> The biggest game changer is actually just using a cooking oil - there are plenty of alternatives that will have absolutely no impact on the final taste... I'

> The biggest game changer is actually just using a cooking oil - there are plenty of alternatives that will have absolutely no impact on the final taste... I'm pretty sure I can taste the difference between popping corn in peanut oil vs. olive oil. In any case, I can certainly smell the difference which affects taste. > and olive oil actually has a relatively low smoke point compared to other cooking oils. I'm pretty sure I've popped corn with olive oil on multiple occasions without hitting the smoke point. And for things like pasta sauces or roasting potatoes it's not even close to the smoke point. There's also a fringe health benefit. Because high quality extra virgin olive oil is so difficult to find-- and so expensive-- relying on it as one's sole cooking oil essentially adds a tax to frying the hell out of all one's foods. This encourages healthier eating. :)