Saffron: like or dislike?
Welcome to Like or Dislike, where you get to share how you really feel about ingredients from the pantry, ingredients I'm thinking about adding to my pantry, other seasonal foods, and favorite cooking gear. The things you like are sure to find their way to the recipes here on The Perfect Pantry, so do tell.
To some people, saffron -- arguably the most expensive spice in the world -- has a very distinctive taste. To others, it has no taste at all. One thing everyone can agree on is the color it imparts, a rich orange-gold, the shade of Tibetan monks' robes. When you buy saffron, be sure to buy the very best you can afford, even in a tiny fraction of an ounce; fortunately, a little saffron goes a very long way. When you cook, crush the saffron threads slightly between your fingertips, which will turn them a little bit yellow, but it's okay. Your risotto alla Milanese and paella and salmon tikka and brownies will thank you. Do you have saffron on your spice rack?
Saffron: like or dislike?
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i've eaten dishes with saffron in restaurants, but have never bought it; i feel faint when i see the price LOL. something that exclusive and expensive isn't a *need* for my simple style of cooking. altho i am known to splurge on an ingredient from time to time, i haven't been able to justify the saffron yet...but buying a vial of saffron IS on my bucket list ;0)
I can't honestly say whether I like or dislike. I know that it burns fingertips and eyeballs when the price of it is seen. Let's say I like the history behind it(?).
I always have Saffron on hand, mainly because I have an Iranian friend who gets it for me there when he visits. I do like it, but I don't use it often and it's mostly because when cooking for the blog I wonder whether other people will have it. I do like the distinctive flavor.
I have bought saffron in the spice market in Istanbul at reasonable prices so the cost isn't a factor in my evaluation. Still I find the taste of pure saffron quite bitter and astringent. Yet I do love paella which has saffron. I guess saffron is one of those spices which one would miss if left out but one should not be able to identify its taste alone.
I don't know. I actually chose it when I had a coupon for a spice store for one free of ANY spice! I couldn't believe saffron was included. But, I haven't opened it! Knowing how expensive it is, I have been "saving" it. What what, I don't know.
Love it, use in many dishes , helps develop a wonderful flavor--always have some available--
a little goes a long way---
gordon
I don't care for it. Since it is so expensive and I don't like it, I always leave it out or recipes. I might add some turmeric for color.
I still have some from when my MIL gave me a paella kit for Christmas some years ago. I don't find the flavor very distinctive and I won't buy it myself for that reason. I should make some paella and use up the rest. That will make room in my cabinet for spices I do use.
Love saffron -- was first introduced as a child when we lived in Spain. I always have it on hand. I guess like any spice, it's the promise of something out of the ordinary to cook. Most recently, I made a huge dinner of recipes from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem and Paula Wolfert's Food of Morocco. She taught me an economical way to use saffron. It's allowed to sit in water, flavor the water, then is kept in the fridge until needed for a recipe -- usually only a tablespoon or two depending.
I love Saffron - it is expensive, but a little goes a long way, and it makes the dish special!
For years I suffered from Fear of Saffron. By the time I recovered, the saffron I had been needlessly saving was aged, probably beyond it's natural life. I do now use it occasionally, but can't really taste the difference. I doubt that I'll actually buy it again.
Interesting story: we had a store that sold spices, and sometime in the 1980's a college student from Iran came in with some saffron that he had brought from home. We settled on a price, which I hope was enough (but not too much), and I ended up with some authentic saffron.
I like it very much, but do not use it very often in my own cooking.
I do not know what the taste is like as I have never bought it. The price makes in prohibitive for me. Surely there are other substitutes.
What brand of coconut milk is the best? I know that there was a problem at one time with a brand some time ago. Thank you for any comments. I use this in curries, peas and rice and certain cookie recipes.