Peanut oil (arachis oil) is an organic oil derived from peanuts, noted to have the slight aroma and taste of its parent legume. In the UK it is marketed as 'Groundnut Oil'. In Telugu (the second most widely spoken language in India) it is called "Verusanaga Noone" (Verusanaga meaning groundnut and Noone meaning cooking oil). Peanut Oil is the most widely used cooking oil in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh; other cooking oils used being Sesame Oil (Nuvvula Noone in Telugu) and Sunflower Oil (Proddutirugudu puvvu Noone in Telugu).
It is often used in South Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine much as olive oil is used in the Mediterranean. Peanut oil is appreciated for its high smoke point relative to many other cooking oils. Its major component fatty acids are palmitic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid. The oil also contains some 6–8% (total) of arachidic acid, arachidonic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid and other fatty acids.
Peanut oil was used as the original source of fuel for the diesel engine.
It is also used as the main ingredient in some ear-wax removing products along with almond oil.
Peanut oil is most commonly used when frying foods, particularly french fries and chicken.
Commercial peanut oil will not cause an allergic reaction because the allergen is a protein, not a fat; however, the cold pressed and organic oils will. They are presumably less filtered, retaining some peanut proteins for the sake of flavor and nutrition.
Peanut Oil is a Monounsaturated fat, as such it may be substituted into a diet to reduce the negative health effects of eating Trans fat and Saturated Fat.
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