Buying a fresh truffle can be kind of scary, especially for first-timers. The price tag is imposing and the shelf life is brief…or so you’d think. We’re here today to help with tips and tricks for making the most of a fresh truffle purchase, and getting the most truffle-scented bang for your buck. And of course, we highly recommend you consider these beauties, available for purchase on our site.
Good things to know about fresh truffles:
Truffles continue to emit their aroma following harvest. Meaning, the longer they are exposed to air, the quicker their aroma fades away. Be careful with unnecessary air exposure! Wrap that truffle up and keep the scent safe.
Where does the aroma go? Truffle aroma vaporizes and disappears. It can also seep into surrounding absorbent items, such as rice or eggs, if it’s left long enough. This is how purposeful preservers incorporate true truffle aroma into their oils, creams and other products. Fun side tidbit: it’s an expensive egg dish, but scrambled eggs taste mighty nice when made from eggs that hung out around a truffle…
Storing fresh truffles largely depends on how long you want to keep them. Ask yourself: do you want to store this truffle for a short amount of time – meaning 1-3 weeks – or do you want to stretch the truffle out for long term use?
In all honesty, using it as quickly as possible is your best course of action. Truffles were meant to be consumed fresh and, like a car once it drives off the lot, the aroma starts s-l-o-w-l-y fading away once the truffle is exposed to air. Be like a little kid who can’t wait to tear into a new toy, if you can with your new truffle.
But if you can’t…you can’t. It’s cool. You have options.
Short Term Storage If you’re looking to savor your fresh truffle for 1-3 weeks, then your best bet is to chill it, carefully, in the fridge. Make sure that its clean and dry—dirt plays no role in conserving freshness and flavor. Fill a container with dry rice and keep your truffle submerged in the rice. Yes-this is just like the theory for how to save an iPhone that’s been dunked in water, but it’s also emulating the natural underground habitat of a fresh truffle, which keeps them from drying out. Start by pouring a thick layer of rice into the container. Place your clean truffles inside, set them a few centimeters apart from each other, and then pour more rice until your truffles are abundantly covered up. Seal the container and store it in a cool, dry, dark spot in your fridge.
We’ll reiterate: Rice absorbs moisture. Moisture is bad for a truffle, as it is bad for a cell phone. Storing your truffle in dry rice = no moisture! Do make sure to still check the truffle daily and make sure that it’s staying dry on all sides. You can trust the rice, but better safe than sorry.
Bonus: you’re going to end up with some lovely truffle-scented rice at the end of this storage plan. Risotto, anyone?
Long Term Storage If you’re looking to preserve your fresh truffles for 1-3 months, get them freezing in the freezer. As freezing “kind of” works for bread, it “kind of” works for truffles. Again, you’ll want your truffles to be devoid of dirt, so start with thorough cleaning and drying. Once done, wrap each truffle up and store it in the freezer. Let’s be clear about freezing, though. You will not want to shave your truffle after it’s been frozen. The flavor will be there, and it’s still fine and good to cook with. But the aroma, that’s pretty much gone by this point. It’s sad, but true. If you have to do the frozen route, use the truffle for cooking, not for shaving.
What do you want to wrap the truffle in for the freezer? Tinfoil is one option; we recommend cryovacing it over anything, or using a plastic bag where you can squeeze as much air out as possible. Foil is good, but there’s a higher likelihood of trapping air in foil than there a plastic bag. We don’t wait air; air is not this truffles friend.
Other Options You can make your own truffle products, such as oils and butters, with your new precious truffle! Turn that escaping aroma into something positive by storing your truffle in oil or in an airtight container with some butter or (let’s get decadent) a few eggs. The aroma will waft into these products and make for sublime truffle-scented cooking in the future. Oh little truffle, how we love thee…
Can i store freshly picked truffles in a neutral oil such as sunflowerseed oil? or should i just place them in a bag and then in fridge after picking ?
For best results, store in rice and use within a week.
HI! I live just south of the Oregon border in northern CA. While working in the yard I found what I think are white truffles. I can send a picture so you can see and let me know if they are. We went truffle hunting last year on Mount Shasta with a US Forest Service group but they only found one. We are lower in elevation but have lots of pine trees and decaying roots. Let me know how I can get a picture to you. Thank you!
Hi Brenda,
Sorry for the delay!
You can send your inquiry to customerservice@dibruno.com
I’ve been storing black truffles in my frig for a week now. I’ve seen a tiny bit of white fuzzy mold growing on them, which I’ve cleaned off with water and light brushing (restoring them in paper towel to absorb moisture). Does the fuzzy mold make them unsafe to eat?
