Groundnut Oil

Also known as peanut oil, huile d'arachides, arachide or arachis oil, this clear, colourless oil has very little smell and no flavour. This makes it a good choice for delicately flavoured salads and mayonnaise, although extra seasoning, lemon juice or vinegar may be required. Refined groundnut oil has a high smoke point of 230°C (450°F), making it ideal for high temperature cooking such as sautéing, stir-frying and deep-frying.

Chinese groundnut oil is generally less processed than its Western counterpart and tends to have more of a peanut flavour, which can be imparted to other food during the cooking process. Unrefined groundnut oil has a lower smoke point of 160°C (320°F), and is more suitable for salad dressings, light sautéing and low temperature baking.

Groundnut oil is high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (46% and 32% respectively) with 15mg of vitamin E per 100g. However, it should be remembered that the use of this type of oil in cooking may cause severe illness in those people who are allergic to peanuts.