Truffle storage

[Doodad]

Snagged a great deal on Italian truffles at a local store. These were in a jar with a little salt and water according to the label. No instruction on storage.

I went to smell them today and the liquid in the jar was moldy. I freaked out, scrubbed the truffles clean and the jar.

Now. How to store them so they are around for as long as I can stand not eating them all?

[OliverB]

could you not have gone and exchanged them? I'd be weary of eating something moldy (other than cheese).

If they are black truffles I'm pretty sure they freeze well too. I'd vac seal them individually and put them in the freezer, make sure to eat them within a couple months.

I would not leave them in the glass at room temp though.

[Doodad]

could you not have gone and exchanged them? I'd be weary of eating something moldy (other than cheese).

If they are black truffles I'm pretty sure they freeze well too. I'd vac seal them individually and put them in the freezer, make sure to eat them within a couple months.

I would not leave them in the glass at room temp though.

←

I doubt they are still in the store as there were few available. I scrubbed them with a mushroom brush as it was the liquid that molded not really the truffles. They look and smell fine. Trying to decide if I should submerge them in oil or brandy to keep them (that was what I saw looking online).

Thanks

[OliverB]

usually it seems that putting things in oil at home is fine for a couple days, but not for weeks. Brandy could work, but would most likely put flavor into them. not sure I'd like that.

I did find this via google:

The truffle can also be stored in olive oil prior to freezing. Completely cover the truffles with the oil (the truffles must be completely covered with oil or fat to avoid freezer burn). Freezing truffles in oil should force most of the aromatic esters (the elements which truffles are sought after) into the oil, where they should be captured for later use.

So it seems that if you put them in oil you'll get nice truffle oil, but the t's themselves might loose taste. If you have a vac pack, that might be the best? Maybe just cover them with oil a bit, then vac-seal and freeze.

Quite some more articles pop up on google for "storing truffles" or "freezing truffles"

I read somewhere (Alinea? French Laundry? Fat Duck? one of those I think) that they buy black truffle at their peak in bulk and freeze, but never freeze white truffles. I can't find the source right now, but that's what I read :-)

Or just scramble up some eggs and have at them! I sure wish I'd have some left over right now~~

[nchang]

Snagged a great deal on Italian truffles at a local store.  These were in a jar with a little salt and water according to the label.  No instruction on storage.

I went to smell them today and the liquid in the jar was moldy.  I freaked out, scrubbed the truffles clean and the jar. 

Now.  How to store them so they are around for as long as I can stand not eating them all?

←

It depends on how long you want to keep them. In my past experiences, we cryo-vac and freeze the truffles that are going to be stored for a long period (6 weeks max). For truffles that we knew that we were going to use within a week, we would put them in a container, cover them with aborio rice, and keep them in the cooler.

[iainpb]

I store my black truffles in olive oil in an airtight jar in the fridge. It's kept my truffle fresh and you end up with a nice truffle infused oil too.

[Fat Guy]

Are they white or black truffles?

[manton]

Black truffles I always pack in dry rice, at room temp. Bad idea? That's what gourmet markets do. The rice keeps them from getting soggy.

[Abra]

Since you know there are mold spores in there already, and possibly bacteria as well, I absolutely wouldn't put them in an anaerobic environment by submerging them in oil. I'd freeze them for safety, if I didn't just toss them first.

[Chris Hennes]

Are you saving them for any particular reason? Frankly, if you've decided not to worry about the mold, just eat them now. Storing them is only going to increase your risk: you got a good deal, time to celebrate!

[Leah Kinsella]

Snagged a great deal on Italian truffles at a local store.  These were in a jar with a little salt and water according to the label.  No instruction on storage.

I went to smell them today and the liquid in the jar was moldy.  I freaked out, scrubbed the truffles clean and the jar. 

Now.  How to store them so they are around for as long as I can stand not eating them all?

←

ABORIZO RICE!!!

Grab a large container, fill about 3/4 with rice, and store your black truffles in there.... its great and keeps them fresh for a long time.

Don't worry about mold, sounds grose but it is fungus anyways.

[Pierogi]

If I'm not mistaken, and I very well could be, the rice storage is for fresh truffles. These, if I understand the OP correctyl, are jarred, and have been packaged in a liquid-ish storage medium. I have some of these too, and found some with mold. Fortunately, I was able to exchange them.

I would certainly NOT store them in oil, molds and bacteria love to grow in those conditions. I might put them in a flavorless alcohol (vodka or neutral grain spirits), but again, some molds proliferate quite happily in alcohol. I would only consider this for very short-term storage.

I think the *safest* (and IMO that term is relative) is the vac freezing option, in small or individual packages, and for me, I wouldn't put any storage medium in the bag. Just the truffles.

However, that said, I'm not sure that you can be 100% certain that you got all the spores out of the truffles. Some mold filaments are microscopic. Yes, the truffles technically *are* fungus, and yes, mold is another form of a fungus, but.....

If you're really intent on turning the other cheek to the mold, then I think the suggestion to use them ASAP is the way to go.

If it were me, and I've worked in and around microbiology labs for a long time......I'd pitch 'em. Shed a tear, and look for replacements, but I personally wouldn't risk it. I think the options you found for preserving them would probably be fine for those specimens that hadn't grown fuzz...

YMMV.....