All about Peanut Oil
Peanut oil is a vegetable oil extracted from peanuts or groundnut.
This is one of the popular cooking oils used. Peanut oil's nutty peanut flavor and aroma adds unique flavor and taste to the dishes. Mostly used for frying, sautéing and for stir fry.
Even though the oil is used similar to other vegetable oils like sesame oil, peanut oil's neutral flavor doesn't alter the taste of the vegetables or meat that is used in the dishes.
Generally available in the market as refined or unrefined as well as cold pressed and regular. Cold pressed and unrefined oils are considered as healthier option than the refined oils.
What is cold pressed oil?
In cold pressing method, oil is extracted by mechanically pressed from the seeds without using any chemicals and also at room temperature. Cold pressed oils are filtered only lightly to remove large particles.
What is unrefined oil?
Unrefined oils extracted by cold pressed methods and lightly filtered. Unrefined oils have more pronounced flavors, colors and smell. Unrefined oils are best used as raw in dressings or with low heat sautéing or baking. Avoid over heating or reusing these type of oils.
What is refined oil?
Refined oils are generally made by heating the seeds or adding chemicals to extract the oil from the seeds. Also it undergoes chemical or heat processing to stabilize and remove other chemical used to extract. Refined oils generally have longer shelf life and high smoke point but lacks flavor and nutrients compared to unrefined oils.
Cuisines: Peanut oil is widely used in Indian, Chinese, South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines. Used for general cooking such as sautéing, frying and baking. In some cuisines toasted or roasted oil used for added flavor and smell.
How to store peanut oil?
Generally oils that are exposed to heat, light or air tend to oxidize quickly and turn rancid. So to maintain good flavor and nutrition, it is best to store oils in an airtight container(bottles) in a cool, dark place. Also recommended to take a small quantity for daily use and keep the rest in the original container. For oils that are not going to be used for longer than 2-3 months, storing in the refrigerator is recommended.
Peanut oil smoke point:
Unrefined Peanut Oil - Approximately 320°F (160°C)
Refined Peanut Oil - Approximately 450°F (232°C)
Peanut oil also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil.
Click here to learn more about the health benefits of Peanut Oil.
