• What is cooking oil?
  • Cooking oil, also known as edible oil, is a plant or animal liquid fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It allows higher cooking temperatures than water, making cooking faster and more flavorful, while also distributing heat, reducing burning, and preventing uneven cooking.
  • What are plant oils?
  • Plant oils are fats taken from plants — usually from plants’ seeds. Like most food fats, plant oils help improve the palatability of foods and serve as a medium for cooking. The variety of plant oils has expanded in the past few decades. For example, you can probably find most of the following at a well-stocked supermarket and/or health food store:
  • What are cooking oils composed of?
  • Cooking oils are typically composed of fruits or plants such as olives, coconuts, avocados, soybeans, sunflowers, or peanuts. They are used to transfer heat in the cooking process which allows foods to be prepared in a variety of ways such as sautéing, roasting, grilling, and frying. In addition, oils are made from these fruits or plants and they add both flavor and nutritional value.
  • Can plants be used to produce edible oil?
  • Plant can be used to produce edible oil from their seeds, germs, and/or fruits. In the early human history, sesame ( Sesamum indicum) oil and olive ( Olea europaea) oil were commonly used as EPOs. With the development of agriculture, processing and inspection technologies, more and more plants have been developed for EPO production.