# Truffle Oil



## PerthMobility (Apr 5, 2016)

Has anyone tried a little Truffle Oil in CP soap yet? If so please may I have SAP and if possible the hardness? Thanks


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## Obsidian (Apr 5, 2016)

You need to check the ingredients on the bottle, most truffle oil is some cheap oil like olive or grapeseed with added flavor. At least it is in the US. I wouldn't bother using it in CP, make some yummy truffle fries instead


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## PerthMobility (Apr 5, 2016)

We have one of the worlds largest truffle growing areas just down the road. The oil is quite genuine. More information here:

http://truffleandwine.com.au/component/com_platfform/Itemid,347/layout,productcategory/productCategoryId,29/view,crm/

Would you like me to send you some? Here are the ingredients:

  _This is the magical elixir that makes all the beautiful earthy and pungent aromas of the truffle available all year round!   Produced using 100% Western Australia Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Truffle and Truffle Aroma._


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## Obsidian (Apr 5, 2016)

Since its made with olive oil, you would use that on your lye calculator of choice. Is it cheap since its produced close by? Its a expensive oil here and I'd never waste it in soap. Especially since I can't imagine it really adding anything to the soap.


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## Seawolfe (Apr 5, 2016)

I think what obsidian meant was that the truffle oil isn't made by pressing truffles to extract the oil...

You answered your own question, use the sap for olive oil. Doesn't matter what it's infused with, the sap should be the same.


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## PerthMobility (Apr 5, 2016)

Many thanks, sorry for the newbie questions. I will give it a go and report back later.


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## Relle (Apr 6, 2016)

That's expensive infused olive oil, I wouldn't waste your money.


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## Susie (Apr 6, 2016)

I am going to repeat the excellent advice from above, do not waste your money on using that in soap!  I seriously doubt any of the truffle loveliness will survive the lye.  Instead, use it on something you are going to eat, so that you get to enjoy it when the truffles are gone.


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## PerthMobility (Apr 6, 2016)

It turned out that I could not buy a single bottle of Truffle Oil in my home town (pop 95,000) so ... I have placed a wholesale order and we will soon be selling it from our showroom alongside our rapidly developing stocks of oils and soaps.

At least now if I waste my money it will be my wholesale money not my retail money.  Anyway, it is all coming out of the kids inheritance. 

PS: I intend to add it after the lye is no longer lye. At "trace" I think I should be calling it.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Apr 6, 2016)

"After the cook in hot process" is what you should be calling it. all things being equal, soap takes around 24 hours to saponify. Trace can be anywhere around 30minutes of mixing - often less, sometimes more, so we can go with 30 minutes. 

So at trace, the lye has only been active for 1/48th of the total time that the lye will be active for. 

Not only that, but Dr Kevin Dunn actually analysed soaps with oils added upfront and at trace to see if there was any difference in the make up of them, and there wasn't.


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## PerthMobility (Apr 6, 2016)

Thank you Craig. I shall forget the late adding at trace then as being pointless. 

As there does not seem to be any results available of in depth studies as to what happens to fungi when mixed with caustic soda, (sounds shocking like that) I shall fully kit myself with all the safety gear and give it a go. 

I love experimenting, but fear not, I promise to keep adequate supplies in reserve for the culinary art.


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## Obsidian (Apr 6, 2016)

I've been curious about using chaga mushroom tea in soap so I'm interested in how your experiment turns out. Please keep us updated.


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## PerthMobility (Apr 6, 2016)

I will, I promise. Thanks for your interest. Keep your fingers crossed ...


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## penelopejane (Apr 7, 2016)

My niece bought me some of that oil.  Could not smell or taste any difference between that and OO at all. Absolute hype about nothing. 30g of truffle costs $30.  There are no free rides in this world.

I was and still am very annoyed by the advertising. I understand buyer beware but I also understand a scam that tricks unsuspecting people. 

It is like those companies that advertise that they sell Black African Soap and it turns out they add 5% Black African soap to some other mix.  Really?


