Saffron Tips & Recipes

Below you will find few saffron recipes and links to some excellent sites with more saffron recipes. You can access a large selection of saffron recipes by traveling through these links. However, before you sample these recipes, we would like to mention a few basic tips on using saffron.

• Saffron can be used in two ways: powdered or threads. If your main goal in using saffron is to create the visual effect such as decorating your food, use threads. A good example is the photo below. On the other hand, If you want to use saffron in such a way that is not obvious to the eye, then you should grind it. A good example of this is using a bit of saffron in pizza sauce and keeping it a secret.
  
• Do not buy powdered saffron for two good reasons, unless you trust your supplier. First, it is very easy to adulterate powder saffron and you have no idea how pure it is. Second, powdered saffron has a short shelf life and loses flavor rapidly.
  
• If you need to use powdered saffron, make your own as you need it by grinding the saffron threads to a fine powder before adding to your cooking. If you are going to use powdered saffron frequently, buying a mortar and pestle is highly recommended. If you have a hard time grinding your saffron, due to its moisture content,  add a pinch of sugar grains to it and then grind it. This makes the grinding easier and does not affect your recipe. Once your saffron is in powder form, add 3-5 teaspoons of warm or boiling water to it and leave it to infuse for about 5-10 minutes. This is referred to as liquid saffron. You can prepare liquid saffron with milk, vinegar, or wine instead of water. If you prepared the liquid saffron with boiling water, you can keep it in a jar for few weeks and use it as you need.
  
• Since saffron from different regions of the world has different potency, at most, use only as directed in the recipes. For example, Kashmiri saffron is very potent and you may need to use less than what is called for in your recipe.
  
• Always store your saffron in a cool dry place and away from bright light. Do not expose your saffron to moisture.
  

Saffron Recipes