Along with all the organic produce, ancient grains, and now the cold-pressed oils, people are falling back upon the early modes of cooking and food consumption. Take this cold-pressed oil for instance. A traditional practice that started somewhat during the Indus valley civilization of crushing the oil-bearing seeds to extract oil, people are swearing by it in recent times for the n-number of benefits that tag along with it. How are they different from regular edible oils? Diet and nutrition consultant Nidhi Shukla Pandey lists how cold-pressed oils are different from the regular oils. “To begin with, the process to extract regular oils includes high temperatures and they are treated with chemicals that degrade its flavour, taste and nutritional composition to reduce the production cost, and eventually the selling price. On the contrary, the cold-pressed oil extraction does not involve anything except the press, wood or metal and the nutritional properties are retained. “The shelf life of these oils is also less as compared to regular cooking oils, as they are unfiltered and minimally treated,” adds Pandey. However, she suggests not to go for cold-pressed olive oil. “As compared to the mustard, coconut or groundnut oils, olive oil is not local, it’s expensive and it is not that rich nutritionally. One can use it as a salad dressing or for garnishing soups, making pesto and so on,” she says. But is it just a social media gimmick? As experts would say, these oils are rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin K, vitamin C and other healthy fats. “I would not say a craze, but there has been a sudden awareness of cold -pressed oils, since they are considered safe and healthy for patients with chronic diseases,” says Dr Neha Mahajan. “These oils are considered healthy for patients suffering from cardiovascular concerns and they even protect the heart by reducing bad cholesterol and blood pressure levels,” adds Mahajan. “With the easy availability of refined oils that are cheap, the production of cold-pressed oils had lowered. Now, people are not only getting to know about various things on social media, but they are becoming aware of what they are consuming. We even get DMs from people after their doctors have suggested they switch to cold-pressed edible oils,” says Sairaj veer, founder of a company producing cold-pressed edible oils, based out of Nashik. Not just for health benefits, but the taste is a factor too Alipta Jena, a journalist and writer, was intrigued by the use of cold-pressed olive oil which she came across on various cookery channels and Instagram accounts. “I began using it a few years ago after reading its various benefits, both for taste and health! I particularly like using it in pasta and for drizzling over salads. It's really good in various Mediterranean dips too!” For company secretary Soumita Ray, it was her osteoarthritis and declining bone health that made her switch recently. “One of my friends who studies Ayurveda suggested that I use this oil for my daily cooking. The food tastes indeed better, and I am hoping to see the results soon.” Things to keep in mind when using cold-pressed oils Some of the oils one can use are mustard oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, olive oil, flaxseed oil, groundnut oil and so on. They have a low-smoke point. As one heats the oil more, the unsaturated fats (which are otherwise healthy) will break down and aren’t good for consumption. One can use mustard, groundnut or coconut oils for cooking, olive, sesame to be drizzled atop soups, salads or curries. One needs to use very little cold-pressed oil. These are more flavourful and it would also reduce your oil consumption. Should be stored in steel containers only, away from sunlight, as this would keep the antioxidants intact.