Guide · 3 min

Culinary Gold: Navigating Black and White Truffles

Truffles are highly aromatic underground fungi best shaved raw over warm, fatty food.

Last updated: July 5, 2026

Use store-bought or positively identified edible mushrooms. This page is cooking guidance, not wild mushroom identification.
Several truffle varieties
Best heatNo direct heat
CutPaper-thin shavings
Cook timeAt serving
FinishWarm pasta or risotto

Compare all cook times →

Use truffles without killing the aroma

Truffle aromatics are volatile. White truffles should never be heated; shave them raw over warm buttered pasta or risotto at the last moment.

Fast method

  1. Keep truffles cool and aromatic.
  2. Do not heat white truffles directly.
  3. Use a truffle razor or shaver.
  4. Shave paper-thin slices over warm buttered pasta or risotto right before serving.

Cook times

MethodTimeDone when
Raw shaveAt servingPaper-thin shavings hit warm food.

Small fixes that matter

  • White truffles should never be cooked.
  • Warm food releases aroma without destroying it.
  • A little goes a long way.

Good with

buttered pasta, risotto, eggs, cream sauces.