Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <spices><spanish-cuisine><paella><saffron>
Title: How much Saffron to use?
Question: I'm a bit confused with how much saffron to use in a paella recipe. I've seen numerous recipes that state to use 1gram. However I have a 1gram jar and that seems like a lot of saffron to me. I've spotted some recipes that say to use 1/2 a teaspoon and they state that this is about equal to 1gram. But my jar of saffron is a lot more than 1/2 a teaspoon.

Answers:
sents: text: I agree with the others that 1 gram is way too much saffron.
text: Unless you're making one of those huge outdoor pans of paella which feeds 20 people.
text: Exact quantities depend on how much paella you're making, and the freshness of the saffron involved.
text: I tend to use a hefty pinch, which would be around 12-20 threads, for a paella for 6 (2-3 liters).
text: I'll adjust that downwards for very fresh saffron, and upwards for old stale saffron.
text: You can tell how fresh your saffron is by (a) smelling it, and (b) soaking it in a small amount of warm water.
text: Fresh saffron will smell strongly floral/spicy, and will turn the water bright yellow very quickly.
text: I like saffron a lot though, and also tend to err on the side of more rather than less.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/7180/FuzzyChef
score: 10
sents: text: Err on the side of caution.
text: Too much saffron can be overwhelming to the point that it will destroy the dish.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4777/Doug
score: 9
sents: text: A gram is an awful lot.
text: Most recipes
text: I'm familiar with call for a pinch or sometimes a specific (small) number of threads.
text: Crush
text: the threads first; don't add them whole or you won't get as much out of them.
text: If your goal is the bright yellow color, soaking the crushed saffron threads in a little wine or vinegar for 10 minutes
text: or so helps quite a bit.
text: I don't know if this makes a difference on how much saffron flavor you get.
text: (And obviously this has to be in a dish that won't mind a couple tablespoons of wine or vinegar.)
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/6541/Monica Cellio
score: 7
sents: text: I add saffron sparingly, starting with a medium pinch of the threads as I'm cooking, and adding slowly as I go, with pauses for steeping of the flavor.
text: Have occasionally used the powdered (really expensive)
text: saffron and warn you to be extremely careful with that product - once ruined a beautiful seafood stew trying to 'tap' the powder out of the bottle.
text: Bottom line: Start with small amounts and taste.
text: It is an extremely powerful spice (used a lot by medicine manufacturers) and can end up making your dish taste like vitamin pills if you aren't careful.
text: Experience will guide you as you use it more.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/7092/Frankie
score: 5
sents: text: One gram does seem like too much saffron.
text: From what I've seen, most recipes call for 1 pinch to 1/2 teaspoon of saffron.
text: To make a pound of saffron, over two hundred thousand stigmas from crocus sativus flowers must be harvested by hand.
text: That's why saffron is the world's most expensive spice, and also why so there are so many fakes on the market.
text: Fortunately, a little of the good stuff goes a long way--it only takes a few threads to add saffron's distinct yellow color and earthy aroma to a family meal of paella or bouillabaisse. foodsubs.com
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/296/Vecta
score: 1
sents: text: I have read that 2 to 3 strands per person is as much as you need to use when it comes to Saffron.
text: Its not just overpowering to the dish but is also toxic in high amounts.
text: One medical site states that a medical overdose of saffron, whether used in a dish or medicinally (caps), is five grams and the symptoms range from vertigo, jaundice, vomitting, nosebleeds, bloody evacuations as well as death.
text: Yes I know.
text: Death.
text: LOL.
text: On the lighter side just use very little saffron.
text: The two to three strands per person seems like the best "rule of thumb" until u are more accustomed to the spice.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/18532/Redteddy
score: 1
sents: text: Saffron is one of the most appreciated (and expensive by weight) spices, due to the laborious process of obtaining it from the flowers.
text: It is growth mainly in the Mediterranean area.
text: You only need a small amount (0.15g or 3-4 threads) for a 6 people paella.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/18410/marta
score: 0
sents: text: I'm going to disagree with the other answers a bit, and say you can have a recipe, a good recipe, that asks for a lot of saffron.
text: Whether that's a recipe (or a flavor)
text: you like is a different story, it is just not an automatic fail to ask for a larger amount.
text: I have a bread recipe that asks for a gram and a half of saffron
text: (it does make two loaves)(oh, but it's so, so good).
text: I use the whole amount, and do not regret it because I really like the flavor and color it gives.
text: I have a few other recipes, a saffron and garlic mayo dip, and a risotto recipe, that I use saffron pretty generously for - starting with a heavy pinch (thumb-to-side-of-finger pinch) and occasionally adding a bit more to taste.
text: I do make the most of the saffron I add with grinding, hot steeping, and rinsing spice dust into the dish, and I do admit I make these dishes very rarely, since saffron is dear, but that's how it goes.
text: And again, it isn't wrong to be sparing or prefer less, it's just also not wrong to be generous or prefer more.
text: Mama would use a scant pinch, or a few threads, to give her (usually sweet)(often large quantities) dishes a bit of a saffron scent
text: and that's enough for her.
text: Plenty of people like it like that.
text: But there's my brother, who has said that saffron "only gives a bit of color,
text: right, there's no flavor to it" (based on history with mama's very light usage), and might benefit from a stronger-saffron'd dish if he was here to taste it.
text: Along the same lines if I would get three dishes out of the same amount that gives her ten dishes, I like my three dishes enough more to go seven dishes without, so it's worth it to me.
text: So, to bring the whole thing back to your paella, I'd suggest finding a recipe that looks good (pictures, instructions, and reviews all appeal) and trusting it whether it asks for threads, tsp(s), or gr(s).
text: And if in the end, the flavor of the saffron is a bit light or elusive, next time you make it
text: you can add a bit more, and if it's a bit strong or feels out of balance, next time add less.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/47365/Megha
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
You should use saffron sparingly to avoid overwhelming the dish; one pinch to half a teaspoon should be plenty for six people.
2-3 strands per person is enough. Saffron should be used sparingly.