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I got a Tefal deep fryer for Christmas (yay!) which has an automatic filtering system so you can re-use oil multiple times. When reading through the manual it says 'Do not use groundnut (i.e. peanut) oil', without any explanation as to why. My understanding is that refined peanut oil has a high smoke point and is a widely used choice for deep frying, but I suspect they have a good reason for this very prominent recommendation.

Why not use peanut oil? Is it due to a relatively high gelling point, does the oil break down in storage, or is there some sort of property I don't know about?

GdD
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1 Answers1

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On the T-fal USA website, they address this in their FAQ section. (A quick check on the UK Tefal site shows the same question.) Regardless of which model of fryer you have, it seems that all of their home fryers have the same question & answer regarding peanut oil--indicating it is a recommendation that applies to all T-fal fryers.

Frequently asked questions --> Various Topics:

WHY DO YOU NOT RECOMMEND USING PEANUT OIL?

Peanut oil has a lower smoking point than most vegetable oils, so it may slightly smoke at frying temperatures. It also imparts a slight flavour that may or may not be desirable.

So, it would seem this isn't necessarily a functional detail specific to this fryer, but rather an opinion on peanut oil itself.

AMtwo
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    That's very odd, AFAIK peanut oil has a smoking point of about 440F, any idea what they are basing that on? – GdD Jan 04 '22 at 16:48
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    Purely guessing, maybe they are worried that folks will fry in _unrefined_ peanut oil, which is commercially available, but with a smoke point below 350F would be a fire hazard if you picked up the wrong kind. Most other suitable fry oils aren't available in an unrefined version, the way peanut oil is. – AMtwo Jan 04 '22 at 17:31
  • @AMtwo that's almost certainly it, as they also mention flavor, which is very much present in unrefined peanut oil (being a finishing oil, that's the point!) and essentially non-existent in your standard refined. still it's really really weird that they would have such a (factually wrong) recommendation given that refined peanut oil is much more common and the standard suggestion for frying/deep frying. – eps Jan 04 '22 at 21:40
  • To maintain 350ºF average temp, the heating elements themselves must be hotter than 350ºF. The manufacturer would know how much hotter than 350ºF. This warning is an indication that the temp could very go beyond the smoke point of the peanut oil under proper working conditions. – noslenkwah Jan 04 '22 at 23:57
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    I don't think it is "refined peanut oil is iffy on temperature". Based on this table [in Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point#Temperature), *refined* peanut oil is right in the same range as canola, general vegetable oil, corn oil, soybean oil, etc. The only way this makes sense is a lawyerly concern about *unrefined* peanut oil. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Jan 05 '22 at 03:56
  • May this be one of the different cooking habits in (continental?) Europe and the US? I feel that (at least in Germany) refined peanut oil is not a staple and unrefined oils are generally favored. – jmk Jan 05 '22 at 07:03
  • Unrefined peanut oil is commercially available in the top 1-2 cm of every jar of decent quality "just peanuts" peanut butter. :) – Kaz Jan 05 '22 at 08:16
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    @Kaz Which is why I never buy the "just peanuts" or "organic" or "natural" peanut butter :-) – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Jan 05 '22 at 18:04
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    @manassehkatz-Moving2Codidact Problem is, the alternatives are extended with cheap, unhealthy hydrogenated oil and starches and such, and taste weird. I mix mine with a hand mixer, using the corkscrew-style attachments for thick batters. Then put it in the fridge; it never separates before consumption. – Kaz Jan 05 '22 at 21:38