Is Truffle Oil the Same as Olive Oil?

Truffles are a fungus similar to mushrooms. However, unlike mushrooms, they grow below ground level. Truffles are usually described as nutty, earthy, chocolaty, oaky, and sweet and juicy. A quick and easy way to incorporate the unique taste and aroma of truffles into a variety of dishes is by using truffle oil.

While a vast majority of truffle oils are olive oil-based, truffle oil is not the same as olive oil. They have different tastes and aromas. Truffle oil and olive oil are used differently in the kitchen, too. While olive oil can be used for cooking, truffle oil is primarily used as a finishing oil.

But before anything else, let’s get one thing straight: chances are that your bottle of truffle oil has no truffles!

While there are authentic truffle oils infused with actual truffles, there are also fake truffle oils that contain zero truffles — and they are the ones that dominate the market. What they have instead is the synthetic flavoring 2,4-dithiapentane, which is also known as truffle flavor, truffle concentrate or truffle aroma.

To know whether or not the bottle of truffle oil you are about to place in your shopping cart is the real thing, read the list of ingredients. Or if it costs around $10 only, it’s very much likely to be fake truffle oil.

Can You Cook With Truffle Oil?

Truffle oil is a finishing oil, which means that it’s for finishing or flavoring cooked dishes before serving them. While truffle oil has olive oil, which is suited for sautéing, pan-frying and medium-heat cooking, it’s not recommended to cook with it as heat kills the taste of the truffle flavoring.

It can be tempting to cook with truffle oil. This is especially true if you want to serve your family and friends with something that tastes complex and expensive.

However, cooking with truffle oil is not really a good idea as it’s a waste of both time and money.

Generally speaking, truffle oil is more expensive than olive oil. That’s because the product is olive oil infused with truffles or has truffle flavoring.

So, in other words, cooking with truffle oil is just like cooking with olive oil, except that you are using oil with a price tag that’s slightly steeper than that of olive oil.

Money not a problem? Still, there’s a problem with using truffle oil for cooking purposes — exposure to heat destroys the truffle smell and flavor, whether genuine or artificial.

Needless to say, any dish you cook using truffle oil will not taste like truffles at all.

If you want to elevate what you will be serving with the help of the unmistakable flavor and aroma of truffles, don’t cook it in truffle oil — finish it with truffle oil! Allow olive oil or any other oil to take care of the cooking part, and let truffle oil spring into action only before you serve your culinary creation.

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Are There Truffle Oil Substitutes?

There are many substitutes for truffle oil, the majority of which are commonly used for cooking and making dressings. One of the most popular truffle oil substitutes is extra virgin olive oil as it’s the closest to truffle oil, in particular white truffle oil, when it comes to flavor and consistency.

Whether you find genuine truffle oil too expensive for your budget or believe that fake truffle oil is too unhealthy for your body, fret not. That’s because you can switch the product with another type of oil.

As a matter of fact, there are many different truffle oil substitutes out there to choose from!

The good news about getting your hands on a bottle of truffle oil alternative is that there is no need to visit a special online or offline shop — chances are that it’s available at your favorite grocery store.

And with so many options around, it’s possible to experiment with different ones and opt for the one that you are extremely happy with.

As mentioned earlier, extra virgin olive oil is one of the best substitutes for truffle oil. Whether used as a cooking oil or a finishing oil, just like truffle oil, it can make your dish more unforgettable.

Here are some other truffle oil substitutes that you may give a try:

Canola oil
Peanut oil
Safflower oil
Sunflower oil
Grapeseed oil
Avocado oil
Hemp oil
Porcini mushroom oil

But there is no need to stick with oils when on the hunt for the perfect replacement for truffle oil. That’s because there are other things you can sprinkle or splash on your dish just before you surprise everyone with it.

Here are just a few of the most wonderful choices:

Worcestershire sauce. As a truffle oil substitute, you can use Worcestershire sauce as is — the more you add, the more enhancement obtained. Some people add their favorite mushrooms to dressings and toppings made with Worcestershire sauce in order to get as close to truffle oil as possible.

Fish sauce. A staple in Southeast Asian and East Asian cuisine, fish sauce is made from fermented fish coated in salt. It has a savory and umami flavor. You should use fish sauce as a replacement for truffle sauce only if the dish could benefit from the addition of a little fishiness, too.

Mushroom pesto. Online, there is never a shortage of mushroom pesto recipes. What’s so nice about mushroom pesto is that you can use your favorite mushroom in making it. In addition, you can add it to a wide variety of sauces, dressings and toppings to turn a dish from totally expected to completely sophisticated.

Truffle salt. As the name suggests, truffle salt is salt with small pieces of truffles. White truffle salt tends to have a subtle truffle flavor, while black truffle salt tends to have a more pungent taste and aroma. In the market, the majority of truffle salt contains black truffles.

Truffles. Last but not least, you can replace truffle oil with truffles themselves — you can rest assured that your dish will have an unmistakable truffle taste. However, obviously, truffles lack the oiliness of truffle oil, which can keep you from obtaining the correct texture. This is why chefs commonly combine truffles with oils.

Making Truffle Oil at Home

Authentic truffle oil can be made by infusing olive oil with actual truffles. For every cup of olive oil, preferably extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of finely chopped truffles should be added. The mixture should be placed in a jar, which should be stored in a cool and dry place and shaken daily for a week.

You can easily buy truffle oil, authentic or fake, online or offline. Or you can simply make the real deal in your own kitchen using two ingredients only.

Needless to say, you will have to get your hands on actual truffles to make homemade truffle oil.

But unlike truffle oil that you can purchase and use right away, it will take at least seven days before you can use DIY truffle oil.

It will require some patience on your part alright, but you are guaranteed to have the most flavorful and natural truffle oil on the face of the planet — plus it comes with bragging rights!

Excited to make truffle oil with your own two hands that you can use for finishing purposes or sell to make money? Then check out the surprisingly simple steps to take:

Chop white or black truffles into very small pieces.
In a mason jar, combine one cup of extra virgin olive oil and one teaspoon of chopped-up truffles.
Cover and shake the jar.
Place the jar in a cool and dry area in your kitchen.
Shake the jar once a day for the next seven days.

There you go — your very first homemade truffle oil that’s authentic!

You can start using it right away after a week, or you may allow the mixture to sit for a few more days in order to have truffle oil with a more potent truffle taste and aroma.

Just Before You Shop for Truffle Oil

There are authentic truffle oils and there are fake truffle oils. To know whether or not the bottle you are about to pay for is the real deal or simply masquerading as genuine truffle oil, read the label and check out the price tag.

But whether real or otherwise, truffle oil is not the same as olive oil.

This means that you should not use it as a substitute for olive oil for cooking and dressing-making purposes. That’s because of the fact that truffle oil is meant to be used as finishing oil for cooked dishes.