Why does cooking oil make things taste better when it doesn’t taste good by itself?

Question

I get why sugar makes things taste better since it tastes good by itself but why does something like cooking oil which doesn’t taste good on its own make food taste better than it otherwise would be?

In: 734

Answer 1

You should try tasting different olive oils. They definitely have distinct flavours and many taste very good on their own. There is tons of variation in tasting profiles depending on the olive, region, blend and processing.

https://www.oliveoilandbeyond.com/sensory-olive-oil-tasting-s/1864.htm

I don’t use the same olive oil for cooking that I’d use for a salad dressing.