Two questions come up more than any other when someone switches to cold pressed oil and then looks at a kadai full of it: can I actually deep fry in this? and how many times can I use it again?
Both have honest answers. Neither is "unlimited", and neither is "no".
Smoke point: what it measures, and why ours is lower
Smoke point is the temperature at which an oil starts to visibly smoke — a useful number, and the most misunderstood one in any kitchen.
What it measures is not really the fat. It is the small stuff suspended in the oil: free fatty acids, fine seed particles, phospholipids, moisture. Those burn off first, and they are exactly what refining removes. So the same seed gives two very different figures — refined groundnut oil is usually listed around 230°C, and unrefined cold pressed groundnut oil is meaningfully lower.
We are not going to pretend otherwise. Our groundnut oil is not bleached and not deodorised, so the things that make it smell of groundnut are also the things that smoke sooner. If you want a very high smoke point and no character, refined oil is genuinely better at that job. What matters is that for ordinary Indian deep frying, the lower figure is still well above the temperature you should be frying at.
The number that matters more: what the fat is made of
Smoke point tells you when an oil complains. It does not tell you how well it survives being held hot for twenty minutes — which is what decides whether your second batch of bondas tastes like the first.
That depends on the fatty acid profile. Oils high in polyunsaturated fat break down faster under sustained heat; oils high in monounsaturated or saturated fat hold up longer. Groundnut oil is roughly half monounsaturated, which is why it has been the frying oil of South Indian kitchens for as long as there have been kitchens, and why it fries better than sunflower or safflower — both of which we sell, and both of which we tell people to use for tempering and palya instead.
Coconut oil goes further: at over 80% saturated fat, cold pressed coconut oil is the most heat-stable bottle in the house. It also tastes of coconut, which suits a Mangaluru kitchen and may not suit your chakli. That trade-off is the whole decision, laid out in which oil for which job.
Fry at 170–180°C, not as hot as the stove will go
Most home deep frying wants 170–180°C. Hotter and the outside colours before the inside cooks, the oil degrades faster, and you edge towards the smoke point for no benefit at all.
Without a thermometer, two reliable tests. Drop in a small bit of batter: it should sink briefly, then rise steadily within two or three seconds, fizzing gently. If it sits on the bottom the oil is too cool; if it bounces straight up and browns instantly, too hot. Or use a small cube of bread — it should turn golden in roughly 40 to 50 seconds.
Fry in batches small enough that the oil does not drop in temperature when the food goes in. Crowding the kadai is the commonest reason home frying comes out heavy.
Reusing it: twice, done properly
Reuse cold pressed groundnut oil once or twice, no more. Every round leaves behind water, flour, crumbs and browned bits, and all of those lower the smoke point further and change the taste of what you fry next.
- Strain it while still warm — not hot, not cold — through a fine sieve or a double layer of muslin. Cold oil will not pass cleanly, and crumbs left in it are what turn the oil dark.
- Keep it separate. Used oil goes into its own clean, dry, covered jar, never back into the bottle with fresh oil.
- Away from light and the stove — the same rules as fresh oil, for the same reasons, set out in our storage guide.
- Use it soon, within a week or two, and for frying again rather than for a dressing where its taste will show.
Worth knowing: Indian food safety rules require food businesses to stop using frying oil once a lab measure called total polar compounds exceeds 25%. No home kitchen can run that test — but the principle behind the rule, that frying oil degrades cumulatively and there is a point past which it should not be used, applies as much to your kadai.
Four signs to stop, whatever the count
- It smokes sooner than it did when fresh — the clearest signal of all.
- It has darkened noticeably beyond its original amber.
- It smells sharp or waxy rather than like groundnut.
- It foams at the surface, has turned thick, or leaves a tacky film on the kadai.
Do not pour it down the sink. Let it cool, bottle it, and hand it to a scrap collector or a used cooking oil collector — there is an established trade that takes it for biodiesel.
Which bottle to fry in
For vadas, bondas, chakli and pakoras: groundnut first, coconut if you want the coastal flavour and the most heat-stable option. For tadka, palya, dosa and dressings: sesame, safflower, sunflower or niger, depending on the dish. The full range is here.
Groundnut grows across the dry belt of central Karnataka, one reason kadalekai enne is the default frying oil in so many households there. If you are in that part of the state, our Davanagere delivery page has the local detail; we deliver across every district in Karnataka either way.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really deep fry in cold pressed groundnut oil, or is the smoke point too low?
You can. Its smoke point is lower than refined groundnut oil's because nothing was stripped out of it, but home deep frying happens at 170–180°C, comfortably below it. Keep the heat moderate rather than maximum and do not let an empty kadai sit on a full flame.
How many times can I reuse it?
Once or twice, straining it warm through a fine sieve and keeping it in its own covered jar. Stop sooner if it has darkened, smells sharp, foams, or starts smoking earlier than it used to. Those signs override the count.
Why does my cold pressed oil smoke when my old refined oil never did?
Usually one of two things: the pan was heated empty or on a full flame before the food went in, or the oil has already been used and is carrying crumbs from the last round. Unrefined oil is less forgiving of both.