Cooking with Saffron .. Tips?

[ControlD]

So I have been getting into cooking Spanish dishes recently and I decided that I wanted to make some Arroz con Pollo last weekend. The recipe called for Saffron, which is something I have never purchased before. I went to the local grocery and somewhat reluctantly dropped $17 on a vial of Spanish Saffron threads (1.5 grams I think) and headed home ready to cook.

Now, the recipe called for one teaspoon of saffron which seemed like an awful lot. I did a little bit of research and that's when the confusion set it. Some people say to use 3-4 strands per person. Most people say to use a "pinch". A pinch of salt is easy. Saffron is this mass of strands all matted together. I could "pinch" the entire 1.5 grams if I wanted to. I have no idea how one would go about measuring this stuff in teaspoons anyhow. It isn't granular and doesn't measure easily.

I ended up using something like 10 strands. I mashed them up and soaked them in some hot water for 20 minutes or so and poured the whole thing in my dish. I might as well not have used any. The rice didn't come out yellow at all and the dish was bland. (My recipe called for 1.5 cups of rice, 3 cups of chicken stock if that helps).

So, there must be some people here knowledgeable in the ways of cooking with saffron. How do you measure it? What is considered a "safe" amount to use in a dish without overpowering it?

 

[IronWing]

The yellow "saffron" color of saffron rice is usually gained by adding a bit of tumeric. Saffron will impart a bit of yellow but not enough to get the golden yellow.

For the amount of rice you had, I would use maybe twice as much saffron as you did. I generally steep the saffron whole in a couple tablespoons of hot water for just a few minutes add the saffron after the rice is cooked.

 

[feralkid]

^^^ yes, or use "Mexican Saffron" (safflower, which is dirt cheap by comparison) or annato (also very inexpensive) for the color.

 

[Matthiasa]

Well besides massively overpaying for that quantity you did not use nearly enough in your dish. You really did need to use a pinch, which would be ~.25-.5grams.

Don't mash them, just put them directly in water. It should turn it a bright yellow. The mixture should then be added towards or at the end of of the cooking process, as to not denature it.

Additionally saffron while having a very distinct flavor can be overpowered fairly easily.


Something to think about also is that it is pollen so be careful with serving it to others unless you know they don't have allergies to it.

 

[ControlD]

The yellow "saffron" color of saffron rice is usually gained by adding a bit of tumeric. Saffron will impart a bit of yellow but not enough to get the golden yellow.

For the amount of rice you had, I would use maybe twice as much saffron as you did. I generally steep the saffron whole in a couple tablespoons of hot water for just a few minutes add the saffron after the rice is cooked.

Thanks!

Maybe one of my mistakes was adding the saffron in the beginning, right along with the chicken stock.

I have seen tumeric as a listed ingredient in a lot of "yellow" rice recipes. Now I see why.

 

[ControlD]

Well besides massively overpaying for that quantity you did not use nearly enough in your dish. You really did need to use a pinch, which would be ~.25-.5grams.

Oh, I'm quite sure I overpaid for it. But I live in an area where such ingredients are not easily obtained on the spur of the moment and Walmart was the only place I could find any for sale. I'll be on the lookout next time I travel somewhere with a decent international foods section.

 

[NetWareHead]

Go to an Indian grocer and purchase the saffron there. Most of the saffron you find at regular supermarkets is not even saffron. Sounds like you had the bunk stuff.

Taste what you bought, if it tastes sweet, its fake. Real saffron is unmistakeable and amazing. Some saffron sold is really corn silk dyed and flavored. Soak a thread in water. The water should turn red-orange. After a few minutes, pull out the thread. if it still retains its color, it is probably real. If the color is faded or has washed away: fake. There is also a saffron substitute that gives the color to food but none of the flavor. I think its called Safflower or Mexican/American saffron.

The reason I say go to an Indian grocer is because back in India, saffron is a common spice so the population knows what to look for. There are different grades of saffron so there is a chance you will get better quality stuff that will impart a flavor/color to your food. I dated an Indian chick long ago and according to her there is a custom in India where saffron is given to expecting parents as a good omen or something. So it is a commonly purchased item among Indians. If you cant find Indian grocer, than a Middle Eastern or African grocer may have what you want.

 

[NetWareHead]

The yellow "saffron" color of saffron rice is usually gained by adding a bit of tumeric. Saffron will impart a bit of yellow but not enough to get the golden yellow.

Not always true. Depends on the saffron used and recipe. I am fortunate to have cooked with high quality Indian saffron. My ex-gf's family sent it to us from back home. We made biryani (rice dish baked in oven) with no turmeric and colored the rice yellow. The rice that was in close contact with the individual saffron threads was red.

 

[ControlD]

Go to an Indian grocer and purchase the saffron there. Most of the saffron you find at regular supermarkets is not even saffron. Sounds like you had the bunk stuff.

Taste what you bought, if it tastes sweet, its fake. Real saffron is unmistakeable and amazing. Some saffron sold is really corn silk dyed and flavored. Soak a thread in water. The water should turn red-orange. After a few minutes, pull out the thread. if it still retains its color, it is probably real. If the color is faded or has washed away: fake. There is also a saffron substitute that gives the color to food but none of the flavor. I think its called Safflower or Mexican/American saffron.