Best to sample a small sliver ASAP to see if any flavor remains. Be mindful of any adverse reactions, it’s unclear how the truffles were originally sourced, stored, or transported prior to arriving in your fridge. We hope they’re still usable for you to enjoy!
Hello
I have found a crop of summer truffles in my garden. Under my birch tree. The tips have become visible because I’ve had a marquee up for 4 months . However I’m not sure how many more there are or what to do them . I would like to find someone to buy them I suppose . Any ideas ?
I haven’t lifted them yet .
Also do you think there will be more on the roots lower down ? And will they come again ?
Many thanks
Jo
Hi Joanna,
We chatted with our truffle partners and have some insight to share:
“It is not completely uncommon to hear of someone who might live on ground that has some truffles. It is not common but it happens especially with the detail of it being a birch tree.
To the root of the question, no pun intended, these may or may not be summer truffles. The only way to really know is to have a mycologist to check them out. Of course if you shaved them and saw they were black on the outside and creamish looking on the inside I would say there is a pretty good chance they are summer truffles.
I would suggest you take a few – inspect them, and even shave some slices to see what they look like on the inside. If they are fairly solid and not too squishy they in fact might be edible and ripe. Will there be more on the lower roots? Possibly but truffles essentially grow wild so the only way to know is to check the roots of that specific birch tree. Will they grow again? There is not a hard rule on this one as there are a lot of factors that determine that. I think you should harvest some of the truffles, but I would not remove them all from the roots. Overharvesting is one sure way to decrease the odds of truffles growing again.”
Very helpful especially as it is my first time buying truffles. Thanks!
Can I double (triple) my pleasure by storing my truffle in rice and then putting some eggs (in the shell I’m assuming) in the same container ? That would be amazing!
Sure, just make sure the container is air-tight (mason jar or tupperware). Refrigeration is recommended for the eggs.
My truffles smell of ammonia. Are they safe to eat?
We would advise against it.
If you’re really keen to consume it, open it and let it breathe for an hour or so and see if the smell dissipates. If it does, you may be OK. But sadly, it’s likely the truffle is past prime and not worth using anymore.
I want to send some fresh truffles to my family in New York. I live in Greece. What is the best way to pack it, so it will be fresh once it arrives, after aproximatelly 4 days
We recommend asking the merchant from which you’re purchasing. Generally, you would consider cryovacing, and packing it with dry ice so it doesn’t get wet and stays cold. However, there are limitations to shipping dry ice overseas.
Please be sure to check with the merchant in Greece before making a purchase.
I bought some fresh truffles in Italy and they vacuum sealed them. Two weeks later we are home. Are they bad! I wanted to share with friends but not if they are bad.
If they were sealed and kept cold, they should still good. If they’ve been at room temp, there could be some issues with freshness. We recommend that you trust your nose. If it still smells like a truffle, they’re probably good to go.
Hello I found white truffles packed in jars with water… is this a good way to keep them , would they retain their aroma or lose it ? Thanks in advance.
Packed in a jar, with some water and hermetically sealed, is how they are generally shipped from Europe. This is common and allows for a long shelf life. There should also be a use by date on it. Enjoy!
I’m harvesting truffles on top of the soil under an oak tree in a curved bed in a parking lot, of all places in Hillsboro OR.
How odd is that? Little tan orbs.
What would you advice regarding shipping truffles. The entire journey will take approximately 6 days, can I transport them frozen with dry ice?
It’s never ideal to freeze truffles. I’d advise having fresh truffles overnighted once you get there, if that’s an option.
Depending on how recently they were harvested, it might be better to keep it in a sealed container (mason jar, Tupperware) in rice, and use it as close to possible after the 6 day journey.
I recently bought fresh truffle at a market. The vendor vacuum sealed it for me but I am traveling for the next week. Will it stay fresh if it is vacuum sealed but not refrigerated?
If sealed fresh, it should remain fresh. Enjoy!
I found some truffles but i cant identify it if i send the picture of it would you be able to help me thank you
Yes, please share your picture and we’ll do our best to help you identify.
Incredibly helpful. Thanks guys.
If you store your truffle in dry rice, do you still need to place the container in the refrigerator?
Yes, unless it’s being kept in a consistently cool/cold environment, you’ll want to keep it in the fridge for short term use, and freeze it for long-term use.
Enjoy!
Thank you for this information was very helpful .