There’s not much worse than cooking a meal only to realize you have limited oil left. Your open bottle is peanut oil and the spare bottle is vegetable, can you mix them? Will it ruin the dish? Thankfully, no. You can mix oils.
However, you must take into account that once mixed, the oils combine and inherit the lower smoke point of the two.
As an example for this, if your peanut oil has a lower smoke point than the vegetable oil then once mixed it will start smoking at the peanut oils smoke point. While the answer is yes, it is best to only mix oils when necessary.
While only the most dedicated culinary enthusiasts will notice the difference, it is just good practice to try and use one oil at a time.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most oils in the US are already mixed. Unless they are stated as a single oil, such as ‘safflower oil’, vegetable oils are a mix of multiple different oils.
Hopefully, this puts your mind at ease and shows that it is indeed safe to mix oils as a lot of common, tested, and favored oils are already mixed, proving it to be safe.
Table of Contents
- What else to know about Vegetable and Peanut Oil Mixing?
- What is a smoke point?
- Are oils healthy?
- FAQs – Mixing Peanut and Vegetable Oil
What else to know about Vegetable and Peanut Oil Mixing?
Flavor plays a big factor with oils and mixing them. A lot of oils such as vegetable oil and canola oil are considered generally flavorless so when deep-frying or lubricating, or even deglazing with them you do not taint your food with an outlandish flavor.
It is not the same for other oils such as peanut oil, coconut oil, and olive oil (virgin or extra virgin) as these oils are quite flavorsome. This can be used as an advantage though as famous food chain Five Guys use peanut oil for their fries, which are delicious.
Olive oil especially is used for flavoring in a lot of Italian dishes or for rubbing on a steak with seasoning.
Because of this, if you were to mix multiple oils then the flavor profile would be unfathomably abstract and would most likely give your food a very off-putting taste.
What is a smoke point?
The smoke point of oils has been mentioned a few times now. But, what exactly is it? Well to answer that simply, it is the temperature at which an oil or fat begins to produce a continuous smoke. This is sometimes also referred to as the boiling point.
Most fats such as butter have a smoke point of 200 degrees Fahrenheit whereas oils range anywhere from 350 degrees to 485 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now that we understand what a smoke point is, you can see why it is crucial to take this into account when mixing oils.
If you mix olive oil, for instance, with sesame oil then the sesame oil would start smoking at 350 while the olive oil would not naturally start smoking until 375 degrees.
Because of this, you must take into account what you are planning to do with the oil, if the smoking point is not essential then you can be more carefree.
For a general idea of the smoke points of oils, here is a list compiling the most popular oils and their respective smoke points:
- Olive oil (virgin, or extra virgin) – 325-410 Degrees F
- Coconut Oil – 350-385 Degrees F
- Peanut Oil – 440-450 Degrees F
- Vegetable Oil – 400-450 Degrees F
- Sunflower Oil – 440 Degrees F
- Canola Oil – 400-450 Degrees F
- Avocado Oil (refined) – 520-570 Degrees F
- Sesame Oil – 350-410 Degrees F
Are oils healthy?
While talking about mixing oils, it is worth mentioning their nutritional value and if they are healthy or not. Some oils contain polyunsaturated fat which is said to be a ‘heart-healthy- alternative to saturated fats that items like butter and lard possess.
Despite being labeled as such, that does not mean the oils are healthy for your heart, they are just healthier alternatives.
All oils show signs of arterial damage and heart disease progression when consumed, so it is best to either void them or limit your intake.
Fats are needed sometimes but should be monitored closely to ensure your safety. The healthiest cooking oils available will be ones that contain monosaturated fats such as Olive oil and rapeseed oil.
While still unhealthy in a certain way, they are much healthier than any other alternative.
FAQs – Mixing Peanut and Vegetable Oil
Can I mix oils when frying?
You can but take caution as some oils have lower smoke points than others which can ruin your food. Some oils also differ in taste so oils with stronger tastes may taint your food if you fry with them.
Can you mix peanut oil with vegetable oil to fry a turkey?
You can mix peanut and vegetable oil but beware of their differing smoke points and flavor profiles as this will give the turkey a peanut flavor.
Can I use peanut oil for deep frying?
Absolutely, however, it will give whatever you’re cooking a peanut flavor. With that in mind, a famous restaurant chain fries their fries in peanut oil and they turn out deliciously.
What happens when you mix vegetable oil and canola oil?
Nothing at all will happen. They are both plant-based oils with high smoke points which means they will work well together if you have to mix them.
