Replacing butter with olive oil
This is more of a food preparation/health question since it's after the food has been cooked. Recently I've been substituting butter with olive oil. For example, baked potatoes, instead of butter and sour cream, I use olive oil. I've also added olive oil to noodles and in place of gravy in a few meals and also in place of teriyaki sauce in rice bowls.
In most cases the flavor is enhanced. With the potatoes, you taste a bit much of the olive oil but it's still good.
Is it ok to continue doing this? I'm assuming that it's going to be better than butter and other "dressings" such as gravy.
If this is a safe practice, I would like to get my family more into it, but I doubt they will enjoy the natural flavor of olive oil. I've been adding different flavors of Ms Dash seasonings (no salt) which give it nice hints of this and that depending on the type. What else can I do to enhance the flavor so they will enjoy it?
Best Answer
It's certainly safe. Butter, Oil, whatever, it's more about taste than anything else. Some people even push lard and butter as the "safe" options, because they require less processing than oil, and much less than margarine.
One thing which you should be aware of in regards to butter vs oil: butter has a significant amount of water in it, so you shouldn't substitute 1-to-1, or you will have a stronger flavour (and more fat) than perhaps you want.
If you're accustomed to salted butter, adding some salt will help ease the transition. If the flavour of olive oil is off-putting, there are plenty of more neutral flavoured oils that have a similar fat composition, or you can simply avoid extra virgin olive oil*.
*extra virgin olive oil in the U.S is largely a scam. In most of the world (countries that adhere to the IOC standard) this signifies "First Cold Press" olive oil. In the US it signifies "lamp grade olive oil with green food coloring". There are no restrictions on the use of terms like "extra virgin" in the US, so you can't guarantee that's what you're really getting just because it's on the label.
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Quick Answer about "Replacing butter with olive oil"
As a general rule of thumb, substitute three-quarters of the butter in a recipe with olive oil. In other words: If a baking recipe calls for a stick of butter (8 tablespoons), for example, use 6 tablespoons of olive oil.Is olive oil healthier than butter?
In a nutshell, butter is much higher in saturated fats than olive oil, made of 63% saturated fat as compared to approximately 14% for olive oil. As olive oil is also high in vitamins E and K, beneficial fatty acids, and antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, olive oil is considered to be healthier than butter.How do I convert olive oil to butter for baking?
Butter/EVOO conversion\u2026 Use this chart to convert the quantity of butter called for in a recipe to the required quantity of olive oil....Butter to Olive Oil Conversion Guidelines.ButterOlive Oil2 teaspoons1-1/2 teaspoons1 tablespoon2-1/4 teaspoons2 tablespoons1-1/2 tablespoons1/4 cup3 tablespoons4 more rowsCan I replace butter with extra virgin olive oil?
Extra virgin olive oil can easily be substituted for butter in several recipes, in everything from breads to cookies to brownies to pies. But using extra virgin olive oil in a recipe that calls for butter isn't quite an equal comparison. When a recipe calls for butter, you'll want to use \xbe of that amount.What happens if you use oil instead of butter?
The texture of cakes made with oil is\u2014in general\u2014superior to the texture of cakes made with butter. Oil cakes tend to bake up loftier with a more even crumb and stay moist and tender far longer than cakes made with butter.Replace butter with olive oil in your dessert recipes
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Answer 2
I too am unclear what 'safe' is supposed to mean here so I'll just address one of your questions. Replacing butter with olive oil in gravy will affect the consistency of the sauce as the milk solids in butter act as emulsifiers (as well, it will thicken as it cools on the plate). Also, given how different types of olive oil can have vastly different flavours even though they're made from the same thing means you have to take this into consideration: a sharp peppery oil may have an edge of bitterness that could ruin the sauce you are making. Using olive oil as the primary cooking oil when you begin sauteeing things at the start of a recipe generally won't make much of a difference but when it comes to finishing sauces etc then I would think carefully before making substitutions. The primary consideration I make when choosing to add or change something in a dish is whether it will make it taste better or not.
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