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## topofmurrayhill (Apr 7, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> My niece bought me some of that oil.  Could not smell or taste any difference between that and OO at all. Absolute hype about nothing. 30g of truffle costs $30.  There are no free rides in this world.
> 
> I was and still am very annoyed by the advertising. I understand buyer beware but I also understand a scam that tricks unsuspecting people.
> 
> It is like those companies that advertise that they sell Black African Soap and it turns out they add 5% Black African soap to some other mix.  Really?



The moment you hear someone on one of those competitive cooking TV shows mention truffle oil, you can kiss them goodbye. The judges always remark on the strong flavor as a distraction and eliminate them. Maybe it was just OO.


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## penelopejane (Apr 7, 2016)

topofmurrayhill said:


> The moment you hear someone on one of those competitive cooking TV shows mention truffle oil, you can kiss them goodbye. The judges always remark on the strong flavor as a distraction and eliminate them. Maybe it was just OO.



TOMH,

I am sure it had 0.1% truffle oil in it.  :twisted:


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## PerthMobility (Apr 7, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> TOMH,
> 
> I am sure it had 0.1% truffle oil in it.  :twisted:



I contacted the bottler/supplier of Truffle Oil in Manjimup in Western Australia, which is the Aus home of Truffle growing. They advised that Truffle Oil is a volatile essential oil and that they blend 2% of Truffle Oil with 98% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Western Australian) of course.

I also learned that a certain supermarket chain that was selling Truffle Oil no longer does so after being condemned by a TV Chef for marketing a product with less than 2% essential oil. So the word seems to be to purchase from a reliable source or caveat emptor (let the buyer beware).

My reading leads me to understand that virtually any essential oil should be mixed with a carrier oil such as EVOO or macadamia or wheatgerm at a rate of about 2%.


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## topofmurrayhill (Apr 8, 2016)

PerthMobility said:


> I contacted the bottler/supplier of Truffle Oil in Manjimup in Western Australia, which is the Aus home of Truffle growing. They advised that Truffle Oil is a volatile essential oil and that they blend 2% of Truffle Oil with 98% Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Western Australian) of course.



There's no essence or essential oil made from truffles. It's not a thing. What they are referring to when you hear those terms is synthetic flavor / aroma concoction mixed with a carrier oil. No innocent truffles were harmed in the making of this product, and by the way it will get you kicked off the cooking show.

From Wikipedia:

_Most truffle oils are not made from actual truffles. Instead they are a synthetic product that combines a thioether (2,4-dithiapentane), one of numerous aromas or odorants found in truffles, with an olive oil or grapeseed oil base.

In a New York Times article, Daniel Patterson complained, "[truffle oil's] one-dimensional flavor is also changing common understanding of how a truffle should taste."

Gordon Ramsay has referred to natural truffle oil as "a chef's dream", and to synthetic truffle oil as "one of the most pungent, ridiculous ingredients ever known to [this] chef."

Anthony Bourdain said, "Let it be stated here, unto forever and eternity, truffle oil is not food."

Martha Stewart expressed her dislike of truffle oil in a 2014 post on Reddit, stating "I think truffle oil is one of the few ingredients that doesn't belong in anyone's kitchen. It's ruinous of most recipes."

Joe Bastianich said, "It’s made by perfumists. It’s garbage olive oil with perfume added to it, and it’s very difficult to digest. It’s bad for you. It’s bad for New Yorkers. It’s bad for the American people. So, stop it."._


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## PerthMobility (Apr 8, 2016)

I think the very first word from the Wikipedia defines the discussion. It says "*Most*" not "*All*". Having said that, I withdraw as I am not a qualified chemist and must rely on the word of the producer. 

I will say this however Australia's organic certification regulations are very tough and making false claims can be very expensive. 

I do not know if USA regulations are as tough but here is what one producer claims:

_We are the only company that makes 100% USDA Organic truffle and  porcini oils, and guarantee all of our ingredients are real. And by real  we mean real truffles, no artificial flavors, no "aroma" no "essence"  and no "extracts" these are all just terms to deceive the public. You  can give this set with confidence as a gift and your recipient will  greatly appreciate you did your research. Instead of bringing over wine  to a dinner party bring a truly memorable gift [trade name redacted] USDA 100%  Organic Truffle oil set_.


