It is necessary to store the truffle correctly since you can understand its real taste only if it is fresh. The fruit body has an exquisite, unique, and rich flavor that is highly valued by gourmets all over the world.
How do you store fresh truffles? Truffles are expensive, so it’s important to be able to store them properly. The truffles must remain dry during storage. How do you pack a truffle? Wrap them in a paper towel, place them in an airtight container or jar with a lid, and store them in the refrigerator. To prevent it from rotting, a piece of cloth is changed every two days. You can also wrap each fruit in a soft paper that is replaced daily.
Can truffles go bad? Yes, truffles can go bad. Truffles will go bad if they are subject to excessive moisture or if you do not change the paper towel that covers truffles in the fridge.
How to Store Fresh Truffles — Ultimate Guide
How long can truffles stay at room temperature? Truffles can stay for up to 5 days at room temperature. That is why you need to store truffles in a fridge. Wrap truffles in a cloth, place it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge. Fresh truffles should preferably be consumed within three days. Do not wash truffles if you want to keep them fresh longer.
The shelf life of the truffle depends on the temperature and storage conditions. So, yes, truffles can go bad if they are subject to excess moisture. Dry cloth or paper can increase the truffle storage time up to 30 days.
Do you refrigerate truffles? To keep truffles fresh longer, you should refrigerate them. You can store truffles in the refrigerator in the vegetable drawer or another cool place.
How long can you store fresh truffles? You can store a truffle in the refrigerator for no more than 10 days, but with the right approach, the shelf life can be easily increased to one month. But you should not postpone cooking truffles because even if all recommendations are followed, the mushrooms quickly deteriorate.
Storing Truffles In Rice
How do you store truffles in rice? To preserve the unique taste of truffles, put them in a non-transparent container, and put rice on them. Close the container and put it in the darkest place in the fridge. Truffles can be stored for up to 30 days in these conditions. Rice will absorb some of the truffle’s aroma and will taste delicious, too. So, do not throw this rice away.
Storing Truffles in Oil
How do you store truffles in oil? Instead of rice, you can use olive oil, which absorbs mushroom juice and the aroma. Wash the truffles before putting them in olive oil. Place truffles in a container and put them in the fridge. How long do truffles last in oil? In oil, truffles will last up to 30 days if stored in the refrigerator.
Freezing Truffles
Can I freeze truffles? Yes, you can freeze truffles. The fruit body of the truffle will retain its taste and nutritional qualities when frozen. Wrap each truffle in foil and put them in the freezer at a temperature of -10° -15 °C. Defrost at room temperature before use.
It is undesirable to freeze sauces or dishes prepared with truffles. Meanwhile, freezing is suitable for butter that contains truffles.
Many culinary specialists prefer to cover the mushrooms with sand, which must be covered with a damp cloth. Then close with a lid. Thus, the shelf life is increased to one month.
Another proven method of truffle storing is canning. Place truffles in a glass container, and add alcohol. The liquid should lightly coat the mushrooms. It is not recommended to store such truffles for more than two years, otherwise, alcohol will take away all the aroma and taste of the truffle. Do not get rid of the alcohol later as it can be used to cook aromatic sauces or added to meat and fish dishes.
Sterilization is best avoided (a method of killing microorganisms by exposure to high temperatures), as this can destroy the truffle aroma. You should also avoid cooking truffle dishes that require high temperatures, in particular above 80 ° C.
That said, the shelf life of fresh truffles is not long. To feel the full uniqueness of the aroma, they need to be eaten in a couple of days or even hours after collection. That is why, with the beginning of the season, true connoisseurs and restaurants are trying to get these mushrooms very quickly.
But people have found a way to store this delicacy. Storage in rice allows you to make delicious risotto from it in the future. Storage in oil makes it unique and aromatic. Also, truffles can be frozen.
To preserve the truffle longer, it is better to put it in the fridge or freeze it. Sometimes, during transportation, truffles are covered with rice or placed in olive oil, which makes it possible to keep the mushrooms fresh for longer.
Be very careful when cooking truffles, as prolonged cooking can eliminate all special nutritional properties of truffles. Most often, truffles are eaten raw, but they can also be pre-processed. It is very important to remember that a truffle can be stored for 4 days, while it must be in an airtight closed container in the refrigerator.
Experienced experts recommend storing the mushroom in a form peeled from the ground and placed in rice, which will prevent the mushrooms from drying out or excessively moisturizing.
How Do You Dry Truffles?
The best way to handle truffles when storing them for the winter is to dry them. Dehydrated mushroom completely retains their taste, and when soaked, it will become almost like fresh.
How do you dry truffles? To dry truffles properly, follow these steps:
- Slice the truffles into thin slices.
- Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or a wire rack. The slices should not touch.
- Preheat the oven to 40-50°С. Place a baking sheet or rack with mushrooms in it.
- When the mushrooms begin to dry out noticeably, increase the heat to 60–75°C.
- Watch until the mushrooms are ready.
Do not wash truffles before drying, otherwise, they will be saturated with water and may rot. Slice the truffles so that the slices would not exceed 0.5 cm.
If necessary, soak dried truffles in clean water for 1-2 hours, thoroughly wash from the soil, and prepare according to the recipe. Truffles can be fried, added to side dishes, to pasta, to an omelet, or to a steak. They are also prepared as a separate dish, for example, “Truffles in Champagne”.
A couple of pieces can be put in a bottle of vegetable oil, then any dish made with this oil will acquire a delicate mushroom aroma. And if you grind dry mushrooms on a coffee grinder, they will make an excellent sauce.
Storing Fried Truffles
- Rinse truffles thoroughly, preferably with a brush.
- Cut into cubes and place in a dry skillet. After a couple of minutes, the slices will start to juice. Stir them over low heat, and when the juice evaporates, add olive oil or ghee. Fry for 20 minutes, and add salt at the end of the process.
- Transfer immediately to hot sterilized jars. A layer of oil of at least 1 cm should remain on top of the mushrooms.
- Roll up the jars and sterilize for at least an hour.
