Short answer: refined oil is extracted and cleaned with chemicals and high heat, then bleached and deodorised, so it ends up clear and almost tasteless. Cold-pressed oil is squeezed out mechanically without added heat. Wood-pressed oil is the traditional kind of cold-pressing: seeds are crushed slowly in a wooden chekku (ghani), which keeps the oil cool and leaves its natural colour, aroma and flavour intact. At Vedic Taila we press below 35°C and bottle the oil unfiltered, with no preservatives.
Walk down any supermarket aisle and you'll see "refined", "cold-pressed", "kachi ghani", "wood-pressed" and "virgin" on bottles that look almost the same. Here is what each word really means, so you can choose the oil that suits your kitchen.
Refined oil: made for shelf life and a neutral taste
Most of the oil sold in India today is refined. The process is built for large volumes, long shelf life and a clear, odourless oil. It usually goes through these steps:
- Extraction: seeds are pressed with heat, and what remains in the seed cake is often pulled out with a chemical solvent called hexane.
- Degumming and neutralising: the crude oil is treated with water, acid and caustic soda to remove gums and free fatty acids.
- Bleaching: the oil is mixed with bleaching clay and filtered to strip out its natural colour.
- Deodorising: steam at well above 200°C removes the oil's natural smell and taste.
The result is an oil that looks the same in every bottle and lasts a long time. But the same steps that remove colour and smell also take away much of what made the oil special: the aroma of the seed, its natural flavour, and many of the natural compounds such as vitamin E that were in the seed to begin with.
Cold-pressed oil: mechanical pressing without added heat
Cold-pressed oil is extracted only by pressing. No solvent is used and no outside heat is added, so the oil keeps more of the seed's natural character.
One thing to know: "cold-pressed" is a broad label. Many modern cold-press machines are fast steel expellers. Friction from high-speed pressing can warm the oil noticeably, even though no heat is added on purpose. So two "cold-pressed" oils can be quite different depending on the machine and how fast it runs.
Wood-pressed oil: the traditional chekku way
Wood-pressed oil, known as marachekku in Tamil, ganuga in Telugu and kachi ghani in the north, is cold-pressing done the old way. A heavy wooden pestle turns slowly inside a wooden mortar, crushing the seeds a little at a time. Because the press moves slowly and wood doesn't heat up like steel, the oil stays cool.
This is how oil was made in our grandparents' time, and it's how we make it at our mill in Chandapura, Bangalore:
- Seeds are crushed in a traditional wooden chekku.
- The oil stays below 35°C throughout pressing.
- The oil is unfiltered: we let it settle naturally instead of stripping it.
- Nothing is added: no chemicals and no preservatives.
Side by side
| Refined | Cold-pressed (machine) | Wood-pressed (chekku) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it's extracted | Heat and chemical solvent | Mechanical pressing | Slow wooden press |
| Temperature | Very high during processing | Varies with machine speed | Stays low (ours: below 35°C) |
| Bleached or deodorised | Yes | No | No |
| Colour and aroma | Pale, almost no smell | Natural | Rich and natural, smells of the seed |
| Looks like | Crystal clear | Mostly clear | May be slightly cloudy, with natural sediment |
Why does wood-pressed oil look different?
If you're used to refined oil, your first bottle of wood-pressed oil may surprise you. It is deeper in colour, it smells strongly of sesame, groundnut or coconut, and you may see a little sediment at the bottom. That is normal. It is simply what oil looks like when nothing has been removed. In cold weather it may also turn cloudy or thicken; it clears again at room temperature.
Which oil should you choose?
Choose the oil that matches how you want to cook and eat. If you want the flavour and goodness your grandparents' food had, choose a traditionally pressed oil, and match the seed to the dish:
- Sesame (gingelly) oil for tadka, podi, pickles and South Indian dishes.
- Groundnut oil for everyday cooking and frying.
- Coconut oil for Kerala-style cooking and for hair care.
Many families keep two or three oils and use them by turn, as our grandparents did.
Frequently asked questions
Is wood-pressed the same as cold-pressed?
Wood-pressed oil is a type of cold-pressed oil. All wood-pressed oil is cold-pressed, but not all cold-pressed oil is wood-pressed: many cold-pressed oils are made in faster steel machines.
Is kachi ghani the same as wood-pressed?
Kachi ghani is the North Indian name for the traditional ghani press, most often used for mustard oil. Traditionally the ghani is made of wood, though some modern "kachi ghani" oils are made in steel machines, so it's worth asking how a brand presses its oil.
Why does unfiltered oil have sediment?
The sediment is fine particles from the seed. We let the oil settle naturally rather than stripping it, so a little may remain. It is harmless and a sign the oil hasn't been over-processed.
Can I see how Vedic Taila oil is made?
Yes. Our mill in Chandapura, Bangalore offers live crushing, so you can watch your oil being pressed. Message us to plan a visit.
At Vedic Taila, we believe healthy living begins in the kitchen. Our oils are pressed the traditional way, below 35°C, unfiltered and with no preservatives, so your family gets the oil exactly as the seed gave it.