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By: GdD
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I got a Tefal deep fryer for Christmas (yay!) which has an automatic filtering system so you can re-use oil multiple times. When reading through the manual it says 'Do not use groundnut (i.e. peanut) oil', without any explanation as to why. My understanding is that refined peanut oil has a high smoke point and is a widely used choice for deep frying, but I suspect they have a good reason for this very prominent recommendation.
Why not use peanut oil? Is it due to a relatively high gelling point, does the oil break down in storage, or is there some sort of property I don't know about?
On the T-fal USA website, they address this in their FAQ section. (A quick check on the UK Tefal site shows the same question.) Regardless of which model of fryer you have, it seems that all of their home fryers have the same question & answer regarding peanut oil--indicating it is a recommendation that applies to all T-fal fryers.
WHY DO YOU NOT RECOMMEND USING PEANUT OIL?
Peanut oil has a lower smoking point than most vegetable oils, so it may slightly smoke at frying temperatures. It also imparts a slight flavour that may or may not be desirable.
So, it would seem this isn't necessarily a functional detail specific to this fryer, but rather an opinion on peanut oil itself.