Cold Pressed Oils - Chekku Ennai

Cold-pressing is the traditional method of extracting oil from seeds/fruits. Cold pressed especially uses WOODEN EXTRACTOR which was used by our fore fathers, and not extracted industrially by heating methods. The raw material (sesame/ peanut/ coconut/ sunflower seeds) is typically ground into a paste, and this is pressed with a heavy stone mill, turned by bullocks, until it expels the oil. This first-pressed oil, is sold unrefined, and without any additives.

NUTRIENTS INTACT

“Cold-pressed oils have all their nutrients intact, retaining the natural properties of the oil-seeds, unlike refined oil,” says Chandra Padmanabhan, cookbook writer. Nimmi Ittycheria John, nutritionist and diet consultant, says “refining degrades nutritional value, and more significantly, introduces harmful trans fats in an attempt to improve shelf life for commercial reasons”.

But, refined oils, produced on a large scale (the output for a commercial oil mill runs into tonnes, as opposed to a small chekku, whose daily output can be gathered in two tins!) and backed by vigorous media campaigns, had almost done away with traditionally extracted oils. Except, now, as with all things organic and natural, it’s increasingly becoming popular in urban homes.

“There is a lot of awareness now, on cold-pressed oils. I have customers coming from Vellore, to buy it. The supply though is limited; because, in a day, we can only extract two tins of oil from our chekku” says M. N. Rajendran, owner, Annai Organic Foods. The low yield is because the oilseeds are not heated to increase the yield, and the oil that is expelled is cold and pure. Insisting on the importance of cold oils, Rajendran says that the oil extracted by large-scale mechanical presses comes out warm. “But cooking oil isn’t supposed to be pre-heated, isn’t it,” he asks.

“We Indians sadly only woke up to our age-old methods of oil extraction when the olive oil lobby began trumpeting terms such as ‘cold-pressed’ and ‘extra virgin,’” says Nimmi. Besides, sesame oil is in no way inferior to olive oil, says Chandra. “Both are mono-unsaturated oils, and cold-pressed sesame oil has similar health benefits. So there’s no pressing need to substitute imported olive oil in our recipes and compromise on the taste of South Indian food,” she reasons. “Cold-pressed sesame oil smells and tastes especially good,” says Rajendran. “When commercially manufactured, molasses is added to the oil, to mask its natural bitterness; but in a chekku, we add palm sugar or jaggery, which heightens its flavour.” And oil from a chekku keeps for a year, says Rajendran, as long as it’s stored in clay utensils.

ANCIENT WISDOM

Understanding the importance of including more than one variety of cold-pressed oil in the diet, South Indian menus have always incorporated three — groundnut oil (with its high heating point) for frying, coconut oil for dressing, and sesame oil for curries and gravies. “All the three have their own benefits,” says Nimmi. “As much as coconut oil has received bad press being high in saturated fatty acids, which are considered potential artery cloggers, ironically it has medium chain fatty acids that are seen as heart protectors. However, to err on the side of caution, I'd advocate using these different oils (in moderation) like they were traditionally used in different dishes to get the benefit of each oil, especially in combination with other ingredients. For example, in a Kerala fish curry, the combination of kokum, fenugreek, Kashmiri chilli and oily fish might just complement a spoon of cold-pressed coconut oil drizzled on top while serving. These areas are greatly under-researched,” she says. But whichever oil you use, use it sparingly, warns Chandra. “One gram of oil has 9 calories; 1 teaspoon, therefore, has 45 calories, the equivalent of half a chapatti. Remember, the unburned calories will sit around as fat!”

Cold Pressed Sesame Oil: 

Sesame oil, also known as gingelly or til oil, is obtained from sesame seeds. It plays a prominent role in Asian cuisine and also alternative medicine. Oil is expressed from sesame seeds either by simply crushing or toasting over heat. The first method provides cold-pressed sesame oil. While cold-pressed sesame oil is pale yellow, hot-processed sesame oils have darker shades and markedly different flavor. Apart from the mild, nutty flavor of cold-pressed sesame oil, it contains a higher proportion of fatty acids than sesame oil obtained from heated seeds. In addition, the sesamolin content of cold-pressed sesame oil protects it from oxidation and, therefore, increases its shelf-life.

Nutrients

Cold-pressed sesame oil is a good source of vitamin E, containing 11.8 mg of the vitamin for every 100 g of the oil. Vitamin E gives sesame oil its antioxidant property. It also has a high concentration of fatty acids, including polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids and monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acids. Other constituents of cold-pressed sesame oil include zinc, copper, magnesium, calcium and iron as well as vitamin B-6. Zinc contributes to healthy bones; copper is good for the management of rheumatoid arthritis; calcium is essential for the prevention of osteoporosis, migraine and colon cancer; and magnesium contributes to respiratory health.

Cardiovascular Benefits

The high concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cold-pressed sesame oil makes it useful in the control of hypertension. These fatty acids are not the only constituents of the oil helpful in reducing blood pressure. One of the natural preservatives present in the cold-pressed sesame oil, sesamin, is a lignan shown to lower blood pressure. Furthermore, sesamin inhibits the production and absorption of cholesterol and, therefore, contributes to overall cardiac health.

Cold-pressed sesame oil is known in Ayurvedic practice as the healing oil. When applied topically to the skin or hair, its antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties provide protective, nourishing and detoxifying effects on stressed and damaged skin.