The difference between oils and fats is in fact a significant difference in viscosity at room temperature as the fat keeps its weight so that it remains fairly solid and the oils remain liquid
There are obviously different definitions.
The ones I use personally are:
Fats are (mostly) solid (low in unsaturation) at room temperature and are often from animal origin.
Oils are (mostly) fluid (high in unsaturation) at room temperature and often from plant origin.
The principal difference between fats and oils is that fats are composed of high amounts of saturated fatty acids which take a solid form at room temperature whereas oils are composed of mainly unsaturated fatty acids which take a liquid form at room temperature.
Article Difference Between Fats and Oils
Fats and oils can be considered as essential macronutrients of the animal body. Both fats and oils are made up of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O). The combination of these elements forms chains of molecules called fatty acids. Individual fatty acids can be either saturated or unsaturated molecules. The combination of fatty acids determines whether the final chain is saturated or unsaturated. The main difference between fats and oils is that fats are composed of high amounts of saturated fatty acids which will take a solid form at room temperature whereas oils are composed of mainly unsaturated fatty acids which will take a liquid form at room temperature.
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The number of carbon atoms in the fat molecule is greater than in the oil molecule
Both fats & oils (of vegetable or animal sources) are triesters of glycerol or "triglycerides". An alkaline hydrolysis "saponification" of an oil or fat will give glycerol + alkaline salt of long chain fatty acid "this salt is called soap". The fat is usually solid at RT while the oil is usually a liquid at RT.
Of course, a mineral oil does not fit here since it is derived from petroleum or oil shale (i.e. there are no esters in this oil) which means that it is inedible.
Sources of oils / plant sources such as olives, corn, pistachios and soybeans.
Sources of fat / animal sources such as animal butter and the fatty part of meat
The main difference between Fats and Oils is that, fats are usually derived from animals, whereas oils are usually derived from plants.
Fats and oils are very important for every human body. It is mainly essential for daily dietary plan. Fats and oils are totally different from each other. In simple terms, fats are animal fats whereas oils are vegetable oils. The other difference is fats tend to be solids at room temperature; on the other hand, oils tend to be liquid at room temperature. Remember, on the daily basis the two terms can be used interchangeably because both, fats and oils contain 9 calories per grams.
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