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Does Saffron Go Bad? cooking ideas....

11K views 37 replies 15 participants last post by  jake t buds 
#1 ·
Found a bottle in my spice draw that must be many years old. Read it doesn't go bad just loss flavor. I know about using this in rice any liquid dish yellow color is fine. I wad thinking of grinding it up in bread crumbs used on chicken or other meats. Would the juices from the meat bring out the color & flavor of the saffron while cooking or would it be lost? Just wondering
 
#3 ·
Its called SAFFRON
 
#4 ·
Didn't notice the spelling, big fingers on a little tablet keyboard. Ordered Spanish Saffron by Safrante from igourmet half price sale. Lot of stuff read on saffron seams it's a love or leave it kind of spice. Lot hated the taste saying taste like plastic and you could get the yellow color from another spice with more flavor just don't remember the name.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Annato seed (or Achiote) gives a more orange color (often used to make cheese orange).  It is a Latin American spice used a lot in southern Mexican cooking.  Nice flavor but nothing like saffron at all.  I love saffron, but it can be off-putting if used with too heavy a hand.
 
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#8 ·
You can try to revitalize the flavour profile by toasting it in a hot oven on aluminum foil for a few moments. Then either pound it in a mortar or steep in warm liquid. It usually takes four hours to get maximum extraction warm water. It will usually last in a cool, dry place out of light for a couple of years.
 
#10 ·
When I bake chicken thighs/cutlets before breading brush sides with mayo. Figured its like a egg&milk wash and bread crumbs stick to it. For pork chops I mix some apple juice into the mayo to give them hint of apple flavor. Bread crumbs are made from grinding up stove stop corn bread stuffing, or ritzs crackers or bag croutons also use panko bread crumbs. Most of the its a mix of them all so since I found the saffron figured why not, if anything the oil in the mayo would bring out the yellow color.
 
#13 ·
There are many different grades of saffron
 
#14 ·
Then you have either never eaten good saffron or  purchased real old stuff., because it has a very distinct flavor and aroma as well as color
 
#18 ·
@Dagger Saffron specifically comes from the purple crocus plant (crocus sativus) that is cultivated and grown in very specific regions in the world. It is the most difficult to harvest as it can only be done by hand when the flower blooms in the morning and then dies off during the day. It has a small window of harvest around three weeks in the fall AND the flower itself only has three stigmas to harvest per flower....talk about timing and intensive harvesting....lol
Areas ideal for cultivation of saffron crocus average a low 15-18 inches of annual rainfall. If you live in an area of significant precipitation, heavy rains are likely to damage the delicate flowers. However, beyond that saffron crocus are relatively easy to grow and multiply fairly rapidly, it would take about 150 to 200 bulbs to keep the average family supplied with enough saffron.

Plant the saffron bulbs about 2 inches deep just as you would any crocus. Hardy through winter temps of down to -15 F. (-26 C.) but sensitive to soggy soil, water the saffron crocus sparingly, every two weeks, to prevent rotting, then await the latter part of September and an entire winter of Spanish Paella dishes.

The plants should also be dug up and separated every three to four years. - from Garden Know How.com
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#21 ·
The autumn-blooming crocus that produces saffron can be grown in lots of places. Here in the states it can be grown in zones 6-8. The only problem is that, as someone else pointed out above, each flower produces only 3 stigmas. Each bulb or corm usually produces multiple flowers. They are planted in late summer/early fall and bloom in a few weeks. It is a very pretty little plant and, once established, will continue to bloom and multiply each year as long as you let the foliage die back on its own.

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/910891-product.html
 
#24 · (Edited)
One cup uncooked rice really only need 12 macerated strands, and not much more. To me safron in rice gives a very distinct shrimp flavor. I wonder if that's typical?
Rick, taste experiences can be very individual as you know. Many times people would refer to saffron taste as slightly like honey and a little bitter. One thing is sure; too much saffron in a dish tastes very metallic.

There is something to say too about people who think that saffron almost has no taste. Many cooks don't seem to know that when saffron is cooked, it will lose almost all taste! Saffron is best added at the very end of the cooking time of a dish. A 5 minutes rest period after adding it will bring out the golden color and the distinct taste.

Before using saffron threads, first steep them for a few hours (the longer the better!) in warm water, milk or stock. That will bring out the best and the most color and flavor. A long steep will even allow you to reduce the amount of saffron to be used.

Also, don't buy powdered saffron, you never know what they put in it. Buy threads, they will last at least 3 years and longer if kept in a dark and dry spot. The treads should be slightly crunchy (they are always dried by roasting them shortly).

If your saffron is very old, try to make some saffron vinegar, to be used in mayo, rouille, couscous etc. Simply put some threads in white wine vinegar; to be used sparingly, it will have a very strong saffron taste!

Here's a dish I made not so long ago; osso buco Milanese with gremolata and saffron risotto, a classic.

 
#26 · (Edited)
Safron Risotto at olio carli
Absolutely not! Just buy a pack of Carnaroli rice and steep some saffron threads in warm beef stock (or chicken stock) for at least an hour. You need around 3 times the volume of stock compared to rice; 1 cup of rice needs around 3 cups of stock and a pinch of saffron threads. That's the base of my risotto. You need to reheat the now golden stock -without boiling it- before using it in the risotto.

Please don't buy saffron rice or porcini rice or asparagus rice or whatever to make risotto. You'll pay much more than if you bought the ingredients separately and further more, you have zero control what they put in those packs.
 
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