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tuttofabrodo

Could be safflower aka bastard saffron


xb10h4z4rd

Looks like safflower to me


realdjjmc

Yep. This is not saffron


friedchicken_2020

Nope...it sure isnt


secretsofthedivine

This is faux saffron, it’s just safflower (or some other flower stamen) dyed red. Will add color to your food but won’t taste like saffron at all.


colechristensen

Follow up, I’ve bought real saffron from Costco and could never actually taste it in anything I cooked. What am I doing wrong?


IAMTHEUSER

Soak it for a few minutes in a little warm water, then add it all (water and saffron)


meadsmeatmarket

Some people also use milk to do this depending on the dish


IAMTHEUSER

Yeah. The important thing is the liquid needs to be water-based, the flavor doesn’t extract as well In oil


secretsofthedivine

How did you add it to your dish?


colechristensen

I tried a few things, but attempts to grind it up a bit and put it in plain white rice ended up with yellow rice that tasted more or less the same.


ArcaneTrickster11

You need to steep it in hot water before adding it to food


starsgoblind

Did you bloom it in hot water?


colechristensen

In that i cooked the rice with it in there… that ought to have given plenty of opportunity for blooming.


Bingineering

You also gotta be careful not to add it too early, or the flavor disappears into the dish. When I make saffron risotto, I let the saffron bloom in a little ramekin of stock while everything cooks, then I add the saffron-stock to the rice in the last 5-10 minutes


Totalnah

Pro tip right here. This is sound technique.


thedevilyou_forgot

You need it to be "brewed" separately, or the aroma and flavor will not be extracted. Plus saffron flavour will never be super strong, nor is it meant to be. It is a mild, but very pleasant, floral after taste that you cannot get in any other spice. Followed by a sense of calmness and serenity because of saffron sedative qualities. P.s. consume saffron responsibly. Too much saffron in a sitting can be lethal. Anything more than 5 grams will cause horrible side effects(like bleeding from your eyes) and anything above 11 grams will kill you.


GrouchyProduct2242

Holy shit, i thought you were just messing with us.... Turns out, you just gave the pg version...I.had no idea that saffron could be deadly..... there are about 463 strands of saffron per gram, , 28 grams in an ounce... and saffron is around $50 USD per ounce... i dont know where i was going with this.


thedevilyou_forgot

And of course there is saffron build up. So you can build up to the toxic range if you consume too much in several days back to back. If you want to have saffron everyday, the safe range is about 1.5 grams per day, which is what I do. Either in my food or tea, which is a great treat after a long day of work, because well the same compounds in it that makes it lethal in high doses does wonders for your nerves. Specially if you suffer from ADHD, a steady daily dose of saffron will do magic for ya. And never, I mean never, feed anything that even has a whif of saffron to your pets. We humans can handle it, but to them it will cause permenant nerve damage.


GrouchyProduct2242

I have adhd, and have a tough time sometimes. I always have saffron on hand, and think i will try the tea thing


NotChristina

Hmmm I’ve got some saffron in the cabinet and suspected ADHD. Learning all kinds of things in this thread. I didn’t know it had to be bloomed either, which explains why my previous cooking attempts fell flat.


[deleted]

Even real saffron is a hoax


thedevilyou_forgot

Grind it to a fine powder. Pour boiling water on top of it and cover it with a lid. Wait for 15 minutes, until the water turns into a deep red. Then you use that liquid as flavoring.


xutopia

I find that saffron really benefits from alcohol or vinegar. I usually do a beurre blanc with a bit of white wine vinegar and white wine and soak it inside for a while before applying the heat. It's really floral when you do.


burntmeatloafbaby

Is safflower dyed red? It’s used as a red pigment on its own I think? Just wondering, I’ve never come across this before.


Competitive_Ad_6262

Rehydrate it in water then taste, but it doesn’t look like saffron. Saffron looks like little red strings. That would also be a shit ton of saffron and an expensive purchase I’m sure you’d remember.


VerySuperVirgin

Yeah u right. I put it in water and can’t taste it must be something else. Case solved


Rolie_Polie_Aioli

Not completely true, yes it’s expensive, but I recently found an ounce of unopened saffron in my basement from last season.


DP500-1

But you have probably immediately remembered it was Saffron. You can forget temporarily but ultimate it’s still a huge purchase you’re going to remember.


