Oil and Butter: Hand in Hand

Have you ever watched a cooking program and seen a chef add some butter to some oilve oil when sauteeing some vegetables or searing some meat? There are reasons for this combination, and they are twofold:

1. Adding the olive oil to butter raises the smoke point of the fat in the pan so it won't burn as easily and the fatty chains won't break down as fast.

2. Adding the butter to the olive oil makes whatever you're going to cook in it ... taste better. Because as we know, butter makes things golden brown and delicious.

This is a technique that I have implemented as permanent to my repertoire. Sure, it may be butter, and most people these days are afraid of butter. But it's such a small amount, and it makes things taste so good.