Peanut Oil

Organically derived from peanuts, peanut oil is frequently used in cooking, especially frying. It is used for other kinds of cooking, including wok stiry fry and sauteeing in Asian cuisine.

Some forms can also be used as fuel for vehicles with modified engines. It was historically used as fuel in diesel engines.

Peanut oil has multiple uses when it comes to food and cooking. It can be used on salads as a replacement for salad dressing, but it is also especially good for frying due to its high smoke point.http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/peanut-oil/Detail.aspx Oils with a high smoke point can be used more times for deep frying before you need to replace the oil with a fresh batch. Once the oil reaches its natural smoke point, it begins to decompose and create an unpleasant smelling compound called acreolein.http://www.culinary-yours.com/frying_oil.html

Like peanuts, peanut oil should be avoided at all costs by people with peanut allergies. An allergic reaction to peanuts can quickly lead to anaphylaxis. In fact, peanut allergies are responsible for more deaths than any other kind of allergy.http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/nut-allergy Even if you've confirmed that the products you buy are free from peanuts and peanut oil, recipes and ingredients may change over time. It is extremely important that you read the label each time you buy any food product to ensure you're not about to consume something you're allergic to.http://www.webmd.com/allergies/guide/nut-allergy

• Chowhound: Peanut Oil in China: Is It Number #1 Cooking Oil? (August 22, 2006)

• Chowhound: Peanut Oil and Deep Frying

• AutoblogGreen: Diesel Pickup That Runs On Peanut Oil Has 200mph aspirations (November 2, 2006)

• The Boston Globe: Two shades of green draw firms to alternative fuel (February 28, 2008)