Cold pressed oils are the oils in which seeds are 'pressed' to extract oil without the use of external heat or chemicals. The seeds are pressed between 35° C to 47°C to extract oil which ensures the nutrients, flavour and aroma of the oils is maintained. The oils are then allowed to sit for a day or two and then filtered to remove sediments and starch. After this, they are ready to be used and bottled. There are no commercial treatmenst like refining, bleaching or deodorising the oils to cold pressed oils and they are the purest forms of oils obtained from seeds.

Cold pressed oils do not change or alter the appearance, flavour, aroma or nutrients of the oil making them the healthiest choice for cooking or personal care. At Local Sparrow, we use only organically grown, heirloom seeds to make our oils. Also, we make oils in small batches to retain freshness and flavour profile.

Refined oils are extracted at high temperatures by grinding the seeds and uses steps like bleaching, deodorising to alter the color and aroma of oils. The high temperatures and additional processes lead to loss of flavour, nutrients and the natural aroma of the seeds. The oils are further hyrogenated to increase their shelf life. Hydrogenation process creates transfats which are known to increase blood cholestol levels and increase risk of heart diseases.

Cold pressed oils are extracted at minimal temperatures without the use of any external heat or solvents. They do not undergo any additional process apart from simple sieve filtering. Hence, their color, texture, flavour and aroma is not altered. Cold pressed oils also retain all the natural nutrients and wholesomeness of the seed and nut are delicious!

Refined oils are colorless, odorles and almost tasteless liquids which undergo multiple treatments like high temperatures, bleaching, deodorsing, hydogenation etc. They also contain transfats which are not suitable for our heart health.

On the other hand, cold pressed oils retain all healthy nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and heart healthy fats, They have an excellent ration of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids and long term usage is known to improve heart health. So, now that you are ready to make that switch to healthy cold pressed oils, we have range of oils to suit your taste buds and palate. You can check out the cold pressed oils available at https://www.localsparrow.com/collections/oils

The yield of oils from seeds using the cold pressed method is between 35% to 50% whereas, by hydrogenating and using various methods to increase yield, the refined oils have a higher yield. For cold pressed oils, its is extremely important to use good quality seeds and nuts since the oils retain flavour and aroma of the seeds and nuts. There are no additives added in cold pressed oils to mirror the seed oil. What you get is 100% oil directly from the seed or nut. There are no treatments given to increase shelf life of the product. At Local Sparrow, we take utmost effort to ensure good quality, orgaically grown nuts and seeds are used to make the cold pressed oil. We also extract the oil in small batches to retain freshness, aroma and flavour. We believe that such attention to all aspects of flavour and good health are an investement and step towards self care and great for the entire family.

The cold pressing 'machine' or expeller or chekku or ghani was typically a stone base with a wooden pestle. The core idea of cold pressed oil is to extract oil at low temperatures. In earlier days, wooden pestles allowed for temperature control. However, in recent times, more materials like steel or stone or even iron are used to make the pestle and the temperatures are kept within limits to extract the oil. This means that irrespective of the type of expeller pestle, the temperature is of most importance in this process. Secondly, the kinds of seeds and nuts used, matter. So a good cold pressed oil is the one extracted at a desired temperature and with the best quality of seeds and nuts. At Local Sparrow, we use only organically grown, heirloom seeds and nuts to make our healthy cold pressed oils.

At Local Sparrow, we bottle our cold pressed oils into glass jars. We have 1 litre and 500 ml variants available. Glass jars are the perfect choice for cold pressed oils because unlike plastic, they do not leech particles into the oil. We continously strive to keep our packaging sustainable for the environment and our health.