Know Your Oil: A Guide to Traditional Cold-Pressed Oils

Cold-pressed does not mean interchangeable. Mustard, sesame and flaxseed oil are all traditionally pressed with no added heat, but each plays a genuinely different role once it reaches the kitchen.

What to know before buying

Mustard oil, black or yellow, is a real cooking oil, pungent and traditional to North and East Indian cuisine.
Sesame oil, raw or roasted pressed, spans both cooking and finishing, more central to South Indian cooking.
Flaxseed oil is strictly a raw finishing oil, never heated, added in small amounts once cooking is done.
All three benefit from cool, dark storage, though flaxseed oil specifically needs refrigeration after opening.
A well rounded oil shelf covers at least one genuine cooking oil and, optionally, a finishing oil like flaxseed.
Checking each product's certification and pressing method before buying helps set the right expectations.

Picked this week

All three oils

Sajerah Farm I · Sajerah

Yellow Mustard Oil

$2.75 · 1 KG

Najirpur Farm I · Najirpur

Sesame Oil

$3.32 · 1 KG

Khutmili Farm I · Khutmili

Linseed/Flax Seed Oil

$2.85 · 1 KG

Our standards

Know your oil questions

Which oil is essential to have on hand?: A genuine cooking oil, mustard or sesame, is the essential starting point. Flaxseed is a smaller, optional addition.
Is cold-pressed always the right choice over refined?: It depends on the dish, cold-pressed carries more flavour, refined offers a milder, more neutral result.
Do all three oils need the same storage?: No, flaxseed oil needs more careful, refrigerated storage than mustard or sesame oil generally require.
Can flaxseed oil replace a cooking oil in my kitchen?: No, it should never be heated, so it cannot serve as a primary cooking oil.

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