Can you use Olive Oil instead of regular oil?

dwiebe85
dwiebe85 Posts: 123
in Food and Nutrition
In cooking and baking recipes or popping popcorn, can I just use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

Replies

  • awilmeri
    awilmeri Posts: 218 Member
    I believe olive oil burns at a lower temperature than some other oils so it's not always a Good replacement. Pretty sure if you baked sweets with it it would ruin the taste.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
    For almost anything, yes. For a few really mild dishes you might notice a flavor difference, but it won't necessarily be a bad difference even then, and it's almost certainly nothing you'd notice if you're cooking at high heat. You can even substitute olive oil for butter in a lot of cases.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
    I believe olive oil burns at a lower temperature than some other oils so it's not always a Good replacement. Pretty sure if you baked sweets with it it would ruin the taste.

    Yeah, good point... Wikipedia has a list by oil type: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
    I believe olive oil burns at a lower temperature than some other oils so it's not always a Good replacement. Pretty sure if you baked sweets with it it would ruin the taste.

    I would think ^^ this ^^

    I cn't imagine baked goods being good with it.
    But I use it to sautee... or I make my own ghee to use.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
    I cn't imagine baked goods being good with it.

    I think it really depends on what you're baking... The "lighter" the dish, the more you might notice it, but I often use olive oil in place of other oils, even in baking, and I've never had a complaint. :)
  • dwiebe85
    dwiebe85 Posts: 123
    Well I've been using it a lot instead of other oils and it tastes fine, but I thought I'd heard that it was bad to heat olive oil at high temps cuz it turned into something bad?
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    I use olive oil for most things, and I've started making vinaigrette with flax oil, since I don't eat fish.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
    Well I've been using it a lot instead of other oils and it tastes fine, but I thought I'd heard that it was bad to heat olive oil at high temps cuz it turned into something bad?

    I think you basically need to worry about the smoke point... Depending on the olive oil, the smoke point may be lower than other oils. I believe extra virgin generally has the lowest smoke point of the different "types" of olive oil.

    So, if you're frying eggs or popping corn at high temps, you could run into issues.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Well I've been using it a lot instead of other oils and it tastes fine, but I thought I'd heard that it was bad to heat olive oil at high temps cuz it turned into something bad?

    All oils oxidize at higher temperatures including olive oil. this is why a lot of fried foods in your diet can be unhealthy in addition to the high caloreis. You want to be concerned about smoke point as others have mentioned. Also, some have mentioned that it would not taste good in baked goods but surprisingly, that is not the case. There is a whole cake cuisine in Italy utilizing olive oil in orange cakes, lemon cakes, almond cakes etc. They are all fabulous. FTR, I am a professional chef.

    Extra Virgin Olive Oil is probably the one that you would not want to bring to high heat the most. Regular or refined olive oil has been filtered and can withstand higher temperatures. I use it for popcorn but not for eggs as I like eggs cooked in butter for flavor. Butter is not an unhealthy fat in moderation. Plus EVOO is too good tasting raw and too expensive to use for most cooking, although it is what you use for the cakes referenced above. I also like it on the popcorn instead of butter sometimes!
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    coconut oil is the bomb for cooking popcorn. It's full of healthy, helpful fats too.
  • soulfulsally
    soulfulsally Posts: 326
    Not sure about using olive oil for baking needs, but I received an air popper years ago as a gift and it makes good popcorn. I highly recommend it!
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
    I use olive oil for most of my cooking, but it does have an olivey fragrance and taste so I would NEVER put it in a baked good. As much as I looooove olive oil, I think that would be pretty gross.
  • lady_jessi
    lady_jessi Posts: 77 Member
    Light olive oil will (as someone already said) will have a higher smoke point than EVOO, and it will also be very mild tasting making it stand out less in baked goods. I bake stuff with coconut oil, olive oil, and butter just depending on my what I feel like using at the moment and I haven't had any problems really. Though I will say that you pretty much always want to use butter when making cookies.
  • jeanniewes
    jeanniewes Posts: 3,855 Member
    I use several different options. When a baking recipe calls for Oil I use 1/2 of the oil. IF I think I NEED too use the whole amount it calls for? THEN I use 1/2 regular oil and 1/2 Olive oil. ALSO there is actually an Oil you can by that is canola and olive oil mixed. It is by 'Wesson'... There is another option IF you're baking CAKES. Use 1/2 Oil and a 4 oz cup of Applesauce. I have great luck in all these areas. Never tried it in anything but cakes, muffins etc. Hope this is somewhat helpful...
  • painauxraisin
    painauxraisin Posts: 299 Member
    I use olive oil for most things, and I've started making vinaigrette with flax oil, since I don't eat fish.


    Pardon?
  • dwiebe85
    dwiebe85 Posts: 123
    smoke point as in when it burns?
  • MzStarrQueenB
    MzStarrQueenB Posts: 194 Member
    When baking cupcakes I used apple sauce



    If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.....



    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8987-serious-diet-support-group
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Olive oil is best at lower temperatures. Grapeseed oil and peanut oil are better for anything over medium heat.
  • denisemroth
    denisemroth Posts: 36 Member
    I use olive oil in everything. Cooking, baking, salads, etc. and have never had a problem!
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    Olive oil for cooking (and popcorn), and Coconut oil for baking (although it's got the coconut aroma, so sometimes I use butter instead.
  • seaKind
    seaKind Posts: 136
    did I read/hear somewhere about olive oil becoming toxic when heated to a certain temp? can anyone chime in on this crazy claim?

    I often use coconut oil in lieu of veg oil - for its outstanding health benefits.
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
    I've used olive oil in several recipes. It depends on the recipe. In a pumpkin cake/bread, olive oil (I used a fruity Colavita) works great. Same for almost any spiced/holiday recipe. I wouldn't use it in anything with a very delicate flavor but it mixes well with the richer, deeper flavors of fall and winter.
    For most cookies I use unrefined virgin coconut oil. It gives just the slightest hint of coconut. It's also cheaper than the uber-expensive olive oil I like.
  • rextcat
    rextcat Posts: 1,408 Member
    yes yes you can
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
    Olive oil has a low smoke point but if you are sauteing, and not frying, it doesn't matter. If you get pure olive oil vs. extra virgin the flavor is not very strong. I think the average person wouldn't be able to taste the difference between regular olive oil and vegetable oil in a baked good. Most people's palates are not that refined.

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