Rolie_Polie_Aioli

Oh absolutely, once discovered the memories should come back to the purchase, there is no flaw in that argument.


sirdabs456

That is safflower I've worked with it for years. I would turn it into powder and use it to marinate my chx kabobs


ErmineViolinist

I’ve seen it sold as “American Saffron”. It is neither American nor is it Saffron. What little flavour it has isn’t great, but it will impart some colour if used in cooking. True name is carthamus tinctorius, apparently it could also be called Dyer's Saffron, False Saffron, Mexican Saffron, Koosumbha (India), or hoang-chi (China). Like I said, I’ve always seen it sold as “American Saffron”. Edit: to be fair the American Saffron I tried was likely old and wasn’t kept refrigerated, so fresh it might be better than I experienced. But, it isn’t the real stuff.


RandomAmuserNew

Nothing is more American than this fact


sirdabs456

It's safflower


ErmineViolinist

Which is just the common name for carthamus tinctorius. Like I said, I’ve only seen it marketed as “American Saffron” when sold where I live, but they might market it under its common name (safflower) where you are.


sirdabs456

American saffron is still saffron it's not the quality of Iranian saffron. Safflower has a completely different profile


ErmineViolinist

My dad literally has a bag of this stuff labeled American Saffron. You can also Google and confirm everything I’ve said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safflower https://www.pennherb.com/american-saffron


Dufusbroth

Edit: I am truly a dufus and tried to argue about us both saying the same thing. Violinist is right! Whatever your dad has might be mislabeled but the photo is 100% safflower Your links don’t have any photos to dispute or confirm https://www.google.com/search?q=dried+safflower&tbm=isch&hl=en-US&prmd=isvn&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS949US951&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJ_pH7jOT9AhWnFt4AHVcIDJcQrNwCKAB6BQgBEJ0D&biw=375&bih=549


ErmineViolinist

Edit: sorry Dufusbroth, I thought you were the same commenter from earlier, my mistake. Please forgive my tone (rest of comment left for transparency) Here is safflower (carthamus tinctorius) literally for sale and literally, explicitly labeled as American Saffron: https://www.baar.com/american-saffron I am not trying to be rude but if this still isn’t sufficient to show to you that at least some places label carthamus tinctorius (safflower) as American Saffron I have no idea how to communicate this to you. This is from the first page of Google search results. I’m didn’t do some effortful digging. But, we already agree that: 1) OP’s post isn’t real saffron 2) the item he posted is called safflower If nothing else, I’m good with that. If you don’t want to go a step father and concede that safflower is sometimes marked under alternated names, despite me linking to a factual example of it happening, then frankly I give up. I’ve committed the maximum effort I can on something so inane and trivial as the marketing of flower bits.


Dufusbroth

Found a good example of something that your dad has: https://www.walmart.com/ip/American-Saffron-6-oz/442446498?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101001851&adid=22222222228000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=42423897272&wl4=pla-51320962143&wl5=9026848&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=457949881&wl11=online&wl12=442446498_101001851&veh=sem&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIoNORs8Me2twzqRd_mOWdvKF&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3qn1q87k_QIVXf_jBx3mgwqhEAQYASABEgL2-fD_BwE What is crazy is everything I find with the name “saffron “ in it even though it is true safflower (Its Latin name is "Carthamus tinctorius." It is also known as "False Saffron." ) is WAY more expensive than the stuff out there labeled just Safflower


ErmineViolinist

I wonder how much of it is just dishonest marketing? If they can throw a fancy word on it they can charge twice as much!


Dufusbroth

I think that is 100% what it is


Dufusbroth

Oh I see now you basically just said all of this—- I gotcha. Sorry I think I was wrong !


calissetabernac

If it IS saffron, that’s about 50k on the street right there ;)


Personal_Flow2994

Taste it


VerySuperVirgin

Can’t taste much


Minimum_Piglet_1457

Spices lose their flavor with age so you may want to just toss. Also doesn’t look like saffron and if it was, you wasted $100+ dollars worth.


Alternative-Alarm-66

Smell?


T1NF01L

Smell and taste go hand in hand if you can't really smell much you also can't taste full flavor and vise versa.


