Why are Truffles so expensive? Are they worth it?

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📃 RECIPE Link:

📚 Videos & Sources mentioned:
▪ Truffle Aroma Characteristics Research:
▪ On Food & Cooking by Harold McGee

MY FAVORITE KITCHEN GEAR

⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Are Truffles actually worth it?
1:30 Check out my favorite cookware!
2:22 Why are truffles so expensive?
6:02 What is the flavor of truffles?
12:29 Pause & Digestion
14:20 Are truffles better shaved or grated?
19:55 Should you cook with truffles?
24:55 What's the right amount of black truffles for pasta?
29:10 Fresh white truffle vs black truffle
30:27 What's the best-tasting truffle substitute?
34:36 Does truffle oil taste like fresh white truffle?
37:25 Final answer

MISC. DETAILS
Music: Provided by Epidemic Sound
Filmed on: Sony a6600 & Sony A7C
Voice recorded on Shure MV7
Edited in: Premiere Pro

Affiliate Disclosure:

[EthanChlebowski]

Notes & Corrections:
1. This is probably my last video for this year...what ingredients should we explore in 2024? 👀
2. Just realized, I misquoted a reference in the video:
"The Truffle Hunter" is the movie!
- Also as always the other references to articles and videos are in the description. The aroma overview is really good extra reading.
3. I pronounced Dithiapentane incorrectly throughout the whole video (☠). It's supposed to be "dye-thigh-a-pentane".
4. Correction around the 2:30 mark -> Similar to mushrooms, truffles are the fruiting body of the fungus, except they grow underground, in symbiosis with a tree. Other types mushrooms also can live in symbiosis with it’s surrounds.

[jean-micheldupuis]

Hey Ethan; love your work as always and I can't wait to dive in, but as a mycologist I have to make one correction! Truffles and Mushrooms are both the fruiting bodies of fungi. A lot of fungi that produce mushrooms as their fruiting bodies also live in symbiosis with trees, for instance Boletus edulis (penny bun or cep). And, a lot of fungi feed on other things than dead wood, for instance roots, decaying leaves, live or dead wood, sometimes even other fungi! So, the segment at 2-3 minutes is inaccurate. Thanks for sharing your culinary expertise with us and have a great day!

[atter]

The end question: “If truffle was as cheap as garlic, would you use it all the time?” Is a fantastic way to add further context. Thanks!

[AlKohaiMusic]

For the folks interested in the predominant aroma compund of Black Truffles, from the paper I skimmed it appears to be 3-ethyl-5-methylphenol which is smokey/woody/musty. That said other prominent compounds had profiles of cruciferous vegitables, butter, and even orange/bananna/pineapple. Since the video discusses white truffles compounds thought id save someone else the compulsive google search.

[TheInfinityzeN]

Since I actually far prefer the taste/aroma of black winter truffles over white truffles and had been making my own infused oils (try making your own Mayu (Black Garlic Oil)), I decided to make an actual "real" black truffle oil. I grated a black winter truffle into a tinted mason jar containing just under a cup each of light olive oil and fractional coconut oil (often called "liquid coconut oil"). The truffle to oil ratio was about 1:19 or 5%. I used those two oils because they both have a long shelf life (2+ years and 3+ years), very little flavor, and extraction efficency. An important point is to make sure that the truffle is shaved directly into the oil and the jar sealed right after to avoid losing as little of the volatile molecules as possible. Then store it in a cool dark place for six months, giving it a shake every week or so.

When I finally broke it out and sampled it, it was like no truffle oil I had ever tried before. While not quiet as good as fresh winter black truffle I would call it an ~75%. Considering that I got 20x the volume I was more than happy with it. I used it as a finishing oil for anything I wanted to impart actual truffle flavor to. Would completely recommend for anyone who loves black truffles and would like to be able to experience them year round.

