I thought of asking in the crinkle-cut fries thread, but figured it might be worth a thread of it’s own.
Ohmygawd, i luuuuv them
A nice upgrade from regular fries
Meh, maybe sometimes, for variety
I prefer plain
They taste like dirt. Shame, because they look like fries
Something else
0voters
I really dislike truffle oil on fries. If I’m really hungry, I’ll eat a few, but it basically ruins the fries for me. But i notice they’re getting more and more popular, so i guess I’m in a minority. Or maybe it’s an emperor’s new clothes thing, and people eat them because they cost more.
IMO truffled fries are appropriate for a nice meal where ordinary fries would be the scruffiest thing on the plate by far.
But truffled fries with a burger, even an elaborate one? Pure pretension and price-escalation. With a side of “Chasing the latest ‘in’ ingredient as seen on TV.” Spare me.
Truffled fries are typically made by cooking up a bunch of regular fries and then tossing them with truffle oil (or maybe truffle salt) at the very end. These are almost always inferior flavoring products compared to actual truffles, boosted with artificial additives.
As a result, when I first encountered truffled fries, I thought they were pretty neat, but over the years I’ve grown to, not exactly dislike them, but maybe disdain them, because I know the real aroma of actual truffle is much better than this. I’ll eat them, but I know they’re a B-tier luxury at best.
If you have the time, money, and inclination to work with true fresh truffles (or high-quality canned or jarred truffle), I would suggest mashed potato as a better vehicle (don’t skimp on the butter) or a very simple risotto (don’t compete with the truffle by adding saffron or something). Or infuse it into mayonnaise and put that on your burger. I once whipped up some truffled deviled eggs; those were divine.
Edit to add: I suspect the “tastes like dirt” perception comes from the fact that truffle is supposed to be an aroma and not really a taste. Basically, if you want the food to have that pleasant smell but you’re using a cheap artificially-boosted oil or salt where the volatiles have started to fade, you have to add more of it in order to get the distinct aroma, and that negatively affects the flavor.
I recently had truffled fries at a Michelin 2 star restaurant. They had the same unpleasant flavor as everywhere else I’ve had them. Truffles aren’t, at least to me, a pleasant experience. Not a “b-tier luxury” and certainly not divine. It’s a way to make the food taste mildly unpleasant.
The first time i had them, i ate a few wondering “what’s wrong with these fries” before i learned what the problem was. Until then, i wondered if they’d somehow gone off or something.
I’ve had truffle fries a couple times. They’re ok in small quantities, but too much of them is just…too much. I agree with other posters that French fries are not the greatest delivery vehicle for truffle flavor. I like to add truffle flavoring to risottos, omelets, and a white clam sauce I make is really brought up a notch with a subtle addition of it.
I’ve had meals with fresh truffles added in restaurants, but never tried cooking with fresh truffles. I can afford $100 or more for a golf ball sized truffle, but I don’t know if I could really justify it. How long does a fresh truffle even keep? I wouldn’t want to be adding truffle to everything until I’m sick of the flavor just to use it up.
I’ve tried jarred truffles, which are finely chopped truffles preserved in olive oil, but was unimpressed with their impact. I’ve heard that truffles don’t really keep well with their full flavor that way. Lately I use a truffle oil brand called Truff I like which is supposed to be infused with real truffles (most truffle oil is artificially flavored).
That’s how i feel about caviar and shark fin soup. I’ve had both as a guest at other people’s weddings. And i enjoyed them. And i don’t foresee ever paying for them myself.
I disdain truffle fries for all the reasons already stated by others. The oil is a poor substitute for the real deal, and since I live in a forest full of Douglas firs, I’m fortunate to be able to harvest fresh truffles every year in season.
I’ve found all four Oregon varieties on my land: Winter White, Oregon Spring White, Oregon Black and Oregon Brown, though the Winter Whites are by far the most common.
The first one ever found on my property was by my now-late little dachshund, Lewis, on his own volition. Never could get him to find another one, though. I learned my own nose would guide me well enough.
They are lovely over scrambled eggs or sparingly over creamy pasta or risotto dishes. A light shave over white-sauced pizza is also nice.
Because of the “trendy” nature of upscale restaurant patronage, chefs great and small are always seeking some new ingredient or preparation method to signal they’re the next hot thing and drive massive traffic to their store. Which of course all the others copy quickly.
“Avocado toast” anyone? Innovative the first time and now a pitiful cliché of midscale-and-up restaurant breakfasting everywhere.
The good news is truffle fries are just one more fad and will be gone soon enough.
I think avocado toast is here to stay. I’m not a huge avocado fan, but lots of people love it, and nutritionally, putting a lot of avocado on toast makes it a full meal. It’s a nice vegetarian breakfast option.
Honestly, most people like foods i don’t. I’m a picky eater. And I’m sensitive to something in peppers (red, green, hot, sweet) and strongly dislike any food that contains them. There are whole cuisines i basically can’t eat. And see above about not liking avocado.
But most of the food i dislike i can see how others like them. But i legit wonder if people actually like truffled fries.
But i see that more than a quarter of the people answering the poll like them.
Wow. I had never looked at in that light. Thank you. It’s amazing how often you in particular open my eyes to a new perspective on an old topic.
I love avocado, but as a diabetic eat very little bread. So avocado toast would be great … if they held the toast . I’m sure I’ve seen it with various incarnations with non-vegetarian accessories like eggs or bacon or whatever on top or alongside. For me the toast is always the deal-breaker.
. I’m sure I’ve seen it with various incarnations with non-vegetarian accessories like eggs or bacon or whatever on top or alongside. For me the toast is always the deal-breaker.