The Best Oil Mister

Oil Mister Buying Guide

Are you watching your caloric intake? Reducing the amount of oil that you use when cooking is one of the easiest ways to consume less calories -- and using spray oil is the fastest way to reduce your oil consumption.
While spray oil is a very convenient way to reduce your oil consumption, it also has a few drawbacks. The first is that spray oil is expensive -- often several dollars per can -- and a can doesn't last long. When a can of spray oil is empty, there's no way to refill it. If you can't recycle the can, it'll end up in a landfill. To achieve a fine mist, spray oil also contains propellants and additives.

If you've tried spray oil and want to do something that's a bit better for your health and the environment, an oil mister is an excellent alternative. You can refill an oil mister many times, and you can buy the oil in bulk. If you're currently using disposable cans of spray oil, an oil mister will pay for itself after just a few uses. Oil misters also allow you to enjoy all of the benefits of spray oil without propellants and additives.

There are many oil misters available to health-conscious consumers today. Which one is the best? Our oil mister buying guide can help you decide.

How Oil Misters Work

An oil mister is a pressurized spray bottle. It works a little like the trigger spray bottles that you might use for cleaning, but it has a slightly wider nozzle due to the higher viscosity of oil compared to water. After filling and assembling the bottle, you'll use a pump several times to generate air pressure. The bottle releases the oil as a mist when you push the nozzle.

Drawbacks of Oil Misters

Buying an oil mister allows you to avoid the additives in commercial spray oil. The additives, though, are precisely what make spray oil work so well. Propellants increase the internal pressure of the can to give you a fine, even mist. Additives such as soy lecithin and silicone help the oil coat the pan and enhance its non-stick properties. Some oil misters tend to release the oil in larger, uneven droplets rather than as a fine mist.

Over time, an oil mister's nozzle may clog. With a clogged nozzle, the mister will release the oil in a stream rather than as a mist. You can help to prevent a mister from clogging by twisting the collar to release the air pressure after you're done with the mister. It is also wise to clean an oil mister periodically by running warm water and a few drops of liquid dish detergent through it.
Some people find the act of pumping an oil mister to build up air pressure inconvenient. You'll only get a few seconds of mist out of an oil mister before you'll need to pump it again. To increase the spraying time, never fill an oil mister more than halfway. You can only build up air pressure if there's room for the air inside the mister.

Is it worthwhile to deal with the inconveniences of an oil mister in exchange for a solution that's healthier and better for the environment? Only you can decide. It is important to understand, though, that an oil mister will never be as convenient as commercial cooking spray.

Key Features of Oil Misters

All oil misters work on essentially the same principle: You use a pump to generate air pressure, and the air pressure forces the oil through a nozzle to create a fine mist. There also aren't many differences between oil misters. The price difference between the least expensive and most expensive models is only about $10. There are some key design features that you should consider, though, before you buy an oil mister.

Material

The container portion of an oil mister is usually plastic, glass, aluminum or stainless steel. Choose one of the latter three materials if you are concerned about plastic remaining in contact with your oil -- but understand that the mister's internal components will be plastic either way.
With the knowledge that most misters are essentially fancy plastic spray bottles, you may feel tempted to simply try pouring oil into a standard trigger bottle such as those used for household cleaning. You shouldn't do that, though. Spray bottles have small nozzles that work with thin liquids. Oil will quickly clog the nozzle of a spray bottle. In addition, oil misters use food grade plastic that's almost always free of Bisphenol A. Manufacturers of spray bottles for household cleaning make no such claims of their products.

Build Quality

An oil mister typically has a twist-on collar. The collar secures the pump and nozzle to the base. It also allows the mister to retain air pressure and keeps the oil from seeping out. Since the collar is the most likely point of failure in an oil mister, you should look for a mister with a very strong collar. The collar should also have a gasket made from silicone or food-safe rubber. If an oil mister has a weak collar, the collar will crack after repeated use. If the gasket doesn't seal properly, the mister won't contain the air pressure well enough to create a fine spray. Oil may even leak down the sides of the mister.

Washing Instructions

You can clean the internal components of an oil mister by periodically filling the mister with warm, soapy water. Spray the soapy water until the container is empty. Refill the container with plain water, and spray the plain water to rinse away soap residue. Allow the mister and its components to air dry before you begin spraying oil again.

You may occasionally want to give your oil mister a more thorough cleaning in the dishwasher. If you would like to use your dishwasher, read an oil mister's cleaning instructions before buying the mister. In some cases, the container of an oil mister is safe to wash in the top rack of a dishwasher. However, other components such as the tube, nozzle and collar may not be dishwasher safe.

Filter

Every oil mister has a tube leading from the nozzle to the bottom of the container. Air pressure pushes down on the oil and forces it through the tube to the nozzle. Since oil is viscous, the tube and nozzle of an oil mister must remain very clean. Even a tiny contaminant can reduce an oil mister's powerful spray to a light dribble. To prevent contaminants from entering the tube, look for an oil mister with a filter at the end of the tube. The filter keeps particulates out. It also makes it possible for you to infuse your oil with flavor enhancers such as herbs and chili peppers. The mister will spray flavored oil, and the filter will prevent the herbs and spices from clogging the tube.

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This page about Oil Mister was composed by V. Tobies and published by Alternative.me.
It was last updated on 2024-12-26 08:20:34 and has been viewed 4623 times.