Techniques
Heat Control
Tip
Beginner
1 min

Combine butter with olive oil to raise the smoke point while keeping butter flavor

Use butter for flavor and add a little olive oil so the fat mixture is less likely to burn.

Start the pan with butter plus a small amount of olive oil. The olive oil helps the butter tolerate higher heat while still tasting buttery.

The short version

  • Butter for flavor
  • Olive oil helps prevent burning

What goes wrong

Using only butter at higher heat and burning it

Add a little olive oil to the butter

Why it works

Olive oil increases the effective smoke point of the cooking fat, reducing burning while preserving butter’s flavor.

Put it to use

Learn next