It's real saffron but I can't speak to the quality. When I was in graduate school a bunch of us used to take turns cooking meals on a certain week night. Every person but myself was either Indian or Middle Eastern, and once you smell saffron I think it's hard to forget it. I wish back then I had been more interested in learning how to cook those dishes rather than just eat them! I think I was just afraid to use too much (which seemed to be a warning at EVERY website I visited.) and ended up under-spicing my dish.

When I soaked mine I'm pretty sure the water turned yellow? I am colorblind though, but it sure looked yellow to me.

 

[NuclearNed]

I'm just wild about saffron

 

[radhak]

I'm sorry to say this, but I think you dropped a lot of money for the wrong ingredient.

For rice recipes, you must use turmeric powder. (I think Paula Deen has muddied the waters with her saffron suggestions). Both these spices originated from India, but saffron is less effective (in coloring) and far (by far) more expensive, so I dunno why anybody would use it instead of turmeric (other than the fact that it is much milder than turmeric, so maybe for the less adventurous). Even in India, saffron is used for special occasions, for sweet dishes .

You should be able to get turmeric in powder form in Indian grocery stores, but most major grocers carry it, even Walmart does sometimes. A small-sized spice-bottle should not cost more than a dollar or two, and should cover weekend-rice-dishes the whole yearlong.

For 1.5 cups, you'd just need 1/3rd of a teaspoon of turmeric. Careful - I've found it colors clothes pretty quickly if you accidentally spill anything.

 

[radhak]

there is a custom in India where saffron is given to expecting parents as a good omen or something.

The myth there is that saffron gives the baby 'fair complexion' (India-speak for paler/whiter skin) !

 

[Matthiasa]

Turmeric tastes nothing like saffron...
Additionally saffron is used in middle-eastern rice dishes, among other regions.

 

[ControlD]

I'm just wild about saffron

I was actually waiting for this, lol.

 

[SunnyD]

Turmeric tastes nothing like saffron...
Additionally saffron is used in middle-eastern rice dishes, among other regions.

I use turmeric in my flied lice.

 

[ControlD]

I'm sorry to say this, but I think you dropped a lot of money for the wrong ingredient.

For rice recipes, you must use turmeric powder. (I think Paula Deen has muddied the waters with her saffron suggestions). Both these spices originated from India, but saffron is less effective (in coloring) and far (by far) more expensive, so I dunno why anybody would use it instead of turmeric (other than the fact that it is much milder than turmeric, so maybe for the less adventurous). Even in India, saffron is used for special occasions, for sweet dishes .

It seems that quite a few Spanish recipes actually call for saffron and not turmeric. I have cooked with turmeric before and the two spices have very different tastes. It would be hard to confuse the two I think, so I have to believe the dish I was cooking really calls for saffron. Although I have seen arroz con pollo recipes that use turmeric.

 

[Childs]

Just use Rice-A-Roni.

 

[Murloc]

here and in Lombardy saffron is widely used for the risotto (it's a national dish along with the polenta, it's very widespread as a plate for fairs and stuff), here you just go in any supermarket and buy the small bag, it's pretty pricey (they keep it in locked boxes), but it's a powder and I guess it has something else in it to make the risotto come out yellow, and the risotto actually has saffron taste (what I think is saffron taste, maybe it's coupled with an enhancing spice).

I also tasted risotto made with actual saffron, strands and all, and it didn't color the risotto much, it was just a bunch of red dots, and it didn't have much taste at all.

So if you want to cook saffron recipes, I suggest you stay ignorant and buy the supermarket one unless you're filthy rich.

It has taste, maybe it's not just the real taste of saffron, but it's good and is what normal people in Europe actually use for their cooking.

It's kinda like balsamic vinegar, everybody in Italy and beyond uses the fake one too, only the rich can afford the real one.

This is what is actually used in Italy:

It's 5 euros for 4 0.15g bags.

You also want this

(it's a luganighetta), with this

(risotto allo zafferano).

If you can't find it in your area, maybe order it online?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Yellow food coloring is far cheaper than saffron.

 

[ControlD]

here and in Lombardy saffron is widely used for the risotto (it's a national dish along with the polenta, it's very widespread as a plate for fairs and stuff), here you just go in any supermarket and buy the small bag, it's pretty pricey (they keep it in locked boxes), but it's a powder and I guess it has something else in it to make the risotto come out yellow, and the risotto actually has saffron taste (what I think is saffron taste, maybe it's coupled with an enhancing spice).

I also tasted risotto made with actual saffron, strands and all, and it didn't color the risotto much, it was just a bunch of red dots, and it didn't have much taste at all.

So if you want to cook saffron recipes, I suggest you stay ignorant and buy the supermarket one unless you're filthy rich.

It has taste, maybe it's not just the real taste of saffron, but it's good and is what normal people in Europe actually use for their cooking.

It's kinda like balsamic vinegar, everybody in Italy and beyond uses the fake one too, only the rich can afford the real one.


If you can't find it in your area, maybe order it online?

Hmm. I wonder if that is like this stuff which I have also seen used as a cheap substitute:

In any case, I am not willing to admit defeat yet, especially with $17 of the real stuff sitting in my spice cabinet!