s well-being and longevity. Therefore, one of drinking olive oil benefit is that only 1 spoon of olive oil can reduce cardiovascular disease by 10 percent.
3. Flavor
As well, when air frying, you want to add some flavor to your food. For this reason, good quality extra virgin olive oil will do a job and your food will be less dry and more delicious.
For example, your homemade infused olive oil with herbs or chili can add more flavor and spiciness depending on your taste.
4. Smoke Point
Last but not least is the smoke point. That is the temperature when the fats in the oil start to break down and your food starts to get a burnt flavor or acrid smell. For this reason, the smoke point is a very important criteria when defining which oil to use in cooking, and by knowing the smoke point you can determine which the best oil for air fryer French fries is.
For instance, the smoke point for extra virgin olive oil is 380°F = 193°C which is perfect for using it for air fryer where the cooking temperature is recommended to be 375ºF = 190°C for French fries. With this in mind, olive oil won’t lose its great nutrition and stays as healthy as before frying.
Smoke point for a different type of olive oil:
- Extra virgin olive oil 380°F = 193°C
- Refines olive oil 428°F = 220°C
- Extra light olive oil 465°F = 240°C
Where Do I Put Oil on an Air Fryer?
When cooking air fryer French fries you don’t need to put olive oil inside the air fryer. Once the potatoes are cut, put them into a bowl and spray it with olive oil sprayer or pour with olive oil dispenser. Then, drizzle seasoning. This is so simple, just remember a few things:
- Olive oil can not be put inside the air fryer, it is put on fries
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil will add an amazing flavor to French fries
- Adding olive oil on French fries before air-frying will add an extra crunchy layer to your chips
How Much Oil To Put in an Air Fryer for French Fries?
Use only 1 tablespoon for air fryer French fries. Interesting, that fried chips in air fryer can be up to 80 percent less fattening than fries cooked into other fryers.
What Olive Oil to Use for French Fries in Air Fryer?
As to add more flavor to any food and improve wellbeing, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is the best oil for air fryer French fries. In addition, I listed a few specifics of extra virgin olive oil for you to consider when choosing olive oil for an air fryer.
- Cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil is pure juice obtained from olives with loads of nutrients
- It is the highest grade among the edible oils in terms of quality Has a very balanced natural flavor to add to your food
- Extra virgin olive oil is more expensive, however, last a long time due to the small quantity needed
- Furthermore, to be more specific, Kalamata brand extra virgin olive oil is one of the best olive oils across the globe
If you are interested in good quality Kalamata olive oil, our Oliviada olive oil is 100% cold-pressed pure olive juice. You will receive Greek family produced high-quality Kalamata olive oil simply by adopting an olive tree or ordering a gift set:
Best Oil Sprayer for Air Fryer
For best air frying results, it’s always helpful to use a good quality olive oil for French fries. So, having the best oil sprayer for air fryer is a fantastic help to spray olive oil on French fries and keeping them healthier and less greasy.
Best selling oil sprayer on Amazon
In order to choose the best oil sprayer for an air fryer, you should look into these features:
- Material
- Design
- Pump
Air Fryer French Fries vs Deep Fried
Many people love the taste and crunchiness that comes with just fried French chips. For this reason, I recommend making air fryer French fries vs deep fried because you use much less olive oil which makes your food are much healthier than deep-fried.
In addition, these are benefits why to make air fryer French fries vs deep-fried:
- Fewer calories. Well, air fryer for French fries stands out because it offers a low-fat version with a smaller amount of olive oil. That means fewer calories.
- Better taste. Air fryers produce a crunchy amazing taste of chips and it feels wonderful in your mouth.
- Healthier. The air fryer uses less olive oil comparing the deep fryer and food is less fatty and healthier.
How to Make French Fries in Air Fryer with Olive Oil?
Well, the air fryer gives you dozens of ideas on how to prepare your favorite French fries. With simple instructions, your first time frying potato chips will be simple and go smoothly.
Luckily, you can choose which type of potatoes you want to use: fresh, baked, or frozen. Then, with hot air circulation and timer help your cooking with fryer with being easy for amateurs and pros.
Let‘s look into 3 different types of potatoes for air fryer:
Air Fryer French Fries with Fresh Potatoes Recipe
- Slice fresh potatoes into French fries shape
- The secret to get potatoes super crunchy is to let them rest in cold water for 30 minutes to break down the excess starch
- Drain potatoes and place them into a big bowl
- Drizzle olive oil with an oil sprayer and add seasoning (e.g. salt, pepper, garlic powder or paprika)
- Preheat air fryer to 375ºF = 190°C
- Put seasoned potato slices onto the bottom of the fryer basket, in a single layer.
- Cook fries for 15 minutes, then toss them for 10 minutes to make fries crispy.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping (e.g. ketchup, mayo, garlic sauce)
Air Fryer French Fries from Baked Potatoes Recipe
- Slice fresh potatoes into French fries shape
- Place them into a big bowl
- Drizzle olive oil with an oil sprayer and add seasoning according to the taste (e.g. salt, pepper, garlic powder or paprika)
- Preheat air fryer to 375ºF = 190°C
- Put seasoned potato slices on to the bottom of the fryer basket in a single layer
- Since baked potatoes do not need more baking, cook/toss them for 10 minutes to make them crispy
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping (e.g. ketchup, mayo, garlic sauce)
Air Fryer French Fries from Frozen Potatoes Recipe
Although frozen French fries may take longer to cook in an air fryer, it will not affect the final result and your fries will have a crispy exterior and soft interior.
- Preheat air fryer to 375ºF = 190°C
- Place frozen fries into a bowl and spray with olive oil
- Sprinkle salt or another seasoning if desired.
- Put seasoned potato slices on to the bottom of the fryer basket in a single layer
- Cook fries for 12 minutes, then toss them for 5 minutes to make fries crispy.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping (e.g. ketchup, mayo, garlic sauce). Bon appetite!
Things You Need for Air Frying French Fries
Conclusion
Summarising all the above, you should now have an idea of why olive oil is the best oil for air fryer French fries. Well, I took into account olive oil’s amazing flavor, cooking temperature, and healthy fat content that is the best option for the chips you are frying.
Try to experiment and see what type of potatoes you like to fry the most and which flavor goes best with the main dish. You will be astonished that air fryer French fries taste like in restaurant but healthier fries you can feel good about serving your family and friends.
No doubt, you can use an air fryer to make French fries when you are short in time, or even when you want to cut down on calories. And, with the knowledge of this article, you should be on your way to make the best air fried French fries with olive oil. Enjoy your air frying and let us know how you enjoyed the results!
Hi, I’m Vangelis Kleftogiannis, the founder of Oliviada and an established olive oil expert from Kalamata, Greece. My expertise isn’t just in producing quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but also in the cultivation and care of olive trees themselves. I am deeply committed to sharing my knowledge and know-how, helping others understand the intricacies of olive tree growing and the creation of quality olive oil.
