saffron

some advice and a tip to pass on. it's an email from James (he's on the short list)... so start from the bottom....




yeah, you can find it much easier in the middle east. but it's not always as good. you can also find it in some latin bodega's here- but still not as good. for true color and flavor, for real saffron, you
need to pay for it. $8 for only a few stamen. i've bought it a whole foods before. it came in a black plastic bag inside the standard wholefoods glass spice jar. i'm sure harris teeter woul dhave it too.

they also sell sunflower saffron, which gives a great color, but lacks in flavor.
what i usually use if im in a rush or on a strict budget, is sazon goya they sell it in most international sections of grocery stores. it has saffron and a few other spices (a few too many honestly), but it dissolves quickly and is great for a yellow rice, rissotto, marinade or sauce.

- Hide quoted text -

On Wed, Jun 25, 2008 at 10:51 AM, James <> wrote:
> wow. well, PB&J is a tough act to follow. you did valliantly.
>
> I had a saffron emergency yesterday. I couldn't find it anywhere, and still
> haven't. I called you while I was at the store. you called back while I
> was frantically sautéeing and deglazing.
>
> do I need to order saffron online? in the middle east, they sell saffron by
> the bucketful, but I think it may be other stamen stewed with saffron (à la
> imitation crab meat).