If you are completely new to cooking, or even have some experience, you may feel slightly overwhelmed with the variety of oils available to cook food with.
Some oils are ideal for cooking food at high temperatures, while other oils are better suited to low or medium heat cooking. Then there are oils that are not used in cooking but are deemed “finishing oils”.
So you may be wondering if truffle oil can be used to cook steak with.
Truffle oil is not a cooking oil. It is considered to be a finishing oil, or, alternatively, a higher grade oil. Heating truffle oil will adulterate most of the flavor in the oil and will cause it to become similar to a standard cooking oil.
What happens if you cook steak with truffle oil
Truffle oil is simply truffles that have been soaked in extra virgin olive oil. The purpose of this oil is not to cook with it, as is the case with normal olive oil, but rather to infuse a savory dish with rich, earthy, robust, and complex flavors.
If truffle oil is heated up, all the artificial and natural truffle flavors are destroyed and all you are left with is a very expensive cooking oil. Therefore, it is best to drizzle the oil over the meat after it has been cooked to order. If you are wondering which is the best oil for cooking steak, check here.
How should truffle oil be used when cooking meat
Grapeseedoil.com states that, ideally, you should not cook with truffle oil. But, there are a plethora of ways that you could use truffle oil when cooking your favorite meal, or in this case, steak.
Truffle oil is commonly and widely used in food preparation. For example, truffle oil may be added to salad dressings, or it may be mixed in with pasta, or even drizzled over a prepared meal to add a burst of flavor to the final product.
Heating the oil up will compromise the flavor of the oil.
When pan searing a steak, it should be seared in an oil that has a high enough smoke point. The truffle oil may be added over the steak once it has been cooked completely. This will impart the truffle flavor to the food and enhance the flavor of the meal.
What is the smoking point of truffle oil
Truffle oil, whether synthetic or pure truffle oil, is made with extra virgin olive oil.
With that being said truffle oil smoking point is 356°F-405°F (180°C-207°C)
And while it is possible to cook with extra virgin olive oil, it is not recommended to cook with truffle oil.
The reason for this is that truffle oil is used to impart the flavor of truffle to the dish after it has been cooked. As previously mentioned, cooking with truffle oil will destroy all the truffle flavors and make it a very expensive cooking oil.
White or black truffle oil for steak
Both black and white truffle oil will work well with any steak.
However, black truffle oil is especially great with any type of red meat. It is important to note, as per the website, that there isn’t really a comparison between these two types of oil as they each serve a different purpose and work better with different types of meat. As well as the fact that both of these oils are decadent and gourmet.
To further elaborate on this point, black truffle oil has a much stronger earthy flavor profile, which means that this oil will hold up to a more robust meat such as beef. In addition, the flavor also lasts longer than white truffle oil. Keep in mind, though, that black truffle oil should only be used as a finishing oil and not as a cooking oil.
What is truffle oil
According to Organicfacts.com, there is a difference between what is considered pure truffle oil and the oils you may find in most high-end grocery stores which actually only mimic true truffle oil.
Pure truffle oil is made from the tuber of truffles and slicing these tubers into thin pieces before infusing the pieces in olive oil. This is an extremely pricey oil that is fairly rare to find. You may expect to pay around $90 per ounce for pure truffle oil.
Synthetic truffle oil, on the other hand, is made of virgin olive oil with an added chemical compound found in truffles, known as dithiapentane. This product can easily mimic the flavor of pure olive oil at a fraction of the cost. Synthetic oil also has much more flavor than pure truffle oil and is often the preferred choice of many patrons.
Truffle oil has a rich, intense, and complex flavor which is imparted to a variety of dishes. And, while truffle oil is distinctively known as a finishing oil, white truffle infused oil may be suited to cooking. However, it is still important to note that truffle oil is essentially best when used as a finishing oil.
How to distinguish if it is pure truffle oil
Georgiotruffleshop.com highlights that when opening a bottle of truffle oil, the first thing you may notice is either the fresh aroma of real truffles or the smell of olive oil.
This is apart from the price you pay for a bottle, as pure truffle oil is much more expensive than synthetic truffle oil.
In the event that you first smell truffles, you will know that you have purchased a bottle of pure truffle oil. If you smell olive oil, on the other hand, you will know that you have purchased synthetic truffle oil.
