Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Halex on July 27, 2012, 12:43:12 am
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Yesterday a tiny pouch from WW $4.95!!
Any ideas where you can purchase saffron at a good price.
H :)
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Probably nowhere Hally :(
I'm always on the look out for it but the prices I have seen have all been :o
I've never tried it before because it has always been so expensive, but I really want to because I have heard its really nice :)
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Yes it is really nice in cooking. I will use the whole lot in one dish. Love it in paella with chorizio, chicken, rice & mascarpone cheese :P one of my made up yum dishes :)
I dont mind buying it in bulk if its cheap :)
H :)
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Hally, any Indian or Asian stores should have it. Cheaper, I don't know...
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That's what I was going to suggest Robyn but whether it is cheaper is another matter. Never seen it in anything but the tiniest container as it's the world's most expensive spice so I doubt you will get it much cheaper anywhere.
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When we were passing through Qatar a year or two ago I got some saffron. How long does it last? To be honest I haven't used it because it was so expensive. This lot I got in Qatar was very reasonable but, becasue I've never used it in the past, I don't know what to use it in!!!
Remember, for those of you who give me hints and help on this one, I'm vegetarian!
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in plain risottos Marina
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Paellas, curries, rissotos rice dishes.
Love it :)
Wish I had a load :)
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Does saffron actually have a taste? I always thought it was for colouring?
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I think its for the color..
very expensive as its hand picked and dried..
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Saffron has a very distinctive taste and even more important fragrance. In excess it has a bitter taste but it adds an earthy complicated intense flavor. It does provide yellow colour of course. Lots of 'saffron' is actually yellow dye and/or turmeric. Best is from Central Spain and us VERY expensive because it takes many many thousands of stigmas from autumn crocus to make an ounce of saffron. And it needs to be hand harvested. Worth every penny but must be used with discretion. Little goes a long way. Google Saffron buns
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I find it urns a dish from wow to out of this world, especially paella. It has a fragrance & a distinctive taste, to me its slightly bitter but very honey too.
Try it, its in your pantry.
H :)
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So should I use it in a more delicate, rice based dish or will it work with different styles of dish?
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I would do a stove top paella first. There must be some good recies on line :)
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I've used it but must say I never tasted anything that is described above :-))
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I planted a patch of saffron crocuses one year, hoping to grow my own. They grew and flowered the most beautiful purple flowers, and I managed to get about 5 "threads" of saffron out of them before they died :-))
Now I know why it is so expensive
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a beautiful looking plant karen
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I planted a patch of saffron crocuses one year, hoping to grow my own. They grew and flowered the most beautiful purple flowers, and I managed to get about 5 "threads" of saffron out of them before they died :-))
Now I know why it is so expensive
They have a gorgeous flower Karen, are they hard to grow?
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I too have some saffron in my spice cupboard that was given to me by some Iranian friends. I should do something with it, rather than let it sit in the cupboard
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Wow that saffron flowers looks beautiful, hard to grow thats why its so expensive.
If no-one wants their saffron, I am only too happy to empty your saffron pantry ;D LOL
H :)
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It wasn't hard to grow, just put the bulbs in the ground and let them come up and flower as usual - it just died really, really quickly after flowering, and I missed the opportunity to harvest the saffron threads. If I did it again, I might be more alert, and get more of them in time. The bulbs cost $25,which makes the 5 threads of saffron I managed to harvest SUPER expensive ;)
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Marina, have you tried the Cauliflower & almond soup (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=1706)? It uses saffron and very nice.
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Thanks Debbie, I'll give this a go. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a vegetarian paella, so this looks like a good alternative. I'm not sure if I can tackle a risotto without cheese, I'm still working on that alternative.
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I planted a patch of saffron crocuses one year, hoping to grow my own. They grew and flowered the most beautiful purple flowers, and I managed to get about 5 "threads" of saffron out of them before they died :-))
Now I know why it is so expensive
That's a really impressive effort, KarenH - do you know if the plants come up again like other bulbs?
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What a beautiful flower Karen - so you just pick the red threads and dry them out somehow? Sounds easy but as you say, you would need a whole heap of them to end up with one of those tiny containers we buy.
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The flower is beautiful Karen. I believe they grow saffron in Tassie.
I have used it but not a lot. I must admit I haven't noticed a specific taste from it.
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I was able to buy bulk saffron in Asia several years ago. Much cheaper,
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Karen, I guess the stamens from all crocus can't be used?. I didn't realise there was a specific saffron crocus.
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I think they are only on one specific crocus, Pumpkin Pie. Diggers have them for sale from time to time if you want to give them a try. Even if you miss the stamen harvest, it is still a beautiful flower!
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I got my saffron crocus from Diggers too. I dont think you can use the stamens from any crocus, but I am not sure what makes the saffrom crocus different or special. After my first year of flowers, the bulbs didnt come up again. Maybe they were in the wrong spot or something.