What is "vegetable oil"

n. Any oil produced from plants, such as olive oil and corn oil.

n. any of a group of liquid edible fats that are obtained from plants [syn: oil]

A vegetable oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. The term "vegetable oil" can be narrowly defined as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature, or broadly defined without regard to a substance's state of matter at a given temperature. For this reason, vegetable oils that are solid at room temperature are sometimes called vegetable fats. In contrast to these triglycerides, vegetable waxes lack glycerin in their structure. Although many plant parts may yield oil, in commercial practice, oil is extracted primarily from seeds.

On food packaging, the term "vegetable oil" is often used in ingredients lists instead of specifying the exact plant being used, especially when the oil used is less desirable to the consumer or if a mix is used.

Vegetable oil is a liquid derived from plants. These are triglyceride-based, and includes cooking oils like sunflower oil, solid oils like cocoa butter, oils used in paint like linseed oil and oils for industrial purposes, including as biofuels.

Vegetable oil may also refer to:

• Essential oils are based on volatile aromatic compounds, and include oils used in flavors, fragrances, and for health purposes, such as lemon oil, or oil of peppermint.
• Macerated oils are oils to which other matter has been added, such as herbs. Typically, the oil used is a food-grade fat-type oil
• Hydrogenated fats and oils are triglyceride-based fats and oils which have been sparged at high temperature and high pressure with hydrogen. The hydrogen bonds with the triglyceride, increasing the molecular weight. Oils are hydrogenated to increase resistance to rancidity ( oxidation) or to raise the viscosity and melting point of the fat or oil.