With their high nutritional value, cold-pressed nutritionists highly recommend oils for cooking instead of regular cooking oil. Since it is considered to be a rich source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, it can be used as a regular substitute for oil.
But before you make the changes in your kitchen, it is necessary for you to understand what a cold-pressed oil actually is. So, what are you waiting for? Read ahead and find out.
What Is Cold Pressed Oil?
In simple words, cold-pressed oil is the old made from cold-pressing. But of course, there’s so much more to it than just this.
Cold pressing is a technique of oil extraction widely used for oils like olive, sesame, canola, and sunflower. In simple terms, seeds are crushed, and some pressure is applied, making the oil come out.
Usually, when oils are extracted, they are passed through heat, which removes the nutritional benefits present in the seed. The refined oil present in your kitchen is likely hot pressed. And if it is, chances are it lacks the flavour and nutritional value of cold-pressed oil.
No heat is given to the seeds in this method, and the oil is extracted using a more natural approach. The oil retained from cold-pressing is free of cholesterol and does not contain the harmful solvents present in hot pressed oil. Moreover, it includes the natural antioxidants present in the seeds, which are usually lost during oil formation.
These are only some of the qualities that make cold-pressed oils stand out from the other oils present in the market.
Cold-pressed oils are mainly used for cooking because of their health benefits. But that doesn’t mean they cannot be used for other purposes.
Some cold-pressed oils like coconut oil are used for moisturizing the skin and for providing nourishment to hair.
There are numerous benefits of using cold-pressed oil, but we will discuss that later.
Now that you have understood what cold-pressed oil is, let’s move on and see how they are formed.
How Is Cold Pressed Oil Made?
Well, as I have told you before, cold-pressed oil is made from cold pressing. In this section, we discuss cold pressing in detail.
Cold pressing is not a new technique, and it has been around for a long, long time, tracing back to the Indus Valley Civilization. Some oil pressing machines have been found in Harappa, indicating that our ancestors were making use of this method long before us.
Historically, cold pressing used a large, cylindrical vessel made up of stone or wood in which people crushed seeds to bring out oil. Its mechanics were rather mortar and pestle-like.
You grind down the seeds to form a paste and separate the oil from the paste by putting pressure.
It was essentially an eco-friendly, no-waste process. Meaning, the residue formed was either used up as food or fed to cattle, and the process itself didn’t aid in pollution.
However, in modern times we have factories and huge plants set up for making cold-pressed oils.
One piece of equipment known as a steel press is used mainly for cold pressing these days.
The concept behind cold pressing is to extract oil from seeds solely using pressure without having to pre-cook the grains, which strips them of all flavor and nutrition.
Of course, the friction from pressing does produce some heat, but the temperature doesn’t rise to a point where it is enough to take away the flavor or the aroma of the oil.
As people are rapidly switching from refined oils to cold-pressed oils, it is crucial to understand the unique benefits offered by cold-pressed oil and what makes it a better choice, covered in the next section.
Benefits Of Cold Pressed Oil:
There are countless benefits of cold-pressed oils when you keep your health in mind. Even without it, cold-pressed oil is a better alternative than other oils. Here’s why:
They are naturally cholesterol-free:
One of the significant reasons people switch to cold-pressed oil is its cholesterol-free nature, which is extremely important for their heart health.
Too much cholesterol causes fat deposition in your blood vessels, making your heart work harder to pump blood efficiently. It increases your chances of developing coronary heart disease and, in some cases, stroke.
They are flavourful and taste better:
Needless to say, the no-heat method of oil extraction enables the oil to retain most of the seed’s flavor and continues to maintain the original taste.
Heat treatment makes the aroma and flavour of the seed go away.
Olive oil is a favorite of many and is used in salad dressings for raw consumption because it happens to have the original flavor, which refined oils don’t.
They are nutritious:
Cold pressed oils are more nutritious than any oils present in the market. The nutrition is, once again, because of the no-heat treatment.
Cold-pressed oils are rich in Vitamin E, AKA tocopherol, and unsaturated fatty acids.
