The Bourgeois Oil Martha Stewart Can't Stand
Chef and businesswoman Martha Stewart is a master when it comes to the culinary arts. She went from running her own catering business, to writing her own cookbooks (26 to date!) and starring on cooking and lifestyle television shows like "Martha Stewart's Cooking School." She's even co-hosted a show, "Potluck Dinner Party," with her friend, rapper Snoop Dogg.
When it comes to enjoying food, Stewart has a few personal rules she abides by. For starters, she refuses to eat grilled chicken salad. She told TODAY she would "never" serve the salad in her own home, and said that it was "not her style." You'll also never find her grabbing a Pumpkin Spice Latte (often shortened to PSL) from her local Starbucks. When asked by a fan on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Stewart expressed her distaste for the flavor.
There is one ingredient that Stewart flat-out refuses to use, and actively speaks out against — truffle oil.
She will never use this oil
When asked by TODAY what ingredients she refused to cook with, Martha Stewart was quick to call out truffle oil. She told the outlet, "I would never use truffle oil." Though the oil is often regarded as a higher class ingredient, Stewart evidently doesn't agree. She does note that it is the oil in particular that she takes issue with, not the truffles.
"It's synthetic, it's fake, it's horrible," Stewart reportedly said. True truffle oil infuses extra virgin olive oil with the raw spores. However, this is time-consuming and costly to produce. Plenty of synthetic versions are created as a more affordable option. The compound 2,4-dithiapentane mimics the flavor and smell of truffles, without needing to actually come from the plant.
Though this copycat flavor might be satisfactory for some — perhaps even tasting a little better, since you'll know your wallet is thanking you — Stewart can tell the difference. "It's a hideous thing," she said. "Forget truffle oil."
Other chefs agree
Martha Stewart isn't alone in her hatred of the oil, either. Back in 2017, the late Anthony Bourdain also voiced his opinion on it, calling it "horrible," reports Eater. And, according to the Los Angeles Times, Gordon Ramsay once called white truffle oil "one of the most pungent, ridiculous ingredients" during a Season 2 episode of MasterChef. During the episode, Joe Bastianich agreed, saying the use of the oil was "a sure sign of someone who doesn't know what they're doing," before throwing the bottle into the trash.
Most white truffle oil is created synthetically, and though it lacks "real" truffles, the association could hike up the price, even on cheaper bottles. If you really want the taste of truffles in your dish, there's no substitute for the real thing. To finish your meal off, you can instead grate pieces of truffle over the top, or sprinkle in some truffle salt, which includes minced pieces of truffles.