What to use instead of olive oil
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Cooking fat in a hot pan
It moves heat from the metal into the food evenly and keeps proteins from welding to the pan. Extra-virgin starts to smoke around 190C.
Avocado oilRan out
1:1
Takes far more heat before it smokes and tastes of almost nothing, so anything you were relying on the oil for flavour-wise has to come from elsewhere.
Neutral seed oilRan out
1:1
Same job, no taste, cheaper. Food browns a shade lighter because there are no olive solids to colour it.
GheeRan out
1:1
Browns food faster and adds a dairy sweetness. It goes past golden to burnt in a few seconds if the pan is very hot.
Refined coconut oilPlant-based
1:1
Handles heat well and tastes neutral once refined. It sets solid on the plate, so serve hot.
What doesn't work: Butter alone over high heat. Milk solids blacken around 175C, so the pan smokes and the food tastes bitter before it has browned. Clarified butter or a half-and-half mix of butter and oil survives it.
Body and emulsion in a dressing, aioli or dip
Whisked into acid it breaks into droplets that stay suspended, which is what makes the dressing cling to a leaf instead of running off it. Its own pepper and bitterness are part of the flavour.
Avocado oilRan out
1:1
Emulsifies the same and tastes of nothing, so the dressing lands flat. Add 1/4 tsp Dijon and a pinch more salt to give it an edge.
Walnut or hazelnut oilRan out
Up to 1/4 of the total oil, the rest neutral
Strongly nutty and slightly sweet. It goes rancid within weeks of opening and turns bitter over heat, so keep it cold and raw.
TahiniPlant-based
2 tbsp tahini + 1 tbsp water per 3 tbsp oil
Seizes into a paste when the water first goes in and then loosens. Much thicker and paler, and the sesame takes the lead.
What doesn't work: Toasted sesame oil at the full quantity. It is a finishing oil dosed by the teaspoon, and a whole dressing of it tastes scorched and bitter.
Coating vegetables for roasting
The film of oil moves oven heat into the surface, dries it out and lets the sugars brown. It also stops the cut faces welding to the tray.
Neutral high-heat oilRan out
1:1
Browns cleaner at 220C and above with no acrid edge. The vegetables taste of themselves.
Duck fat or beef tallow, meltedRan out
1:1
Potatoes and roots crisp harder and hold the crunch longer. It congeals white on a cold plate.
Melted butter mixed with a spoon of oilRan out
2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil per 3 tbsp olive oil
Sweeter and browner, and the edges catch sooner. Keep the oven at 200C or below.
What doesn't work: Cooking spray. It lays down a fraction of the fat needed to conduct heat, so the vegetables sweat in their own steam, stick to the tray and come out pale.