This Award-Winning Aldi Cooking Spray Deserves A Spot In Your Kitchen

In February 2024, Product of the Year USA released its list of the best products for the year in 46 categories, based on votes from 40,000 American consumers. The list spanned everything from wine to feminine care to cat litter, awarding one standout product in each category. One product that particularly stood out was the winner of the cooking essentials category: the Aldi brand product, Simply Nature Oil Spray.

Cooking oil spray is a pantry staple that you may have a tendency to ignore, or not give proper consideration. But you shouldn't. As a key component in easy cooking, clean up, and flavoring food, cooking spray is a tool you want to have in your kitchen. And Aldi's cooking spray was voted a step above the rest for its high quality in those areas. The Simply Nature spray comes in multiple varieties — all of which are pretty health-conscious — and is regarded for its mess-free spraying. So, the next time you run out of cooking spray, follow America's vote and take a trip to Aldi for this cooking essential.

While the main difference between store and name brands is only packaging and pricing, some shoppers may regard store brands as the lower quality option. But Aldi's Simply Nature Oil Spray pushes the envelope, giving major brands a run for their money, with its affordable pricing and high standards. Priced at $3.65 per bottle, the Simply Nature cooking spray comes in three distinct flavors: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, and Grape Oil — and each of these flavors is organic and non-GMO certified. Aldi's commitment to healthier food and cooking products is part of what makes this spray so attractive.

This cooking oil also considers different cooking temperatures; the Olive Oil spray has a medium heat smoke point, while the Avocado and Grape oil sprays have high heat smoke points. This allows customers to tailor their cooking sprays to their recipes. Some other purported benefits are that these sprays are made with 100% oil, and according to Product of the Year: "These sprays create a more convenient and mess-free cooking experience." Another advertised feature of these sprays is the possibility of using them to make or add to all-natural dressings, which you can do by simply spraying the oil into a dressing mixture, like a Greek-style vinaigrette.

Aldi also had other products featured in the 2024 Product of the Year winners list, including the grocery brand's sliced Italian loaf bread. If used with the Simply Nature cooking spray — to oil a pan and some fresh tomatoes and herbs — you could easily make an Italian bruschetta at home, featuring award-winning products all from the same store. You can also round out this meal with the Aldi-exclusive Belletti Prosecco, which won in the Product of the Year's wine category.

While cooking sprays may be advertised as a way to prevent food from sticking to pots and pans, we've seen that they can also be a key ingredient. Using spray oil like Aldi's can serve as a means of adding texture to a dish, like how cooking spray can be your ticket to ultra-crispy baked fish. After breading your fish, you can give it a good spray to lock in moisture and create that crispy outer layer, using an easy food-safe method. Plus, with the Simply Nature spray oil coming in multiple varieties, you can experiment with different flavors, and give your foods a new taste that was voted best by your peers.