When choosing cooking oil, its smoke point, i.e. the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke and break down is crucial. Understanding smoke points and how different oils behave under heat is important for ensuring that your meals are safe and nutritious.
What is a Smoke Point?
The smoke point of an oil is the temperature at which it begins to smoke and its molecules start to degrade. The smoke point of an oil varies depending on the source that it is extracted from, its purity and the processing method.
Oils with higher smoke points are ideal for high-temperature cooking methods which include frying and searing like pakodas or kebabs, while oils with lower smoke points are better suited for food items like salad dressings or emulsifiers for dips like mayonnaise.
Choosing the right oil based on its smoke point helps maintain the oil’s nutritional value and flavour while preventing the formation of harmful compounds.
Why should one be wary of smoke points?
When oils are overheated beyond their smoke points, they can release toxic fumes and harmful substances such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), acrylamides and aldehydes.
These compounds have been associated with health issues like respiratory problems, declining heart health and an increased risk of cancer. Moreover, overheating oils can destroy their beneficial nutrients obtained from the sources like groundnuts, mustard seeds, etc.
Choosing the right oil for different cooking methods
Here’s a guide to using groundnut oil, mustard oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil and cottonseed oil from the Rajgor Proteins range, to ensure you can lock in both nutrition and taste in your food:
High-Heat Cooking
Groundnut Oil:
Refined groundnut oil has a relatively high smoke point of around 450°F (232°C), making it suitable for deep frying, stir-frying and searing. It has a mild flavour and is commonly used in Asian cuisine, including Indian dishes. Its stability at high temperatures makes it a safe choice for various high-heat cooking methods.
Palm Oil:
With a smoke point of approximately 455°F (235°C), palm oil is ideal for high-heat cooking. Palm oil is semi-solid at room temperature and is often used in frying and baking. It has a neutral flavour, making it versatile.
Medium-Heat Cooking
Mustard Oil:
Mustard oil has a smoke point of about 480°F (248°C), making it suitable for medium-heat cooking like sautéing. Although it has a high smoke point, it is used in medium heat cooking. That is because, beyond its smoke point, mustard oil produces a bitter taste and is not ideal for high heat cooking like deep frying.
It has a strong, pungent flavour that is popular in Indian cuisine.
Rapeseed Oil (Canola Oil):
Rapeseed oil, commonly known as canola oil, has a smoke point of 400°F (204°C).
It is versatile and can be used for baking, sautéing, and even grilling. Rapeseed oil is also known for its neutral flavour and heart-healthy profile, being low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Low-Heat Cooking
Cottonseed Oil:
Cottonseed oil has a smoke point of 420°F (215°C), making it suitable for medium to low-heat cooking.
However, it’s more commonly used in processed foods and as a salad dressing or dip emulsifier ingredient due to its neutral flavour. Cottonseed oil is less popular for homemade salad dressings.