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## topofmurrayhill (Apr 8, 2016)

PerthMobility said:


> I think the very first word from the Wikipedia defines the discussion. It says "*Most*" not "*All*". Having said that, I withdraw as I am not a qualified chemist and must rely on the word of the producer.
> 
> I will say this however Australia's organic certification regulations are very tough and making false claims can be very expensive.
> 
> ...



That's right, most but not all. In other words, almost all. For instance, the United States has a producer of real truffle oil. One. https://www.oregontruffleoil.com/

USDA certification requires 95% organic ingredients. Flavors don't have to be organic, but derived from natural sources that needn't be truffles.

The industry has mastered double talk to an amazing extent. There is no record of da Rosario, which you quote above, of ever having made a straightforward statement. Apparently it takes two compound sentences to state that their product is in some way "real". Here is something written by Rosario Safina:

_There are many products out there purporting to be made from truffles, but unless you’re a label detective, searching for true truffle oil can be very misleading. Here’s a hint: if the label says USDA 100% Certified Organic, you can bet there are real, organic truffle pieces inside._

Again, it means nothing. Many products contain tasteless pieces of dried truffle. They are there for show, not to flavor the product. I will try to find an ingredient list, but the closest thing to one I have seen describes the product as made from organic oil, organic truffles, and truffle essence.

Here we go:

Black Truffle Flavored Olive Oil:
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Black Winter Truffles (T. Melanosporum) And 100% Organic Truffles Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

White Truffle Flavored Olive Oil:
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic White Truffles (T. Magnatum Pico) And 100% Organic Truffles Flavored Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

More double talk. If they don't make it clear whether it's Organic Truffles Flavored or Organic Truffles Flavored, which should we assume it is?


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## dixiedragon (Apr 8, 2016)

I have no knowledge of truffle oil so I can't contribute there (also I hate mushrooms so I assume I would not like truffles) but I am wondering if your truffle oil might be good in lip balm or lotion?


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## penelopejane (Apr 9, 2016)

Dixiedragon even the best is 98% olive oil.


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## galaxyMLP (Apr 9, 2016)

I love mushrooms but once I had "truffle chips" made with truffle oil and man, that stuff is awful! I love all kinds of food and was quite excited to try truffle chips, but I was sorely disappointed and I don't think I'll be trying any truffle oils/foods unless I was able to see the actual truffle coming from the ground. 

Fun piece of info: most people think truffles are pulled out of the grounds by pigs but they aren't. They're most often found by dogs because pigs like the so much that they eat them when they find them! (I don't exactly know if it's true but it's what I've heard)


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## dixiedragon (Apr 9, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> Dixiedragon even the best is 98% olive oil.



I know, but olive oil is good in lip balm and lotion as well. And if a person enjoys the scent/taste of truffle oil, they might enjoy that. Plus, label appeal.


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## TeresaT (Apr 9, 2016)

Personally, I think the only good truffle is the chocolate melt-in-your-mouth kind.  But that's just me.  

(Once again, I add absolutely nothing relative to the conversation!)


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## Obsidian (Apr 9, 2016)

Personally, I would love to try some real truffle infused oils. I've never met a mushroom I didn't like and I'm sure truffles would be no different.


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## topofmurrayhill (Apr 9, 2016)

Obsidian said:


> Personally, I would love to try some real truffle infused oils. I've never met a mushroom I didn't like and I'm sure truffles would be no different.



I've never been terribly eager to try it, but I'd go with Oregon producers to get real infused stuff and avoid oil + flavor compounds.

https://www.oregontruffleoil.com/

I don't know the reputation of this one but it sounds legit and the reviews are good:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/233362866/tuckers-oregon-black-truffle-oil

A truffle oil described as having 2% truffle essential oil is clearly the fake stuff.


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