Okay, so the other day I was getting ready to make some stir-fry, and I realized I was out of my usual cooking oil. I had some peanut oil on hand, but also a big bottle labeled “vegetable oil.” I stood there staring at them, wondering, “Wait, are these basically the same thing?”
I mean, peanuts are vegetables, right? technically?
My Little Experiment
First, I did a quick sniff test. The peanut oil definitely had that distinct, well, peanut-y aroma. The vegetable oil? Not so much. It smelled pretty neutral, kind of like…nothing, really.
Then, I poured a tiny bit of each onto separate spoons. The peanut oil was a bit darker, a light golden color. The vegetable oil was lighter, almost clear. I carefully touched a drop of each to my tongue(don’t do that without caution). The peanut oil had a mild, nutty flavor, unsurprisingly. The vegetable oil tasted, well, oily, but not much else.
This got me thinking. I’ve used peanut oil before for deep-frying, because I remember someone telling me it has a high smoke point. That means it can get super hot without burning and smoking up the kitchen. Vegetable oil, I wasn’t so sure about.
So, here’s what I put to pratice:
- Peanut oil: Definitely has a peanut flavor, and it’s known for being good for high-heat cooking.
- Vegetable oil: Super neutral in flavor, and I learned it’s usually a blend of different oils, like soybean, corn, canola, etc. Smoke point can vary.
I decided to use the peanut oil for my stir-fry, since I was going for a bit of that nutty flavor anyway. It worked great! No smoky kitchen, and the food tasted delicious.
I guess the bottom line is, they’re both technically vegetable oils, but they’re definitely not interchangeable. It depends on what you’re cooking and what flavor you’re going for.I won’t be using them interchangeably any time soon.
