| How to Cook With Saffron |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Saffron
 Saffron is made from the stigmas of the Saffron Crocus. Each plant has only three stigmas and they must be harvested by hand. This makes saffron the most costly spice in the world. |
CLICK ANY PICTURE ON THIS PAGE TO ENLARGE IT
The major exporter of Saffron nowadays is Spain but other countries such as Italy, Greece and India also produce Saffron.
SAFFRON QUALITY
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Click the picture on the left for an enlarged version. Looking at this picture tells us something about the quality of this saffron. And quality is important as far as this spice is concerned when using it in cooking. In general terms the more you pay for saffron the better will be its quality. We have found that supermarket own brand saffron is poor quality. The aroma, taste and colouring capabilities are low. So pay a bit more and you are likely to be rewarded with a superior product. |
First, check the depth of the red colour of the strands. the deeper the colour, the better the colour. Second, check how many of the strands are yellow rather the red. The more red strands, the higher the quality. In the close up of the picture above you will see that there are relatively few yellow strands and the red colour is deep and vibrant. Whilst this is not the absolute top quality saffron, it's in top 20% for quality. Always go for strands of Saffron, never ready ground saffron. Ground saffron may well contain ingredients other than saffron such as paprika.
COOKING WITH SAFFRON
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Cooking with saffron is not as simple as throwing it into
the dish with other ingredients! First, use your thumb and fore
finger to break down the strands into small crumbs. Doing this
will allow you spread the saffron evenly throughout the dish.
Now consider what is the purpose of adding the saffron. Is it mainly for colour, taste /aroma or both? |
The paella above has many strong flavours in it which will overcome the taste / aroma of saffron. In paella the main reason for using saffron is to colour the rice. So in this case, add the saffron early on in the cooking process. This will allow the saffron to colour the rice well although the majority of its taste will be lost in the cooking process.
| The picture on the left is of a chicken risotto. It is based on a traditional Milanese risotto recipe with some additional ingredients. For a traditional Milanese risotto, the taste and aroma of the saffron is critical because there are few other ingredients to overwhelm it. So add the saffron to this type of dish later on in the cooking process. How late is up to you. |
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The later the saffron is added, the more its aroma and taste will be apparent but the less colour it will impart to the rice.
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