Many people with allergies to peanuts stay away from peanut oil
Patients who have a peanut allergy are sometimes told to avoid peanut oil. Ideally, peanut oil should be safe to eat for these individuals, but they may have decided to avoid all peanut products. There are so many other vegetable oils that can be used instead, such as canola oil, olive oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil. Vegetable oil is another alternative that can be used. This oil is usually a blend of several oils, including corn, soybean, palm, and others.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration says that peanut oil is safe for those with allergies
According to the Peanut Institute, peanut oil is different from peanuts or peanut butter and does not cause allergy symptoms in people allergic to peanuts. This is because when peanut oil is processed, the protein in the oil is destroyed. Protein is the element in peanuts and peanut butter that causes an allergic reaction. The Food and Drug Administration Food Allergen Labeling and consumer Protection Act of 2004 and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act determined that highly refined oils are not major food allergens.
Peanut oil does not cause allergic reactions if it has been highly refined
The problem is that peanut oil must be highly refined to be considered safe for those with allergies. Refining involves purifying, bleaching, and deodorizing the oil. Since peanut oil is not a necessary part of anyone’s diet, many people with peanut allergies decide that it is not worth taking the chance that oil was not properly processed. If any step was not followed, someone allergic to peanuts could develop peanut allergy symptoms that could be severe and even life-threatening.
Most oils can be interchanged and used for different purposes
The one advantage of using peanut oil for cooking is that it can withstand higher temperatures than most other oils. This means that it can be used to fry foods at a higher temperature before it begins to smoke. Otherwise, different kinds of vegetable oil can be used as a replacement for peanut oil. Peanut oil is primarily used as a flavoring agent in ethnic dishes, and some people fry turkeys in it.
Fry with vegetable oil at lower temperatures
It is easy enough to fry foods in vegetable oil, preferably canola oil since it has a low saturated fat content and a high mono unsaturated fat content. Canola oil can be used to fry foods at medium temperatures up to 450 degrees F. A person who is allergic to peanuts may avoid this food as a form of peanut allergy prevention.