Cold Pressed Oil vs Refined Oil: What's the Difference?

Cold pressed oil and refined oil can look similar on a supermarket shelf, but the way they are made is very different. If you are thinking about switching your family's cooking oil, here is a simple guide to what changes, and why many homes in Tamil Nadu are going back to traditional cold pressed oil.

What is cold pressed oil?

Cold pressed oil is made by crushing seeds or copra in a press and collecting the oil that comes out. No chemical solvents are used to pull out extra oil, and the oil is not put through high-heat refining. This is the same idea behind the traditional chekku oil our grandparents used, done today with clean, modern machinery.

Because the oil is only pressed and filtered, it keeps the natural colour, aroma and taste of the groundnut, coconut or sesame it came from.

How is refined oil made?

Most refined oils go through several industrial steps to get the highest yield from the seeds and a long shelf life: solvent extraction, where a chemical solvent such as hexane is used to pull out the remaining oil; degumming and neutralising to remove impurities; bleaching to lighten the colour; and deodorising at high temperature to remove the natural smell. The result is an oil that is pale, has almost no smell or taste, and looks the same from batch to batch.

Cold pressed vs refined oil at a glance

Process: cold pressed oil is only pressed and filtered; refined oil uses solvents, bleaching and high-heat deodorising.

Taste and aroma: cold pressed oil keeps the natural flavour of the seed; refined oil is neutral.

Colour: cold pressed oil keeps its natural golden or clear colour; refined oil is usually pale.

Additives: good cold pressed oil has no added chemicals or preservatives.

Price: cold pressed oil costs more, because pressing gives less oil from the same amount of seed.

Which oil should you use for what?

Cold pressed groundnut oil (kadalai ennai): everyday cooking, deep frying, tadka and sweets.

Cold pressed sesame oil (gingelly oil / nallennai): kuzhambu, pickles, idli podi and traditional oil baths.

Cold pressed coconut oil (thengai ennai): Kerala and South Indian dishes, plus hair and skin care.

How to switch to cold pressed oil

Start with the oil you use most, usually groundnut oil, and use it for your daily cooking. Keep the bottle closed and away from sunlight. Because cold pressed oil has a stronger natural aroma, many families find they enjoy the taste of their food more.

Try Aavrin cold pressed oils

Aavrin groundnut, coconut and sesame oils are cold pressed at our mill in Coimbatore, with no chemical refining, added chemicals or preservatives. They are available in 500ml, 1 litre and value combo packs, with free shipping on all orders across India.