[guynicklin]

A mustard video would be cool. Different dry products (different colored seeds, dry powder), different processed mustards, different ways to make homemade mustards. And seeing you tear up ftom eating mustards would be pure entertainment. lol

[LarryStrawson]

Went on a truffle hunt in Rome with dogs and after the tour our guide took us to his mom's place who cooked us over 10 Italian dishes with fresh truffles we had was a foodie religious experience I will never Keep up the great work on the videos Ethan and Happy New Years to you and yours as well!

[DarrenHowseMusic]

Truffle oil always reminds me of watching cooking competition shows, like Chopped. Whenever a chef decides to put truffle oil on top of their dish, they always get eliminated. You'd think they'd know better. Haha.

[silphonym]

The part about the chemical compound finally explains my confusing experience with truffle products. I've had some real fresh winter black truffle and white truffle in restaurants (on a risotto or pasta) nultiple times. And then at some point my mother started using truffle oil and it smelled so different from black truffle and more like a very strong smell of white truffle and it utterly confused me, because the labelling on the oil says it uses black truffle. Thank you for educating about this.

[JewishKeto]

I work in a grocery store pizza shop and we have a mushroom truffle pizza. The paste we use to make the sauce is “truffle” but it’s really button mushrooms mixed with truffle oil. If the jar we used was all truffle it be easily be $1000 a jar but it’s nowhere near that.

[rosebishop]

To start off, I have crohn's disease, and it makes it more difficult to process food. I started binging your videos after a very long hospital stay from a flare and resulting complications, and needless to say, it has helped me to create foods that are more well tolerated and more delicious! I would love to see you explore some gluten-free cooking and possibly compare different brands of gluten-free noodles. I tried a modified version of your spinach pasta with ingredients that I had, and it was to die for! To reiterate, your videos have made it so I can make food that doesn't hurt me, and that is absolutely delicious!

[jimjimgl]

I'm a photographer and once I was sent to Lorgues, France to photograph a restaurant and hotel named Chez Bruno. Their specialty was incorporating truffles in many of their dishes. It was interesting to taste some of the dishes which mainly were very subtlety infused with truffles--I remember a vanilla ice cream with truffle that I thought was great. Chez Bruno is still open and I believe run now by Chef Bruno's two sons.

[TheGallicWitch]

We are sheep farmers in France and have quite a lot of land in the Black Mountain region. The soil there has a few different qualities but on a couple of our land lots we have naturally accuring truffles at the base of our trees. So sometimes we go digging to find a couple for our personal use. it's pretty cool when you see the sheep dogs sniffing around the trees

[sirisa]

Just wanna leave a quick note, this is absolutely the best cooking channel I have seen on this platform, being able to add lasons learned here to my cooking has done wonders for my tastebuds and the the tastebuds of the people I feed. Understanding the process instead of a singular recipie has made me such a better cook where I can apply knowledge to most meals I make. Amazing work as usual with this video, please, keep it up!

[SugarOD]

Please do this same concept with chicken stock. There are so many variants and I think it would make a great video.

[mfman]

Been watching Ethan for years and it’s insane how he just keeps putting out exactly the kind of content I want to sit back and watch for 40+ minutes (or hours at a time)

[jg-]

This was a great deep dive! Any shot we could get a deep dive on eggs? I've always wondered how different the taste of cheapo bottom shelf eggs compsres to grass fed organic expensive stuff.

[bluecup]

How the hell is he pumping out these high quality documentaries so fast?

[diablominero]

Lots of mushrooms form symbiotic relationships with trees. It's just that you won't find those in grocery stores year-round for cheap because they can't be farmed. Chantarelles and porcini are two famous species that interact with trees the same way truffles do.

[mattia_carciola]

Suggestion from someone grown in Tuscany, very close to places famous for their truffles: look for the spring (march) white truffle! It costs way less than the Magnum, a bit more intense (and just a little less complex, maybe) for a huge price difference. Oh the amount of times we spent like 5€/person with friends to make butter truffle tagliolini with friends... Amazingly good, large portions, yes the price included fresh pasta (the supermarket one, but still good) and good butter.