Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds to produce a light, mildly nutty flavoured oil. The seeds may also be roasted before they are crushed, resulting in a darker oil with a bolder, more intense flavour. The thicker and browner the oil, the more aromatic it is. Sesame oil contains about 40% monounsaturated fat, but is high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats, which most people need to moderate and balance with the healthier omega-3 fatty acids.

Light sesame oil has a high smoke point of 210°C (410°F), making it suitable for sautéing, pan frying, searing and deep frying. It is very popular in Middle-Eastern and Indian cooking.

The dark oil is much used in Chinese cooking, where its low smoke point of 175°C (350°F), makes it more suitable for seasoning and marinades than for frying. As the dark oil is quite intense in flavour, only a little is needed to liven up meat, fish or vegetable dishes. It is often blended with more mildly flavoured oils to help tone it down.

Sesame seed oil may also be processed by heat extraction to produce a highly refined oil that has less aroma and flavour than the unrefined oil, but a higher smoke point of 230°C (450°F). This makes it more suitable for high temperature cooking and for making mild, subtly flavoured salad dressings.