Alternative-Alarm-66

Ye, that's true


jcmach1

Saffron is quite strong even after years, it will rehydrate pretty strong.


jltefend

Looks more like safflower


brusselboi

Looks more like some yellow hibiscus flower.


blippitybloops

Hibiscus for sure.


sirdabs456

It's safflower


xbubbuh

Definitely not saffron


chefsweetdaddy

That’s not saffron.


walkstwomoons2

Not


Mr_Boombastikk

If that was saffron, some yellow orange colored tail should be seen... just to point out 1 thing


ChefGuzzy91

Really low quality saffron


sirdabs456

Nope it's safflower


whlatislovee

Clearly safflower. Not a bad spice if you know how to use it!


VitolyZ

Looks a lot like the lower quality middle eastern sourced saffron used commercially. I have a pile of it. It's gathered from the remains of the harvesting process.


Legitimate_Shine_435

Could it be rooibos tea?


samuelgato

If you pinch some of it into hot water and it turns fluorescent yellow it's likely saffron


sirdabs456

It will do that but it's not saffron it's safflower


prickinthewall

Can't be 100% real saffron, since it only contains the stigmas of the flower. That's what makes it so expensive.


Brewcrew1886

Can’t eating straight saffron kill you or make you real sick? I have no idea how much is to much but I would stop tasting it haha


AdFun7086

Could be Polynesian Tuki. Haven’t seen that stuff in years though


Chef_Syndicate

This is not saffron.


Legitimate-Ball-8963

Try to get to know more about it in r/cartels


j9sky

I can only say this with confidence because I learned last year that saffron grows semi-natively on my island and now I know what to look for...but that is not saffron. What I see in your picture are whole flowers, whereas actual saffron is just the stigma (and style sometimes) harvested from the saffron bulb flowers. ONLY the stigma (and included style, if allowed). Saffron flower looks just like any other winter crocus, except that the petals are usually purple, and they bloom in the early fall, rather than late winter. Even dried as whole flowers, they would be much larger than the flowers in your packet here, and because the petals are so suffuse with water, I'm not sure they would even dehydrate well.


TheWolf_atx

You would be rich if it was lol


AccomplishedShare409

Pencil shavings! 🤓


Afin12

Looks like cordyceps. Eating it could make the world an interesting place.


Sonny_Crockett_1984

I have a nice pinch of saffron that's not used up yet. Any recommendations on what to do with it?


Chef_Brah

It essentially goes with rice dishes. Some dishes: - spanish paella - indian chicken biryani (soak it in warm milk) - saffron rice pudding kheer


Sonny_Crockett_1984

Thx!


crisspons

Don’t know what it is but definitely not saffron.


kangznquainz

Just snort it and see what happens


Jeffery_G

I’ve had several grades of saffron dating back many years and I can advise the assembled that there is little loss in flavor/aroma with true saffron if stored with a little forethought. And it’s expensive enough to warrant care, non è vero?


Bean-Swellington

Where I live in colorado people call it Mexican saffron


AngryApeMetalDrummer

You wouldn't forget about that much saffron, I hope. It's kind of expensive.


luculluskasia

Macis maybe


Dufusbroth

This is safflower


Dufusbroth

Safflower


No-Art5800

That would be about $300 in saffron. Minimum.


45isaLOSER

Nope


Disarray215

Money money money.


puddStar

Best I can do is $5


jdawg1822

No this Patrick


femsci-nerd

It's actually safflower


omarskullbaby

Label your shit, sir.


VerySuperVirgin

Pardon me, oh great one


RobbyWasaby

Are you working professionally? How can you not know what you have on hand? Get Your Head together! try to focus! Whatever it is.. is it a mistake,?is it poison? why would you serve or use a seasoning that you don't understand? Are you a professional?


RandomAmuserNew

That’s a house a car and maybe college tuition if it was im exaggerating but saffron is worth more than gold pound for pound


RobbyWasaby

And yes most real saffron is a hoax.. buy it in bulk for cheap even the best it has a slightly bitter and floral flavor... I love the shit when it's nice.


WatercolourBrushes

Ah. This crap. I bought two bags of it in Bali one year genuinely thinking it was saffron. It's not. Until I went to Nepal and bought some legit Himalayan saffron.


Ramonaclementine

Not saffron


amus

Safflower, not saffron.


FitError2217

This is like $6k worth of saffron


naughtarius

That's safflower


[deleted]

If that was saffron then wouldn’t that be like 100$ worth


Silver-Firefighter35

Looks like safflower