Soybean oil is a healthy, cholesterol-free vegetable oil with a high smoke point, which makes it ideal for stir-frying. It is also commonly used in food products such as mayonnaise and snack foods, as well as nonfood items like soap, crayons and candles. Making your own soybean oil is a complicated process that requires specialized equipment and extensive labor.
Clean, dry and dehull your soybeans by cracking them. You can also purchase shelled soybeans in the bulk foods section of most health food stores. If you hull them by yourself, use a magnet to remove any iron from the cracked soybeans.
Heat the soybeans in a dry pan to 165 degrees Fahrenheit to make oil extraction easier.
Using a sharp knife, cut the soybeans into flakes.
Place them into a percolation extractor and cover them with hexane, a colorless, flammable solvent derived from petroleum. The percolation extractor will leach oil from the solid soybean flakes.
Separate the hexane from the crude soybean oil by placing it into an evaporator and turning it on. This will vaporize the hexane and heat the oil to remove residual solvent.
Filter the crude soybean oil by pressing it through a filter press.
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Christina Sloane has been writing since 1992. Her work has appeared in several national literary magazines.