Can I deep fry with cold-pressed oils?

We do not recommend our oils for sustained high-heat deep frying. Unrefined oils have lower smoke points than refined oils, coconut and sesame around 177°C/350°F and groundnut around 160°C/320°F. They are best for tempering, sautéing, poriyal and shallow to medium frying, where their aroma is part of the dish.

Why does coconut oil solidify?

Coconut oil naturally turns semi-solid or solid below about 24°C, which is common in cooler weather and air-conditioned kitchens. This is normal and is not a sign of spoilage. Stand the jar in warm water or in a warm spot and it returns to a clear liquid.

Wood-Pressed Coconut, Groundnut & Sesame Oils

Coconut oil

Coconut தேங்காய் எண்ணெய்

Pressed from solar-dried copra, our coconut oil stays unrefined, and that is the whole point. Where RBD (refined, bleached, deodorised) coconut oil is processed until it is nearly neutral, our oil keeps the soft, sweet aroma of fresh coconut. Because nothing is refined away, the oil keeps more of the seed's natural character, its colour, aroma and the minor constituents that pressing leaves behind.

How to use it: it is made for South-Indian cooking, sautéing, poriyal, tempering a hot pan of mustard seeds and curry leaves, or a final drizzle to finish a dish. Its smoke point is around 177°C / 350°F, lower than refined coconut oil (around 204°C), so keep it to gentle and medium heat rather than a hard, sustained fry.

Honest note: coconut oil solidifies below about 24°C, that is normal in cool weather, not spoilage. Warm the jar gently and it turns clear and liquid again. And when we say the oil “keeps more of the coconut”, we mean its natural colour, aroma and flavour, a description of how it is made, not a health claim.

Wood-pressed coconut oil beside fresh coconut halves

Groundnut kernels ready for pressing

A groundnut crop in the field

Groundnut oil

Groundnut / Peanut கடலை எண்ணெய்

Golden, nutty and full-flavoured, our groundnut oil is pressed from solar-dried groundnut. Because nothing is refined away, it keeps more of the seed's natural character, colour, aroma and the minor constituents that pressing leaves behind. It is the oil many South-Indian kitchens reach for by habit, and the aroma is unmistakable the moment it hits a hot pan.

How to use it: a workhorse for tadka, everyday sautéing and shallow to medium frying. Its smoke point is around 160°C / 320°F, so think shallow or medium frying, not sustained, high-heat deep frying, where an unrefined oil will smoke and turn bitter.

Peanut allergy warning: because it is unrefined, our groundnut oil retains peanut proteins and is not safe for people with a peanut allergy. If anyone you are cooking for may have a peanut allergy, please choose our coconut or sesame oil instead.

Sesame / Gingelly நல்லெண்ணெய்

In Tamil it is nallennai, literally “good oil”, and it earns the name. Our sesame oil has the deep, characteristic aroma of pressed sesame, and because nothing is refined away it keeps more of the seed's natural character. We press the light, raw, untoasted seed rather than the dark toasted style [Pon Vayal to confirm].

How to use it: it is the classic pickle oil that keeps an Indian oorugai glossy and well-kept, and it is just as at home in tempering, in podis, and in everyday cooking. Its smoke point is around 177°C / 350°F, so it suits tempering and medium-heat cooking.

Honest note: when we say the oil keeps more of the seed's natural character, we mean its colour, aroma and the minor constituents that survive an unrefined pressing. It is a description of how the oil is made, not a promise about health outcomes.

White sesame seeds

Sesame (gingelly) in flower

Honest smoke points

What each oil can take

Smoke points vary with batch, freshness and how an oil is stored, so treat these as practical guidance rather than exact figures. The pattern that matters: every cold-pressed, unrefined oil sits lower than its refined counterpart.

Oil	Cold-pressed smoke point	Note
Coconut தேங்காய்	≈ 177°C / 350°F	Sautéing, poriyal, tempering, finishing
Groundnut கடலை	≈ 160°C / 320°F	Tadka, sautéing, shallow to medium frying, not sustained high-heat deep frying
Sesame நல்லெண்ணெய்	≈ 177°C / 350°F	Pickles, tempering, podi, everyday cooking
All three are lower than refined oils, which are deodorised at high heat to raise their smoke points. We position our oils for tempering, sautéing and medium-heat cooking, not sustained high-heat frying.

Golden, freshly pressed oil beside sesame seeds

Golden, unrefined oil, just as the seed gives it

Looking after your oil

Storing unrefined oil

Unrefined oils keep their character because nothing has been stripped out, but that also means they oxidise faster than refined oils. A little care keeps them tasting fresh.

Keep the bottle away from light, heat and air, a cool, dark cupboard, lid firmly closed.
Use a clean, dry spoon or pour carefully; moisture and food bits shorten an oil's life.
Buy in sizes you will use within a reasonable time rather than storing a large bottle for months.
Once opened, keep the bottle capped and finish it within a few months; an unrefined oil is at its best fresh. Check the best-before date on the label.
A little natural sediment or cloudiness at the bottom of the bottle is normal for an unrefined oil, it has been settled and filtered, not polished clear.
Coconut oil may solidify in cool weather, that is normal, not spoilage. Warm the jar gently to bring it back to liquid.

Sizes & packaging: available in [sizes, Pon Vayal to confirm], bottled in [glass / PET, Pon Vayal to confirm].

The full routine: how to store cold-pressed oils

Good questions

Cold-pressed oils, answered honestly

No. A wooden chekku turns slowly, but the crushing itself creates some friction heat, so we describe our oils as slow, low-temperature pressed rather than heat-free. The honest contrast is with industrial refining, which uses high heat and chemical solvents, neither of which our oils ever meet.

We do not recommend our oils for sustained high-heat deep frying. Being unrefined, they have lower smoke points than refined oils, coconut and sesame around 177°C/350°F, groundnut around 160°C/320°F. They shine in tempering, sautéing, poriyal and shallow to medium frying, where their aroma becomes part of the dish.

Coconut oil naturally turns semi-solid or solid below about 24°C, which is common in cooler months and air-conditioned kitchens. It is completely normal and not a sign of spoilage. Stand the jar in warm water or in a warm spot and it returns to a clear liquid.

No. Our groundnut oil is unrefined, which means it retains peanut proteins, so it is not safe for people with a peanut allergy. If anyone cooking or eating may have a peanut allergy, please choose our coconut or sesame oil instead.

Refined commodity oils are usually solvent-extracted with hexane, then bleached and deodorised at high heat, which strips colour, aroma and flavour and raises the smoke point. Our oils are pressed mechanically in a wooden chekku and only settled and filtered: solvent-free and unrefined. They keep their natural colour, aroma and character, but have lower smoke points. There is more on this in our journal.

A slow wooden press leaves some oil behind in the cake, while industrial solvent extraction recovers roughly 97–99% of it, so every litre we press takes more seed. Add small, fresh batches and direct-from-farmer buying, and the honest answer is simple: lower yield, slower method, shorter supply chain. There is more on this in our journal.

An unrefined oil is at its best fresh, so once you open a bottle it is best finished within a few months. Keep it capped, cool and away from light, and check the best-before date printed on the label. Our full storage routine is in our journal.

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