What Is White Truffle Oil?

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It seems the taste of every cuisine I prepare can be intensified with the addition of white truffle oil. My most favorite white truffle oil usage include drizzling the oil on salads, pizza, bread, popcorn, sauteed or grilled vegetables, risotto, pasta, and other potato-based dishes.

The uses of truffle oil are almost the same for both black and white truffle oil. It is a matter of personal taste and preference. White truffle oils are subtle in flavor and don’t overwhelm the taste of other ingredients present unless used too much. A little can go a long way – is the rule with all truffle oils.

What is White Truffle Oil?

Known as the king of the kitchen, the white truffle is a very rare edible fungus. The oil is everyone’s favorite and highly possessed taking to its unique flavor and aroma. Fresh truffles are difficult to source and expensive. So, chefs and home cooks, often rely on truffle oils to introduce the near-mythical flavor and aroma of this oil in their dishes.

White truffle oil is made by mixing olive oil with a flavor compound that’s found in white truffles. The presence of this compound – 2,4-dithiapentane gives the oil their subtle aroma and flavor. A vast majority of the white truffle oil is made with 2,4-dithiapentane, which is generally derived from petroleum products.

Some truffle oils are found to contain bits of dried truffle which stays invisible inside the bottle. But the volatiles in those truffles are long gone, and they contribute no flavor at all. This means that truffle oils are a pale representation of truffles.

Why is it done? A couple of reasons are there. One, truffles are expensive. A pound of truffles can cost a hundred thousand dollars. Two, there is no reliable way of extracting the flavors from a truffle. The compounds are highly volatile and quickly disappear. Fresh truffles hold onto their flavor and aroma for about a week. Whereas oils made by infusing actual truffles tend to lose their potency equally quickly.

How to Use White Truffle Oil?

Truffle oils have a strong potent flavor which means they should be used sparingly. Two drops of white truffle oil on a dish before serving is enough to impart its unique flavor. However, remember not to use them for cooking, as heat can destroy their flavor.

Risotto, popcorn, vegetables, french fries, pasta, pizza, eggs, and mashed potatoes are all foods that can benefit from a judicious sprinkling of white truffle oil.

What Does It Taste Like?

Individual preferences and tastes vary widely when it comes to food. The flavor of truffle oil can be described as mushroomy or pungent or artificial or earthy, or even like gasoline. And as truffle oil is usually made with olive oil, it will generally have the base flavor of olive oil underneath the truffle aroma.

Storage

As is the case with every cooking oil, store your white truffle oil in a cool, dark place, and use it within a month or two.

CONCLUSION

Truffle oils infused with real truffles have a more mild flavor, and if you fall in the category of stronger truffle taste and aroma, you can achieve it with natural or artificial flavoring.

If you’re a great truffle lover, we at Giorgio Truffle Shop hold the finest collections of Black Truffle, Recipes Truffle, Truffle Balsamic, and White Truffle oil that are hand crafted in small batches to ensure quality.

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