Not only this, cold oil retains the natural antioxidants present in the seed, which adds up to its nutritional value.
They are suitable for skin and hair:
Apart from being a better alternative to edible oil, cold oil is also suitable for skin and hair. Cold oil contains properties that moisturize the skin, make it smoother, and provides a glow. Since it isn’t very grease, it does not clog the pores of your skin.
Since the oil is rich in vitamin E, cold-pressed oil promotes hair growth and makes it stronger.
It is a part of cosmetics due to the practical results they provide to the skin.
They are suitable for eating without cooking:
Because cold-pressed oils continue to have their flavour and taste, they are a better alternative for putting into salads or drizzling on top of your favourite pasta than refined oils.
Refined oils undergo high-temperature treatment, which takes away their flavour.
However, when it comes to high flame cooking, cold-pressed oils are likely to lose their taste as they have a low smoking point.
For this reason, don’t use cold-pressed oil for deep frying.
Cold Pressed Vs. Hot Pressed Oil: What is the difference?
You often hear words of comparison between cold-pressed and hot-pressed oil. Before we dig into that, let’s understand what hot pressed oil is.
Hot pressed oil is the oil extracted from seeds by making them undergo high temperature, and sometimes some chemical solvents take away the goodness. Applying heat to a nut brings out more oil. For this reason, this method is mainly and widely used in oil industries for extraction.
Let’s see the differences between the two through this table:
| Cold Pressed Oil | Hot Pressed Oil |
| Made without application of heat | Made with the application of high heat. |
| Rich in flavor, vitamins, and antioxidants | it lacks flavor and nutrition. |
| Free of cholesterol | Contains Cholesterol |
| Good for heart Health | Bad for heart |
| Low smoking point | High smoking point |
| Suitable for low-temperature cooking | Can be cooked at high or low temperature |
| Good for skin and hair | It doesn’t have practical benefits |
| More expensive | Less expensive |
F&Q
Still curious and have some questions? Here, I have answered some of the most asked questions about cold-pressed oil.
Can you heat cold-pressed oil?
We advise not to put too much heat on cold-pressed oil, as it will destroy the flavours and take away the health benefits from the oil.
However, a little heat is fine. But something like deep frying should not be done using cold-pressed oil.
Can you tell if your oil is cold-pressed?
There’s no sure way to know if your oil is cold-pressed or not. You can look at the label on your oil bottle, which will provide you with some information.
Some hot-pressed oils tend to form foam during cooking; cold-pressed oils never do.
Is cold-pressed oil expensive?
Compared with hot-pressed oil, cold-pressed oil might be slightly expensive because its yield is lesser, and the process is more complex. But the price is worth the benefits of the oil.
Should you replace your regular oil with cold-pressed oil?
Cold-pressed oils have numerous health benefits over regular edible oils, so it is safe to say that cold-pressed oils will keep your heart healthy, and they should be a part of your kitchen.
Final words
I have covered all that you need to know about cold-pressed oil in this article, and now it is up to you whether you decide to make it a part of your everyday diet or not.
Also Read:
Best Grapeseed Oil in India 2022
Best Onion Hair Oil in India 2022
After completing this graduation in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Manipal University in 2013, Ankit began rummaging the current Indian market of technology and science. At apolloedoc, Ankit’s job profile consists of cumulating, researching, testing, and verifying products related to tech.
He has a knack for details and catches even the tiniest advantages and flaws that can make or break the product. Since last year, he has been writing for apolloedoc and has been our knight in shining armour when reviewing home appliances.
Ankit’s favourite pastimes consist of jamming onto his guitar with a couple of friends and constantly updating and learning new things! He is also a big-time pet lover and has a cute little pug named Oreo back in Chandigarh. He has bagged many achievements in his college by participating in multiple extracurricular activities.
Writing is something that comes to Ankit naturally. He has his own blog where he posts about coding languages and even provides coaching to students from 12th grade to 2nd year of college. At apolloedoc, Ankit beautifully showcases his knack for the written word by lucidly explaining information in an unbiased way.