by Richard Serra

Created on: December 29, 2009   Last Updated: December 30, 2009

Being the last born in a large family, there were many differences between my brothers and sisters when it came to what makes something taste better. I remember my mom used to use olive oil in many of her recipies, and I always would complain that I didn't like the taste, but I ate whatever she prepared anyway.

In a defiant way, I said, "I will never let my wife use olive oil when she cooks." Of course being only seven years old, it was kind of premature to make such a statement. I was that way with a lot of foods that the rest of the family loved, and I just didn't like at all. There was always something added that I didn't care for, and I would only eat around what was prepared.

I avoided olive oil for the better part of my young life, and it wasn't until I went to a friend's house as a teen to have dinner at his house, and she fried up some shaved steak for a sandwich. I hated mushrooms, and she had sauted them with the shaved steak she was making, and told me to just zip it, and try it.

Reluctantly, I bit into the sandwich for my first bite, and my eyes opened wide with appreciation for a taste sensation I never experienced. We used to always go for a cheese steak at the local pizza shops, but never did I taste one so delicious, and with the mushrooms that I once hated so much as well.

I asked what her secret was for making mushrooms so tasty, and the steak so full of flavor, and she held up a bottle of "olive oil." For a moment I was thrown back a bit, thinking of how I used to dig my heals in refusing to eat anything cooked with olive oil. How can this be I thought. How in the world can my taste buds change in such a way that what I hated, now was so delicious to me?

That is the magic of olive oil. It is one of the best oils to add flavor, and is a healthier choice as well. It seems to add a dimension to whatever you use it in, and once a taste is aquired for it, there can be no substitue. Olive oil should be used in just about anything you want flavor to be enhanced.
It has it's own unique taste which when combined in cooking adds to the overall flavor of what ever you cook.

Not only is it good tasting, it's healthier. Almost everything you cook tastes better, and the searing temperature is higher for the oil as well which makes for the browning of meats while leaving the inner part tender and juicy.
I can't think of one reason not to use olive oil in your sautes, sauces, salads, and the list goes on. Perhaps the one time I would not use it is for frying eggs. But frying the sausage, well, just do it and enjoy.

If you'r cooking, and cook well, then you should know the differences between the olive oil family and what goes well for each recipe. Some are better for adding to salads, or dressings, and others are better for cooking. No matter what you use it for, the magic is no illusion. It's real, and when you start using it on a regular basis, it's hard to cook without it.

Learn more about this author, Richard Serra.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.