Eight oils is the whole range. We get asked often enough which one to buy that it is worth setting down plainly: what each oil is for, what it looks and tastes like, and which ones you almost certainly do not need. None of them is the best oil. They are different tools.
All eight are pressed the same way. Seed bought direct from Karnataka farmers, crushed mechanically in a slow-turning press that keeps the oil below about 50°C, settled by gravity, filtered simply, bottled. No hexane, no bleaching, no deodorising, no preservatives, no blending. Our process page has the step-by-step.
The four everyday cooking oils
Groundnut oil (kadalekai enne) is the default South Karnataka kitchen oil and the one most households should start with. Mild enough that it does not take over a dish, stable enough to deep fry in, and the cheapest litre we sell. If you are swapping out a refined oil one-for-one and want the least disruption to how your food tastes, buy this one.
Sesame oil (ellenne, or gingelly) takes the opposite approach. Dark brown-gold, strongly aromatic, used by the spoon rather than the ladle. Right for ogarane, saaru, pickles, chutney podi and shallow frying, and the traditional oil for an oil bath. It is not the oil for a dish you want to stay mild.
Coconut oil (kobbari enne) belongs to coastal and Malnad cooking. It sets solid below roughly 24°C, which alarms first-time buyers and is simply what coconut oil does. It is heat stable, so it fries well, and it carries coconut flavour into whatever you cook — which is either the point or a problem, depending on the dish.
Sunflower oil (suryakanti enne) is the lightest-tasting oil we press. Useful when you want cold pressed oil but honestly do not want to taste it: baking, mild curries, and cooking for people who find groundnut and sesame too assertive.
The two North Karnataka oils
Niger oil (huchchellu enne) and safflower oil (kusube enne) are regional staples the national brands have largely abandoned. Niger goes with jolada rotti, ennegayi and dry podis. Kusube enne is the quieter everyday oil across much of North Karnataka. Both cost more per litre than groundnut, because less oil comes out of each kilogram of seed and there is far less seed about.
If you did not grow up with them, you probably do not need them. If you did, you already know that nothing substitutes. We have written separately on why we keep pressing niger oil and on how North Karnataka cooks with kusube enne.
The two oils you do not cook with
Castor oil (haralenne) is thick, sticky and not a cooking oil at all. It is used in hair and skin care, and usually diluted with coconut or sesame oil, because neat castor oil is hard work to wash out.
Deepam oil (deepada enne) is for pooja lamps, not for food. It burns with a steady flame and carries no preservatives and no added fragrance. It comes in 500 ml, 1 L and 5 L — there is no 15 L tin, because no household needs one.
Sizes, and the honest advice about them
Every cooking oil comes in 500 ml, 1 L, 5 L (plastic jar or stainless steel can) and a 15 L tin. One thing worth saying out loud: the per-litre rate on the 15 L tin is the same as on the 5 L. The tin saves you deliveries, not money.
And buy less than you think you need. Unrefined oil is perishable, and that is the direct consequence of leaving the vitamin E, the antioxidants and the smell in it. We press in small batches and ask you to finish a bottle within three to six months of opening. A 15 L tin makes sense for a joint family or a small kitchen business. For two people it is a slow way to watch oil go stale. We explain the three-to-six-month rule here.
What is the same across all eight
- FSSAI licence 1122632300006, printed on every bottle and verifiable on the FSSAI FoSCoS portal.
- Rated 4.65 out of 5 across more than 8,600 customer reviews of the range.
- Packed in 2–3 business days. Free delivery takes 7–14 days; standard shipping is ₹49 and takes 3–7 days; express is ₹99 and takes 1–3 days.
- All orders are prepaid, paid online at checkout.
- Delivered to every district in Karnataka and shipped across India — including Shivamogga and Hubballi-Dharwad.
Questions we get asked
If I am only going to buy one bottle, which should it be?
Groundnut oil, in 1 L. It is the most versatile of the eight, the least expensive, and the one least likely to change how your regular cooking tastes.
Why is niger oil nearly twice the price of groundnut?
Niger seed yields less oil per kilogram and is grown in far smaller quantities. The price reflects the seed, not the pressing.
Can I use one oil for everything?
Yes, and plenty of households do — groundnut or sunflower will cover almost all daily cooking. The regional oils are about flavour and habit, not necessity.
Is wood pressed the same as cold pressed?
In practice the terms overlap, and the marketing has muddied them. We have written out the difference, along with how a wooden gaana actually works.