Does Olive Oil Taste Good?

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 09:54 pm

Olive oil is used to cook with, enhancing the flavor of whatever food you are making. It can be heated to moderate temperatures to help cook food and give it plenty of flavor. 

You can use olive oil in sautéing, poaching, frying, searing, baking, or even drizzling as a finishing touch. Along with certain health benefits, olive oil is widely used in cooking. 

Its flavors consist of raw nuts and vegetables, with tastes of fresh grass or dry hay as well as a little spiciness and slight bitterness. But does it truly taste good?

Olive oil does taste good featuring a pleasant smell, thin texture, and fresh flavor. It may have a slight spiciness and bitterness but this just increases the flavor. Olive oil is great when used to cook, helping food to taste good.

Keep in mind that when compared, virgin olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil etc. all taste a little different. The taste of olive oil ranges according to brand and type but overall the taste of the olive oil is good. 

If olive oil tastes rancid or bad at all it is old and should be thrown away. 

The texture of olive oil varies as well as some are thicker than others. This doesn’t make a difference. It just means that one is more dense than another. 

For the most part olive oil is very similar in consistency and taste. You can use olive oil for various cooking methods and since it tastes good it enhances the flavors of the food you are cooking.

Does Olive Oil Taste Bad?

Used in kitchens all over the world, olive oil is a staple ingredient in cooking. Using olive oil to cook your meat or vegetables can give it lots of taste and flavor. Olive oil should taste fresh but does it ever taste bad?

Olive oil will taste bad when it is old and spoiled. If the cooking ingredient smells rancid and has a bitter, sour, or stale taste, it is no longer edible. If you use it, it will no doubt ruin your recipe, so throw away the bad olive oil and purchase a new and fresh bottle.

According to Healthline, olive oil can expire and when it does there are certain things to check for. In the article, Does Olive Oil Expire? They explore these ways stating, “The best way to tell whether your olive oil has gone rancid is by tasting it. Don’t worry, a small taste won’t make you sick…If your olive oil tastes bitter, sour, or stale, it’s no longer good…Bad olive oil may also smell off — like crayons, putty, or Elmer’s glue — instead of bright, fruity olives…Rancid olive oil won’t make you sick. However, it may ruin your recipe by giving the dish a strange flavor…Also, olive oil is often touted for its many health benefits. Rancid olive oil will lose some of its potent antioxidant properties……While rancid olive oil won’t typically offer the same nutritional boost, it won’t make you ill. Still, to reap as much of its antioxidants as possible, it’s ideal to consume fresh olive oil.”

Olive oil has a good taste and shouldn’t taste bad. The only reason why it would taste bad is if it is spoiled and/or expired. 

If your olive oil has a strong and strange smell and tastes bad and bitter, it is best not to cook with it since it can make your food taste bad. It is said that eating bad olive oil won’t make you sick, but it is best to just go ahead and toss it. 

Replace with a fresh bottle so you can get back to cooking with tasty olive oil for delicious meals.

Does Olive Oil Taste Better?

So, olive oil is a great addition to meals. Especially when you are cooking meats or veggies. It gives them a more flavorful taste. 

When shopping for olive oil, you have probably seen vegetable oil as an option. You wonder if olive oil tastes better than vegetable oil?

Olive oil does taste better than vegetable oil. Comparing the two, vegetable oil really has no taste. While this can help all the flavor to come from the recipe, olive oil can enhance all the flavors a little more.

In an article from TheKitchn entitled, Which is Better? Vegetable Oil vs. Olive Oil, they explain that, “Olive oil has a reputation for being the “healthy oil” since it’s rich in monounsaturated fats and some antioxidants. Good olive oils also have a pleasant flavor and aroma that compliment many dishes. 

However, olive oil has a relatively low smoke point, making it less ideal for cooking methods requiring high heat like pan-searing and high-heat stir fries. There are also times when you may not want the assertive flavor of olive oil in your dish or when its cost makes it less than ideal to use in cooking…”

So, between olive oil and vegetable oil and which tastes better all come down to what kind of flavor you want in your dish. If you want a cleaner flavor that is mainly due to the dish, choose vegetable oil. 

It is good to use when you want the flavor to come from the dish itself and not the oil, as well as recipes cooked at a higher temperature. 

If you want a lot of flavor in the dish choose olive oil to add some of its flavors into it. Remember that it is recommended to use olive oil for medium heat and vegetable oil for high heat.  

Final Thoughts

To conclude, our question “does olive oil taste good?” deserves the answer, yes, it does! It adds so much to the flavor of a dish. It is also great to cook with. 

If olive oil tastes bad it is expired or spoiled and should be tossed. Don’t use bad-tasting olive oil in recipes as it can ruin the taste of the dish. 

When comparing olive oil to vegetable oil, both can be used in your cooking recipes, but olive oil tastes better. 

Sometimes it is better to use vegetable oil for certain recipes, but if you want a fresh, herbal, fruity, bitter, and pungent taste in your dish then olive oil is a great choice because it tastes good.