How To Store Truffle Oil for Long-Term Storage

Truffle oil is a uniquely savory finishing oil that can enhance your home-cooked dishes. So it’s in your best interest to make sure that your bottle of truffle oil lasts a long time and retains its distinct flavor and aroma. Fortunately for us, unrefined truffle oil can last up to 9 months, and refined truffle oil can last up to 18 months when stored properly.

To make sure it reaches its longest possible shelf life, it is best to store truffle oil in a cool, dark place such as a pantry, fridge, or freezer. And to keep it in a tinted glass bottle. By making these small changes, you can protect truffle oil from direct sunlight, heat, and oxygen. The three main reasons that cooking oils go bad before their expiration date.

In this article, we will discuss how to store truffle oil, its shelf life, and why truffle oil goes bad. So read on to learn more.

How to Store Truffle Oil?

The ideal storage temperature for truffle oil is 40°F – 68°F (5°C – 20°C), but it can also be kept in a freezer. Storing cooking oil in a fridge can make the oil become cloudy and thicker, but this will not affect the flavor or nutrients in the oil.

If you want to maximize the shelf life of your truffle oil, you should keep it in a cool, dark place like a pantry, fridge, or freezer. By simply storing it in one of these three places, the oil will be protected from direct sunlight and heat.

Tinted bottles are also effective in preventing light from entering the bottle. If you intend to keep your bottle of truffle oil on a counter, a tinted bottle is a good defense against direct light.

Glass bottles are also recommended. Plastic bottles do not hold well in hot temperatures since the hot plastic can make the oil heat up. Plus, plastic bottles are known to leak microplastics into cooking oils which can be consumed when used in a dish.

Shelf Life of Truffle Oil

When it comes to truffle oil, there are unrefined truffle oil and refined truffle oil. Here is an easy-to-follow table to see the shelf life of truffle oil:

Unrefined truffle oil is richer in flavor, has more nutrients, and undergoes limited processing. But it has a shorter shelf life of 6 months when in an unopened bottle. Once the bottle has been opened, the shelf life of unrefined truffle oil falls to 3 months. But if placed in a freezer, it can last 12 months.

Refined truffle oil has a longer shelf life of 12 months if the bottle is unopened. And 6 to 8 months once it has been opened. But it can last between 12-18 months when stored in a freezer.

Although refined truffle oil has a longer shelf life, we advise against it because it undergoes more refinement and processing to make its shelf life longer. But in the process, much of the flavor, nutrients, and health benefits are lost while the oil is refined.

With time, the aroma and flavor of truffle oil are lost. So it is always best to use the truffle oil by the best by date.

Fun Fact: Since most truffle oils are made from infusing synthetic truffle flavoring into olive oil, truffle oil has a similar shelf life to olive oil.

Why Does Truffle Oil Go Bad Early?

Truffle oil, like other oils, can go bad before its expiration if it is exposed to direct sunlight, heat, and air. These three environmental aggressors are known to cause rancidity. Fortunately, there are some simple best practices you can follow to prevent truffle oil from going bad.

How to tell if Truffle Oil Has Gone Rancid?

Truffle oil is famous for its distinctive flavor and aroma. But once goes rancid, it will give off a soapy, off aroma, and it will taste sour, ruining any dish a rancid oil is used in. Fortunately, there is a simple 3 step approach to determine if the cooking oil has gone bad. And that is by following your sense of sight, smell, and taste.

1. Sight: The first sign to look out for is discoloration in the oil. You may notice that oil has lost its color, becoming clearer. And if it is infused with herbs, it may start to show mold growth. If you notice discoloration or mold growth, you can dispose of the bottle, as there is no need to proceed to the next step.
2. Smell: If the oil looks fine, but you are still unsure if it’s still safe to use, you can conduct a smell test. Simply take a whiff of the oil to determine if it has gone bad. If it gives off a soapy aroma, then you know it has gone rancid and should dispose of it.
3. Taste: If the oil looks fine and smells fine, then you can try a small sip of the truffle oil. If the truffle oil tastes sour, then you will know immediately the oil is rancid.

If you do this simple 3-step test and the truffle oil looks fine, smells fine, and tastes fine, it is most likely safe to use in your dishes.

If at any point you suspect the oil has gone bad, it’s best to dispose of the cooking oil than expose your family to it.

Rancid cooking oils are known to cause discomfort and increase the number of free radicals in your body. Free radicals should be avoided because they are known to cause cell damage.

What is Truffle Oil?

Historically, truffle oil was made by preserving black or white truffles in high-quality olive oil. But since the 1980s, when truffle oil became popular internationally, most truffle oils have been made by infusing synthetic flavoring with cooking oil. The most common oils for infusion are canola oil, olive oil, and grapeseed oil.

So this may be hard to believe, but there are no truffles in most truffle oils today, just synthetic flavoring.

Still, truffle oil is used to impart the flavor and aroma of truffles into a dish. But you should keep in mind common truffle oil is very different from olive oil infused with fresh truffles.

Since truffle oil is a finishing oil, we advise against using it for frying or sauteing. Doing so will make the oil lose its flavor and burn the food. Still, there are many uses for truffle oil, like drizzling it over potatoes, pizza, pasta, vegetables, and rice to give it the essence of truffles.

Nutrition Facts

Truffle oil is a finishing oil primarily composed of far. Below are the nutrition facts of truffle oil:

Alternatives to Truffle oil

Since truffle oil is a type of finishing oil, the closest alternatives are other finishing oils. If you are looking for an alternative to truffle oil, consider herb-infused olive oil, grapeseed oil, or safflower oil.

Summary

In short, unrefined truffle oil can last 6 months, and refined truffle oil can last up 12 months. To ensure the truffle oil can reach the longest shelf life possible, make sure to protect it against heat, light, and oxygen. By reducing these three environmental aggressors, you can make sure the truffle oil doesn’t go rancid early.

Fortunately, there are some simple ways to store truffles so they can last a long time. By placing the truffle oil in a tinted glass container, you can prevent exposure to direct sunlight and oxygen. Then placing the container in a cool, dark place, such as a fridge or closed pantry, will prevent exposure to heat. By taking these small steps, you can ensure your truffle oil reaches its max shelf life.

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