I noticed my AirGradient monitor spikes every time I fry something. Ventilation helps but the levels stay high for a while. Does anyone have tips on reducing indoor PM2.5 while cooking?
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The only solution is sufficient ventilation.
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While using my indoor AG One over the past year, I noticed early on that the PM2.5 spiked whenever I was cooking certain recipes (as I keep the sensor on my dining table in the middle of an open area between my kitchen and living room).
While adequate ventilation is definitely needed during cooking, I did notice that the type of food and cooking method can noticeably affect the overall amount of PM2.5 generated. I often fry up salmon burgers in a cast iron skillet and noticed that it generated way more PM2.5 in a short period of time than anything else I was cooking. I did a little research and realized that the olive oil I was using to fry those burgers had too low a smoke point to be used for that high of a heat, and therefore was generating a lot of smoke. By simply switching to avocado oil (which has a higher smoke point), I was able to reduce that PM2.5 to a more manageable level, with no real difference to the outcome of my recipe. I still need ventilation but the spike is much lower and clears much faster.
So, your mileage may vary, but it seems that the more smoke that is generated by a particular recipe, the more PM2.5 you may see on your sensor. If you are looking for ways to reduce the amount of PM2.5 you are generating while cooking, and can’t easily increase the performance of your ventilation system, it may be worthwhile to consider if there are any small ways that you can modify your recipes to generate less PM2.5 in the first place.
Good luck!
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This is great advice @FreshAirFan!
Ventilation is definitely the most important factor, but it’s often impossible to ventilate well enough to completely stop the PM2.5 levels from increasing. I suffer from the same issue in my house!
However, it’s easy to overlook things like the oil you use. If cooking with lower smoke-point oils, you will likely see a much higher spike than if you cook with high smoke-point oils.
For anyone who encounters this thread in the future while looking for ways to decrease the PM spike caused by cooking, I highly recommend looking into trying different oils if possible.
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This post caught my eye… as I noticed if cooking with natural gas, it can raise carbon dioxide levels. as well. This surprised me as I had never thought about that too much before.
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