Wooden Cold-Pressed Oil vs Refined Oil: What Really Goes Into Your Cooking Oil?

तेल तेच... पण प्रक्रिया वेगळी.

Think about the food you grew up eating.

भाकरीवर तुपाची धार, गरम वरण-भात, कांदा-लसूण ठेचा, पोहे, थालीपीठ, भाजी आणि घरच्या घाणीत काढलेलं तेल.

For generations, Indian kitchens relied on simple ingredients and traditional methods of preparation.

Then, somewhere along the way, our cooking oils changed.

Wooden घाणीचे तेल slowly gave way to highly processed refined oils. They became lighter, clearer, more neutral in taste and widely available.

But have you ever wondered:

What actually happens between the seed and the bottle?

And more importantly—

Does the way an oil is extracted change what we experience in our food?

Let's take a closer look.

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🌿 First, What Is Wooden Cold-Pressed Oil?

Before modern processing plants, oil was traditionally extracted using a घाणी — a wooden oil press.

Seeds such as groundnuts, sesame and coconut were crushed slowly to release their natural oil.

This traditional method is today commonly referred to as wood-pressed, wooden cold-pressed or Lakdi Ghani oil, depending on the process and terminology used by the producer.

The idea is simple:

Seed → slow pressing → filtration → oil

There is no need to heavily process the oil simply to make it clear, pale or neutral in flavour.

The result can retain more of the natural aroma, colour and characteristic flavour of the source seed.

And that's something you notice immediately when you cook with it.

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🥜 What Happens With Refined Oil?

Refined oils can begin with oil extracted from oilseeds through pressing and/or solvent extraction and are then subjected to further processing.

According to FSSAI's standards, refined vegetable oil may undergo processes including deacidification, degumming, bleaching and deodorisation, using permitted food-grade processing aids and methods.

Why?

Because refining is designed to produce an oil that is:

• Clearer
• More neutral in aroma and taste
• More consistent in appearance
• Suitable for large-scale food production and storage

So when you see a perfectly clear, almost odourless refined oil, remember:

That appearance is the result of processing.

It isn't necessarily how the oil naturally comes from the seed.

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Wooden Cold-Pressed vs Refined Oil

The important point: these are different processing approaches, not simply “good oil vs bad oil.”

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👵 “आपल्या आजीच्या स्वयंपाकात हेच तेल होतं…”

There is something beautiful about traditional Maharashtrian cooking.

Our grandmothers didn't need a complicated ingredient list.

They knew their तीळ, their शेंगदाणे, their करडई, their नारळ.

They knew which oil went with which dish.

A little sesame oil with a particular preparation.

Groundnut oil for everyday भाजी आणि आमटी.

Oil with the unmistakable aroma of the ingredient it came from.

The oil wasn't supposed to disappear into the food.

It was supposed to be part of the food.

And perhaps that's one reason traditional oils are finding their way back into modern kitchens.

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🌾 Why Does Wooden Pressing Matter?

Think about squeezing juice from a fresh fruit.

You want the juice.

You don't necessarily want to strip away everything that gives the fruit its natural character.

The same basic philosophy applies to traditional oil pressing.

Slow pressing allows the seed to release its oil without relying on the extensive refining process used to standardise refined oils.

That's why wooden cold-pressed oils can have:

A more natural aroma

Groundnut oil smells like groundnuts.

Sesame oil smells like sesame.

Coconut oil carries the characteristic aroma of coconut.

A distinctive flavour

The oil can contribute to the final dish rather than simply acting as a neutral cooking medium.

A more traditional cooking experience

For many of us, that flavour is not new at all.

It's familiar.

It's the taste of home.

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🥜 But Does “Cold-Pressed” Automatically Mean Better?

This is where we need to be honest.

Not every oil labelled “cold pressed” is automatically superior.

The quality of the final oil depends on much more than the words on the bottle.

Look at:

1. What seeds were used?
Good oil starts with good raw material.

2. Where were they sourced from?
Traceability matters.

3. How were the seeds stored?
Poor storage can affect quality before pressing even begins.

4. How was the oil extracted?
The pressing method and conditions matter.

5. How was the oil filtered and stored afterwards?
Good oil can still deteriorate if handled poorly.

And most importantly:

Who is making it—and are they willing to tell you how?

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🌱 Our Approach at Natural Food Bazzar

At Natural Food Bazzar, we believe food should be understood, not just marketed.

We want you to know what you're buying, where it comes from and how it reaches your kitchen.

That's why we are bringing traditional food practices back into modern homes.

Our wooden cold-pressed oils are made with the belief that the seed should retain its natural character rather than being processed simply to achieve a uniform appearance.

Because we don't believe traditional food needs to look complicated.

Sometimes, simple is enough.

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From the Ghani to Your Kitchen

There's a reason लाकडी घाणीचं तेल still feels different.

Maybe it's the aroma.

Maybe it's the flavour.

Maybe it's the memory of watching your grandmother cook.

Or maybe it's simply the feeling of knowing that the ingredient in your kitchen hasn't travelled through unnecessary layers of processing.

Whatever your reason—

choose an oil that you understand.

Read the label.

Know the seed.

Know the process.

And choose what feels right for your family's kitchen.

कारण अन्न फक्त पोट भरण्यासाठी नसतं.

ते आपल्या घराचा, आपल्या संस्कृतीचा आणि आपल्या आयुष्याचा एक भाग असतं.

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🌿 Natural Food Bazzar

From our farmers, to your family.

Traditional foods.
Thoughtfully sourced.
Made for the modern Indian kitchen.

Explore our Wooden Cold-Pressed Oils →