Wood pressed vs cold pressed oil is less of a contest than it sounds. Wood pressing is the tool, cold pressing is the temperature, and the two usually go together. Refined oil takes a different route, with extra processing after the oil is extracted. Here is what each term means and how to choose between them.

Wood Pressed vs Cold Pressed Oil: What Do the Terms Mean?

Wood pressed describes the machine. Seeds are crushed by a wooden pestle in a stone-bottomed mil, and the oil is pressed out slowly. In Tamil Nadu this is called marachekku, and in other regions you will hear lakdi ghani. Cold pressed describes the temperature. The oil is pressed without adding outside heat.

So wood pressed oils are usually cold pressed too. The reverse does not always hold, because a cold pressed oil can come from a wooden mill or from a steel press. When a label says wood cold pressed, it names both the tool and the temperature.

Our wood cold pressed oils are pressed once, in wood and stone mills.

Cold Pressed vs Refined Oil: How Each One Is Made

With cold pressed vs refined oil, the split happens after pressing. Cold pressed oil is pressed, cleaned of seed bits and packed. Nothing is done to change its colour or smell, so it tastes of the seed it came from.

Refined oil goes through more steps. Some of it is extracted with heat or a solvent. The raw oil is then treated to remove colour, smell and strong flavours, usually with heat and chemical aids. What comes out is light and neutral, and it looks and tastes the same from one bottle to the next.

That sameness is why refined oil has been a kitchen staple for so long. It is a fair pick when you want an oil that stays out of the dish's way. The refined oil vs cold pressed oil choice mostly comes down to flavour and how much you want to know about what is going into your pan.

A Quick Head-to-Head on Wood Pressed Oil vs Refined Oil

Features

Wood cold pressed oil

Refined oil

How it is extracted

Seeds pressed in a wood and stone mill

Pressed or solvent extracted, often at large scale

After extraction

Cleaned of seed bits and packed

Treated to remove colour, smell and strong flavours

Heat

No outside heat added while pressing

Heat is commonly used in processing

Flavour and aroma

Tastes and smells of the seed

Mild and neutral

Look

Colour and depth vary by oil

Light and uniform

Post-meal feel 

Gramiyaa oils are light on the stomach, with zero trans fat and no post-meal bloat 

Varies by brand and oil 

Traceability

Gramiyaa oils trace back by batch

Varies by brand

Price

Higher

Usually lower

Which Is Better, Wood Pressed or Cold Pressed Oil?

Which is better, wood pressed or cold pressed oil? They are not rivals, because a wood cold pressed oil is both. If you compare a plain cold pressed oil with a wood cold pressed one, the difference is the mill. Wood and stone mills press slowly, and the oil keeps the aroma of its seed. Whether that matters to you is a question of taste.

Against refined oil, the better choice depends on the dish. Dal tempered in groundnut oil smells of groundnuts. A cake made with refined oil tastes of cake. Both are fine. We make oils for people who want the oil to be part of the cooking, and who like knowing where it came from.

Cooking With Cold Pressed Cooking Oil

Cold pressed does not mean low heat. A smoke point belongs to the oil, so check the number for the one you are using. Here are ours.

Oil

Smoke point

Flavour

Best for

Wood Cold Pressed Groundnut Oil

210°C

Light nutty

Deep frying, tempering, sautéing

Wood Cold Pressed Mustard Oil

200°C

Moderately pungent

Marinating, sautéing, frying

Wood Cold Pressed Sesame Oil

190°C

Mild earthy

Sautéing, tempering, dressing

Wood Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

190°C

Mild coconutty

Sautéing, baking, slow-cooking

Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil 

190°C 

Sweet coconutty 

Low to mid heat cooking, baking, gentle roasting, dressing 

Wood Cold Pressed Sunflower Oil 

185°C 

Neutral 

Everyday cooking 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

185°C 

Fresh fruity 

Air-frying, sautéing, garnishing 

Our virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are cold pressed but not wood pressed. 

If you are moving over from refined oil, groundnut oil is an easy first step. The flavour is light, and it works for most everyday cold pressed cooking oil jobs, from tempering to frying. Mustard and sesame oil have a stronger taste, so they go best in dishes that want it.

How to Read a Wood Pressed Oil Label

A few checks help when you are choosing between bottles.

• Look for the words. The label should say wood pressed or wood cold pressed, not only natural or traditional.

• Read the ingredients. A single oil, such as groundnut oil, should be the only item.

• Check how many times it is pressed. Our oils are pressed once.

• Look for batch details. Every Gramiyaa pack has a QR code that opens the batch details at trace.gramiyaa.com.

• Look at the pack. Light and heat age cold pressed oil faster. Our opaque, oxygen-free packs keep both out, so the oil stays fresh without preservatives.

Once opened, store the oil in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, with the cap closed.

Try the Difference in Your Own Kitchen

Pick the oil that suits tonight's dish and notice how the kitchen smells when it hits the pan. Browse the full range of Gramiyaa wood cold pressed oils, and scan the QR on any pack to trace its batch at trace.gramiyaa.com

FAQs

Is wood pressed oil the same as cold pressed oil?

Close, but not identical. Wood pressed names the mill and cold pressed names the temperature. Wood pressed oil is normally cold pressed as well, while a cold pressed oil may come from a steel press instead.

Which is better, wood pressed or cold pressed oil?

Neither beats the other, since a wood cold pressed oil is both. If you want the slower wood and stone mill and an oil that keeps its seed's aroma, look for wood cold pressed on the label. Your dish and your taste decide the rest.

What is the difference between cold pressed and refined oil?

Refined oil gets extra processing after extraction to make it neutral in colour, smell and taste. Cold pressed oil skips those steps, so it keeps the flavour of the seed it came from.

Why is wood pressed oil more expensive than refined oil?

Wood and stone mills work slowly and in smaller batches. Our oils are also made in-house and tested batch by batch, and they are never blended from unknown sources. Refined oil is made at large scale, which keeps its price lower.

How can you tell if an oil is really wood pressed?

Read the label for wood pressed or wood cold pressed, and check that the ingredients list a single oil. Then look for batch details you can verify. With Gramiyaa, you scan the QR on the pack to see them.