India, Oct. 6 -- Atta, oil, ghee, salt. These are staples that no one really considers twice before buying. Yet a growing crop of brands is asking Indian households to reconsider what they are buying, and many are going back to the roots to do that.

The pitch for these staples brands rests on familiar products made differently, such as freshly milled flour, cold-pressed oil or ghee made using traditional methods. For the buyer, the question is straightforward. Does that difference justify a higher grocery bill or is shopping in the regular aisle still the way to go?

Pretty much everything earns a place in the modern kitchen because of taste, health quotient or a trusted source. A household may experiment with one brand for a month, but ...