Butter, salted vs Oil, corn, peanut, and olive

Butter vs olive oil is really a question about what kind of fat you want to build your cooking around. Both are almost pure fat — butter at 81.1g per 100g (717 cal) and olive oil at a full 100g fat per 100g (884 cal). Olive oil is literally more calorie-dense per tablespoon, which surprises people who assume it's the 'lighter' option. A tablespoon of olive oil runs about 120 calories; butter is around 100.

The real difference is fat composition, and it matters. Olive oil is roughly 73% monounsaturated fat — the type consistently linked to heart health, reduced inflammation, and better cholesterol ratios. Butter is about 51% saturated fat, which isn't the dietary villain it was painted as in the 90s, but still shouldn't be your primary fat source. The practical sweet spot for most people: cook with olive oil as your default, use butter intentionally when it makes a dish great (scrambled eggs, finishing a steak, baking). Don't demonize either one, but know that defaulting to olive oil is the metabolically smarter baseline.