c. cooking oil

Cooking oils are liquid fats extracted from plant seeds, nuts, fruits, or legumes, used as a medium for heat transfer and flavor development in culinary applications. The term encompasses a broad category of oils including vegetable oil (typically a refined blend of soybean, canola, and/or corn oils), olive oil (pressed from olive fruit), canola oil (from rapeseed), sunflower oil (from sunflower seeds), and specialty oils such as peanut, sesame, and coconut oils. These oils vary significantly in smoke point (the temperature at which they begin to degrade and smoke), fatty acid composition, and flavor profile. Most commercial cooking oils are either cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, or refined through chemical extraction, affecting their color, taste, and nutritional properties.

Refined oils tend to be neutral in flavor and have higher smoke points suitable for high-heat cooking, while virgin and extra-virgin oils retain more flavor but may have lower smoke points and are often reserved for finishing dishes or low-heat applications.

Cooking oils serve as the fundamental medium for sautéing, stir-frying, deep frying, roasting, and baking across virtually all culinary traditions. In stir-frying and high-heat cooking, oils with high smoke points such as refined vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil are preferred. Olive oil, particularly extra-virgin varieties, is central to Mediterranean cuisine and is used both for cooking and as a finishing oil for dressings, dips, and drizzled over finished dishes. Specialty oils like sesame oil (used sparingly as a flavoring in Asian cuisines) and nut oils (walnut, hazelnut) are typically reserved for low-heat applications, dressings, and garnishing to preserve their delicate flavors. The choice of oil affects both the cooking process and the final dish's flavor profile and nutritional composition.