Peanut Oil

Name: Peanut oil, also called groundnut oil or arachis oil — a vegetable oil pressed from peanuts. Refined peanut oil is pale and mild, while roasted or cold-pressed oil is darker, with a strong peanut aroma. A separate page under Plant/Fruit Oils also covers it; here the focus is on the legume it comes from.

Description

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a legume native to South America, whose pods ripen underground, and it was spread by Spanish and Portuguese traders to Africa, Asia and North America, where it became a major food and oil crop.

Peanuts are about half oil by weight, which made them a natural source of cooking oil. Peanut oil was first produced on a commercial scale in France in the early 19th century, and use increased in the United States during the Second World War. India and China produce nearly two thirds of the world's supply, and refined peanut oil is a favourite for deep-frying and stir-frying in Chinese, Southeast Asian and American cooking, thanks to its high smoke point of around 230°C.

Main nutrition value

Peanut oil is essentially 100% fat, mostly monounsaturated oleic acid with some polyunsaturated fat, and provides vitamin E, but no protein or carbohydrate once refined.

How best to be consumed

Peanut oil is used for high-heat cooking, and for flavour in the roasted form.

1. Use refined peanut oil for deep-frying and stir-frying, where its high smoke point holds up.
2. Use roasted peanut oil sparingly, as a flavouring in dressings and Asian dishes.
3. Store in a cool, dark place, and avoid reusing frying oil many times.
4. Check with an allergist before using it if you or someone you cook for is allergic to peanuts.
5. Measure the oil, since it is very energy-dense.

Overconsumption could cause…

Peanut oil is healthy in sensible amounts, and a potential allergen.

1. Peanut allergy, one of the most common and potentially severe food allergies, so anyone allergic must avoid peanuts completely and check labels for cross-contact. Highly refined peanut oil is generally considered low-risk, but cold-pressed or roasted oils retain peanut protein and are not safe.
2. Weight gain from eating a lot, since oil are energy-dense.
3. Harmful compounds from overheated or repeatedly reused frying oil.
4. A lot of omega-6 relative to omega-3 if it is your main cooking oil.

GroupsPeanutsPlant/Fruit OilsLegume familyHigh saturated fat

Made fromRaw Peanuts

Related foodsBlanched PeanutsBoiled PeanutsGroundnutsPeanut ButterPeanut FlourPeanut Powder

Wikipedia — Peanut oil, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_oil