The Ingredient You'll Never Find in Martha Stewart's Recipes
For years, Martha Stewart has been sharing her genius recipes and whip-smart cooking tips. Three of our favorites? Her easiest one-pot pasta, the genius hacks for her mom's coffee cake recipe and how to use olive oil on a budget.
On her website, Martha has even shared an extensive list of the essential pantry ingredients every home cook needs. There's a lot on the lineup, which makes you think there's nothing missing, but there's one ingredient Martha avoids at all costs. 'Oh, I would never use truffle oil, oh never," the culinary figure told the Today Show back in 2018. And in a separate Reddit Ask Me Anything session, Martha replied to one commenter, saying that truffle oil "doesn't belong in anyone's kitchen." Let's unpack Martha's feelings about this pungent condiment, shall we?
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I'm Martha Stewart. Ask me almost anything! It's a good thing. by u/ThisIsMarthaStewart in IAmA
What is Truffle Oil?
For the uninitiated, truffle oil is olive oil infused with truffles, a member of the fungi family. Truffles are revered by fans for their woodsy, earthy, umami-packed flavor and a musky aroma that's hard to compare to anything else. Home cooks often use truffle oil in sauces and to finish pastas and soups. But for every truffle oil fan, there's a hater, which makes it a true love-it-or-hate-it delicacy. And Martha is definitely in the hate-it camp.
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Why Does Martha Stewart Hate Truffle Oil?
'It's bad," Stewart told the Today Show. "They've done many studies on truffle oil. It's synthetic, it's fake, it's horrible. It clings to your taste buds. It's a hideous thing. Forget truffle oil.' Before you start wondering if Martha is being overly dramatic, you should know that while real truffle oil is certainly available, a vast percentage of commercially produced truffle oils are made with synthetic flavorings.
Truffles are extremely expensive and hard to harvest, but synthetic truffle flavoring can be manufactured on a dime and many say it provides a close-enough flavor to that of real truffles. Of course, that doesn't fly with some purists, including Martha, but also chef Gordon Ramsay, who called it "pungent and overrated" in an episode of Hot Ones.
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What's the Best Way to Use Truffle Oil?
We know that Martha isn't going to be using truffle oil anytime soon, but if all this truffle oil talk has made you curious about the ingredient, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, according to America's Test Kitchen, seeing the word "natural" on the label doesn't really mean that the oil is made with real truffles. The USDA doesn't regulate the term "natural," unless the word appears on the packaging for meat and poultry. If you're able to get a sample of a truffle oil before fully committing, try to do that.
Once you have your truffle oil home, make sure to use it as a finishing oil by adding a small drizzle or droplets over dishes to elevate them with a subtle, savory, earthy pop. The truffle flavor will be compromised if the oil is exposed to high heat, so you should avoid using it as a cooking fat.The Ingredient You'll Never Find in Martha Stewart's Recipes first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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