Key difference: Cooking oils are best substitutes for frying and other culinary purposes. While, Frying oils are the ones which are used for high temperature cooking and frying purposes. According to their smoke points, cooking oils are further categorized as frying oils.

There’s not much difference between cooking and frying oils. As per their names, the oils which are applicable for frying purposes like high heat frying, sautéing, stir frying, pan frying, shallow frying, and deep frying are known separately as frying oils. While cooking oils as a whole, comprises of wide range of all oil categories and types used for common cooking purposes like grilling, frying, baking etc.

Cooking includes diverse purposes, and hence converts the raw food form into edible form. The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that has a regular impact on human lives. Its effect depends on temperature, cooking time and the respective technique used. Cooking oils opted for any cooking purposes are mostly preferred according to their fat compositions. Cooking kills all the harmful and indigestible ingredient of any food item and converts them into digestible form. Cooking oils are blends of various nutrients, hence these oils are known for their respective health benefits and causes.

While, frying carried out with some known or special types of oils are generally termed as ‘frying oils’. Frying oils are generally those oils which have the capacity to bear the high temperature cooking; hence these oils are applicable in frying and other purposes. Frying or deep frying is commonly classified as fry cooking, as the process does not include any water. Due to the high temperature involvement and high heat conduction of oil, frying methods cooks food extremely quicker. If performed properly, deep-frying does not make food excessively greasy, because the moisture in the food repels the oil. Fried items and their fat concentration are responsible for overall fat content of body; hence regular consumption of these types of items may cause issues like obesity and other related problems.

Oils are indispensable part of cooking and frying purposes. Cooking involves some health nourishing and enhancing techniques which preserve the nutritional content in food. In frying, the food is totally submerged into oil on high flames, which make the food more crispy and tough. Fried items and their fat concentration are responsible for overall fat content of body; hence regular consumption of these types of items may cause issues like obesity and other related problems. While, cooking oils of high smoke points when applicable for frying purposes are known as frying oils. Hence, these oils are used heavily and in bulk quantities for frying purposes in fast food industries and restaurants.

Hence it can be concluded that, cooking oils comprises of large range of frying oils, there lies no such unique difference among them. 

Comparison between Cooking Oil and Frying Oil:

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