Characteristics and features of the use of truffle oil

Due to its exquisite taste with light notes of walnut, truffles have long been considered a valuable delicacy.But not every housewife has the financial ability to add this ingredient to their dishes in large quantities. Truffle oil can come to the rescue in such cases, therefore it is worth considering the characteristics and features of the use of this product, as well as its useful properties and reviews of housewives.

Unlike most of the edible oils available on the market (sunflower, olive, flaxseed and so on), truffle (or truffle) oil is not made by pressing truffles. In fact, it is a common vegetable oil (most often olive oil, although sometimes it is found on the basis of sunflower, rapeseed and even grape seed oil), which has the aroma and taste typical of truffles.

According to legend, the first time to pour truffles with olive oil was invented by one of the French chefs who tried to find a way to preserve fresh mushrooms as long as possible. Having insisted on the product for two weeks, he added it to one of his salads. Assessing the resulting noble taste, the cook began to deliberately make butter with the addition of pieces of valuable mushrooms, which allowed him to greatly diversify his signature dishes.

Achieve saturation of the oil base with mushroom flavor in two ways:

• use natural pieces of truffles, fill them with oil;
• add artificial flavors characteristic of this product.

Due to the rarity and high prices of truffles, most of the industrially produced truffle oil is made in an artificial way. At the same time, even the presence of pieces of mushrooms does not indicate natural origin - this ingredient is added to the product rather for beauty. In order to fill the oil base with truffle aromatics, its volume fraction in the mixture must be at least 1/10, therefore such oil is not produced in large quantities and is not supplied to grocery chains. Both common varieties of truffles, both white and black, are used as an aromatic base.

In the production of a product based on artificial components, the characteristic taste and aroma is achieved by adding to the base, which almost always takes olive oil, various substances contained in natural mushrooms. The main one, which is a part of all industrial types of truffle oil, is 2,4-dithiapentane, which is also called “truffle sulfide”. In addition to it, various esters, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones and androstenol are characteristic of this fungus.

The use of flavors allows you to get in an artificial product taste and smell characteristic of a natural product. But it is not always possible to convey subtle nuances of taste with the help of chemicals, therefore real experts can almost always distinguish an artificial product from a natural one. Yes, and benefits of oil made from these mushrooms, usually brings more. An artificial product is an affordable alternative to expensive truffles, so economical housewives can sometimes add it to their dishes - it contains almost no harmful substances.

You can cook this delicacy yourself from the oil base and natural truffles. The best ratio of these components, allowing to achieve the most balanced taste and rich aroma - from 1/5 to 1/4 of the mushrooms in relation to the volume of oil.

Mushrooms should be finely chopped or chopped into chips, slightly heated and mixed with the base. This can be done manually or in a blender.After that, the mixture should be poured into a glass jar with a tightly closed lid and insist in a dark and cool place for a period of one to two weeks, then filter it. If you want to leave pieces of mushrooms in the oil, then you can do without filtering.

According to the BJU formula, 100 grams of a truffle product contains about 14 g of fat. Caloric value per 100 grams of the product reaches values ​​of about 120 kcal. Of course, the energy value and composition of the oil from specific manufacturers varies and largely depends on what kind of vegetable oil was used as the basis. Of the substances useful to the body, truffle oil contains significant amounts of B and E vitamins.

Almost all fats and fatty acids that form the basis of the product are easily digestible. Vitamin E, which is part of the product, is one of the strongest natural antioxidants, due to which use of truffle oil reduces the risk of developing oncological diseases and helps to slow down the aging process a little. The same substance has a beneficial effect on the synthesis of collagen and elastogen in the body, therefore, the condition of the skin, nails and hair is improved by the person using the product.

The presence in the composition of the oil of vitamins of group B allows you to speed up the metabolism, which promotes the removal of harmful substances from the body, and also helps to normalize the amount of cholesterol in the blood. The substances that make up truffle oil generally strengthen the nervous system, help fight the negative effects of stress, and have a beneficial effect on sleep.

Regardless of the method of manufacture, no known industrial type of product contains frankly harmful substances. Only an individual intolerance to truffles or an oil base can be a contraindication to its use. However, you should not abuse the product, because it has a very high calorie content. Therefore, the average daily dose of this oil for an adult, healthy and physically active person should not exceed 50 grams.

Heat treatment leads to the immediate disappearance of the aroma, even in natural truffle oil. Therefore, you need to add it to the ready-made dishes. You can eat various salads, meat, fish, seafood, beans or mushrooms with this oil. At the same time for most dishes for two or three people is enough from one to two drops of oil. It is undesirable to add more quantity, as the product has a pronounced taste and aroma, which can “score” the main taste of the dish.

One of the most delicious dishes are fried white mushrooms in truffle oil sauce. Porcini mushrooms need to boil for 15 minutes, after which they should be finely chopped. Then pour 50 ml of olive oil onto the pan, add a sage sprig and a few cloves of garlic and fry until the garlic begins to darken. Garlic and sage are removed from the sauce, 50 ml of chicken broth and chopped mushrooms are added instead. In the finished dish add 2 teaspoons of truffle oil and served on the table as a side dish for meat or as an independent dish.

Another tasty dish - pasta with mushroom sauce. To do this, you need any long pasta, butter, a glass of cream, an onion head, about 300 grams of common forest mushrooms (white, butter, honey agaric, etc.) and half a glass of broth. The first step is to melt the butter on the pan and fry the mushrooms in it. Then they add broth, cream and boil the mixture.After that, the fire must be strongly reduced and cooked sauce, until it thickens. After the sauce has cooled, they add one-two spoons of truffle oil to it and pour macaroni over it. The taste of truffles is well combined with Italian dishes - pasta, various soups, mashed potatoes, risotto and even pizza.

In their reviews, many housewives celebrate the strong aroma and bright taste of truffle oil. Therefore, many on the first sample may not even like it - especially if you overdo it with the dosage. Adding more than a few drops of butter to salads can even spoil their taste. When choosing a product is recommended to pay attention on the presence of sediment in the bottle at the bottom - it is his presence that indicates that the production used natural raw materials, rather than artificial flavors.

How to cook orzotto with a mix of mushrooms and truffle oil, see the next video.