Annadhara

Cold-pressed peanut oil, pressed below 40°C

Q: What is the difference between cold-pressed and refined peanut oil?

Cold-pressed oil is mechanically extracted at low temperature and then filtered, and that is the whole process. Refined oil is pressed hot, solvent-extracted with hexane, bleached and steam-deodorised. Refining produces more oil per tonne of groundnut and a longer shelf life, at the cost of the aroma, colour and much of the vitamin E.

Q: What is the smoke point of cold-pressed peanut oil?

Around 160°C, which suits everyday sautéing, tempering, shallow frying and curries. For sustained high-temperature deep frying a refined oil is the better tool.

Q: Why is there sediment at the bottom of the bottle?

Because it is gravity-filtered over several days rather than pressure-filtered in minutes. A small amount of fine sediment is expected in an unrefined oil and is not a sign of spoilage.

Q: Is cold-pressed peanut oil good for the heart?

Groundnut oil is predominantly monounsaturated fat and contains vitamin E, and cold pressing preserves more of that vitamin E than refining does. It is still an oil and still energy-dense — it is a better fat, not a health supplement, and total intake matters more than which oil you choose.

Q: Does it need to be refrigerated?

No. Keep it closed, away from direct light and heat, and use it within a couple of months of opening. It may cloud in cold weather, which reverses at room temperature.

Virgin groundnut oil made without solvents, bleaching or deodorising — so the aroma, the colour and the vitamin E survive the process.

See the range Common questions

<40°C
Peak press temperature: 160°C
Smoke point: 0
Solvents, bleach or deodorisers: Days
Gravity filtration, not minutes

Cold-pressed against refined, step by step

Refining exists to raise yield and shelf life. Every stage of it also removes something you were buying the oil for.

How commodity refining differs from cold pressing
Stage	Commodity refined oil	Annadhara
Pressing	Pressed hot, with the seed conditioned well above 100°C	Held below 40°C, accepting a lower yield
Extraction	Hexane solvent washes the last oil from the cake	Mechanical press only, no solvent contact
Bleaching	Clay filtration strips colour and carotenoids	None — the colour is the oil’s own
Deodorising	Steam-stripped to a neutral, odourless product	None — the aroma is the point
Filtration	Pressure-filtered in minutes	Gravity-settled over several days

What you can cook with it

The smoke point is around 160°C, which covers most everyday Indian cooking — sautéing, tempering, shallow frying, curries and dals.

It is not the right oil for sustained deep frying at high heat; a refined oil is genuinely better suited to that, and we would rather say so. Used raw it carries a distinct roasted-peanut aroma that works well in chutneys, dressings and drizzled over finished dishes.

Why it looks and smells different

Open a bottle of refined groundnut oil and it smells of almost nothing. That absence is manufactured — it is the result of bleaching and steam deodorising, and it is what most people now assume groundnut oil smells like.

Unrefined oil is deeper in colour, fuller in body, and smells of the nut it came from. A faint sediment at the bottom of the bottle is normal in a gravity-filtered oil and is not a defect.

Storing it

Unrefined oil is more sensitive to light and heat than refined oil precisely because its natural compounds are intact. Keep the bottle closed, in a cupboard rather than beside the hob, and use it within a couple of months of opening.

Cloudiness in cold weather is normal and reverses at room temperature.

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Cold Pressed

Fit Muscles™ Cold Pressed Oil

250ml

Peanut Oil

₹249

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Questions

What people ask about this

Cold-pressed oil is mechanically extracted at low temperature and then filtered, and that is the whole process. Refined oil is pressed hot, solvent-extracted with hexane, bleached and steam-deodorised. Refining produces more oil per tonne of groundnut and a longer shelf life, at the cost of the aroma, colour and much of the vitamin E.

Around 160°C, which suits everyday sautéing, tempering, shallow frying and curries. For sustained high-temperature deep frying a refined oil is the better tool.

Because it is gravity-filtered over several days rather than pressure-filtered in minutes. A small amount of fine sediment is expected in an unrefined oil and is not a sign of spoilage.

Groundnut oil is predominantly monounsaturated fat and contains vitamin E, and cold pressing preserves more of that vitamin E than refining does. It is still an oil and still energy-dense — it is a better fat, not a health supplement, and total intake matters more than which oil you choose.

No. Keep it closed, away from direct light and heat, and use it within a couple of months of opening. It may cloud in cold weather, which reverses at room temperature.

Cold-pressed peanut oil, pressed below 40°C

Cold-pressed against refined, step by step

What you can cook with it

Why it looks and smells different

Storing it

Everything in this category

Peanut Oil

What people ask about this

What is the difference between cold-pressed and refined peanut oil?

What is the smoke point of cold-pressed peanut oil?

Why is there sediment at the bottom of the bottle?

Is cold-pressed peanut oil good for the heart?

Does it need to be refrigerated?

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