I Find Olive Oil Tasteless...But Are There Healthy Alternatives To Butter?

You might be able to substitute butter for olive oil in some recipes. Although I am not sure as I can't stand the taste of butter, it makes me gag, I don't even have it on sandwiches. I have nightmares about someone stuffing a block of butter in my mouth and making me eat it lol. In saying that I don't use much oils wither when cooking unless it requires it. I always measure by eye and instinct but when I have to, I use the measuring spoons when I need to be a bit more precise and they never let me down. No need for scales or other gadgets at all Janey

Have you tried using coconut oil? We use it for a lot of things in our home, but not cooking, mainly in raw dishes. When we cook, we use nothing or very good quality organic olive oil. We also use that as a salad dressing from time to time as well. I do know of people who use coconut oil in cooking though but I guess it would not really suit every type of dish.

I have to say I really enjoy the taste of olive oil, so I am not the best person to ask. Just a side note, not all olive oil tastes the same, depending on where it is grown and how it is made it will have a very mild to very strong flavour(cold press) - which some people do not like. All fats are generally interchangeable as long as people like them, though alternatives like olive oil and peanut oil reduces cholesterol, peanut oil is expensive where I live. There is always margarine/spread, the war between the benefits vs the dangers of margarine are still out. What is mentioned is that in theory margarine made purely from vegetable oils contains no cholesterol so it should be healthier, the use of trans fats and hydrogenated oils have been shown in some studies to eliminate these benefits by increasing rather then reducing cholesterol. So if you like margarine/spreads and find one without trans fats or hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils it could be a healthier alternative. The thing is the discussion on how unhealthy butter is vs it's alternatives is still being discussed. As for the measurements, http://www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml may help. Well hope that you continue to enjoy cooking and having fun.

My sister told me to use Safflower oil, it's different from Olive Oil, and good for cholesterol !

I love to cook but don´t have so many problems. I use butter only for some recipes (like frying mushrooms), but for the most part I use sunflower oil as it is harmless when fried. I never use only olive oil for cooking but mix it with sunflower oil. I only use heated olive oil mixed with dry oregano to give it a taste to home made crouteons which I roast later in the oven. I have somewhere in the kitchen some measuring spoons (the least expensive), but for decades I have used normal spoons and in some instances my hands to rub in the right amount of salt or whatever needed. I love to discover that as I learnt to cook without a recipe book at hand, many dishes were becoming better tasting as they were always a bit different. I NEVER weight. Check somewhere in the web the amount in cups (normal) and spoons. My weight scale (a wedding present) is at the garage.

It seems to be that your best option would be to use the combination of olive oil and butter that many use. It keeps the butter from burning and the olive oil is "heart healthy", so you keep those benefits and the flavor of the butter. There are also olive oil "blends" you might want to try; some find them somewhat lighter (e.g with vegetable oil or canola oil), or extra virgin olive oil. I prefer the butter/olive oil combination myself.

a reasonable set of measuring spoons doesn't cost much and well worth it, just as a good set of measuring cups are also good... and the better the olive oil, the better the taste, but the idea is to not have a heavy olive flavor, that's why all those other oils are used, because they don't have an olive flavor... and no, olive oil has good fats, while butter (while tasting better) doesn't have those good fats - granted all fats have the same number of calories, but... there are some things that you can't replace butter for, but for your health, you should at least try to improve your healthy fat intake... but a teaspoon of butter on your baked potato is better than a teaspoon of any other oil... just because you aren't eating a deep fat fried potato that way... just saying...

Poundland for the measuring spoons nd other kitchen paraphenalia, you have one in Carlisle in Scotch St. I didn't used to like olive oil but I gradually acquired the taste to the point where I can drink it neat - but NOT in large quantities. In fact there is nothing wrong with butter provided that you don't abuse it by eating far too much. Generally if a recipe calls for olive oil then that's the best thing to use, but why not experiment - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Janey....You can get a cheap set of measuring spoons at any WalMart. Some of the little grocery stores will have them. I suggest that you do invest in a set as well as a set of measuring cups. If you're going to be cooking via recipes from now on you will need them. You can't use the tableware for measuring (tsp, tbsp or cups). I use olive oil and butter. I think the olive oil enhances the taste of some foods. The butter, I use more in baking. Olive oil for the saute and stir-fry and vegetables. I think you need to stick with the original recipe content the first time you make something then you will know where to try for substitutes. But, yes, you can use the butter as substitute. Other oils can be substituted as well. You will have to decide where your preferred tastes lie.

Oh, olive oil is tricky! A lot of what's being sold as "olive oil" is actually a blended oil, or it's pressed so far beyond belief that it tastes like nothing but oily water. For flavor, you have to go after a good bottle of extra virgin olive oil. It used to be that Italian brands put the best stuff in most supermarkets. But these days, companies are throwing a vowel on the end of their olive oil just so they can pass off that cheap crap. I'm not sure which brands the UK carries, but Pompeian extra virgin is my favorite. It's really fruity, thick, and it adds a bunch of flavor. But if you really do want to get away from olive oil but still need an oil substitute, nut oils are quite healthy. Peanut oil is probably the most affordable of the bunch. As for measuring - only bakers need to measure. For everything else you can just eye it.

I do like olive oil and find it to be tasty. lol How about using Grapeseed Oil, Truffle Oil, or Canola Oil. Just something else to consider? I remember being down South and not a single measuring spoon/cup, so yes improvising helps and I remember asking one of the ladies there and was told to use a saved cleaned out yogurt cups. I could not off hand remember them all but checked on line and found that "one of the 4 oz. size for a 1/2 cup measuring cup, a 6 oz. yogurt cup for a 3/4 cup measuring cup and an 8 oz. yogurt cup for a 1 cup measure." Worked out well for me.

We have never used olive oil, sunflower oil and butter.usually we use salad oil,lard,rape oil and sesame oil,occasionally tea-seed oil(squeezed out of seed of oil-tea camellia) .I know that olive oil is rich in Unsaturated fatty acids ,V E,etc.which has health effects on the cardiovascular.

I think you can substitute olive oil for butter, at least in most of the recipes. I always use the olive oil to finalize my dishes. Well, but I really like it. And is so much better for your health than butter! I don't know if you ever tried flavored oils, but that can be an easy way to make the olive oil more tasteful. You can infuse the oil with garlic, herbs, ground spices..

I guess you could just cut out any type of oil. What I do is when I cook eggs or have to fry anything I don't use anything. Sure it means a bit of the food will stick to the pan but it's nothing my dishwasher can't handle.

For me yes olive oil is very good so be take it weekly.