Walk into any Indian kitchen from fifty years ago and you would find a single bottle of oil — sesame, groundnut, or coconut, depending on the region. It would have been extracted the traditional Chekku way: cold-pressed using a wooden press turned by a bullock or by hand, at low temperature, with no chemicals involved. That oil looked darker, tasted richer, and smelled like something alive.
Modern refined oil is something entirely different. Here is why the distinction matters.
What "Cold Pressed" Actually Means
Cold pressing — also called expeller pressing when done with a mechanical press — is the extraction of oil through mechanical pressure alone, without external heat beyond what friction naturally generates. The critical constraint is temperature: below 49°C (120°F) throughout the process. This preserves the natural flavour compounds, antioxidants (vitamin E, polyphenols), and fatty acid structure of the oil.
What "Refined" Means
Refined oils undergo a multi-stage industrial process: expelling (at high heat and pressure for maximum yield), solvent extraction (hexane is used to extract the remaining 10–15% of oil), degumming, neutralisation (with caustic soda), bleaching (with activated clay), deodorisation (steam stripping at 200–270°C). The result is a tasteless, odourless, shelf-stable oil that looks identical whether it was made from sesame or any other seed. The heat and chemical treatment destroys most of the natural antioxidants and flavour compounds in the process.
"Refining removes the bad — but it also removes almost everything that made the oil good in the first place. Cold pressing keeps the whole picture intact."
— Food Chemistry Review, 2023Nutritional Comparison
Cold-pressed sesame oil retains sesamol and sesamin — powerful antioxidants with documented anti-inflammatory properties. These are largely destroyed during refining. Cold-pressed groundnut oil retains its resveratrol content. Cold-pressed coconut oil retains its medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) profile and lauric acid at full potency. The nutritional case for cold-pressed is not marketing — it is documented chemistry.
The Practical Question: Smoke Point
The common objection to cold-pressed oils is smoke point. Refined oils typically have higher smoke points, making them better suited for very-high-heat cooking. This is true. Our recommendation: use cold-pressed groundnut or sesame oil for medium-heat sautéing, tempering, and flavour finishing. For very high-heat frying, refined oil is more appropriate. The goal is not to use cold-pressed for everything — it is to use it where it gives you the most benefit.
Sesame Oil · Groundnut Oil · Coconut Oil · Mustard Oil · Black Seed Oil · Castor Oil — all extracted using traditional Chekku or cold-press methods. No hexane. No bleaching. No deodorisation. Just the oil.
