The best way to preserve the aroma and taste of saffron

Saffron is an expensive and valuable spice that must be stored properly to preserve its flavor and properties. Saffron is very sensitive to light, heat and humidity, so it should be kept in a dark, dry and cool environment.

The shelf life of saffron varies depending on its storage conditions. If you store saffron in the right conditions, it can last up to four years. However, if you expose saffron to light, heat, or moisture, its shelf life will decrease. Therefore, it is necessary to observe the necessary points and items in the storage of saffron. In the following, we provide you with useful information about the basic and correct storage conditions of saffron.

What harms saffron?

First, it is better to know the factors that affect the quality and aroma of saffron in order to know what things we should keep this valuable spice away from. Some of the factors that can damage saffron are:

Direct light can cause the color of saffron to fade and reduce its flavor.
High heat that can dry and damage saffron.
Moisture that can cause mold and spoilage of saffron.
Being exposed to air can reduce the quality of saffron.
Let’s not forget that the high value of saffron is its fragrance. Therefore, preserving the aroma of saffron will be a priority in maintaining it, and it is very important to keep it away from anything that reduces this aroma and smell.

Key points of saffron maintenance

According to the cases that were introduced as harmful factors for saffron, some key points for proper and basic storage of saffron include the following:

Do not expose saffron to direct light
Do not expose saffron to high heat
Not exposing saffron to moisture
Not placing saffron in an open container
Not putting saffron in the vicinity of foods with a strong and dominant smell or other spices
By following these tips, you can enjoy your saffron for a longer time. These tips should be followed not only in daily use, but also during the production and packaging of saffron.

The method of keeping saffron in dry and stringy form

Most of us prefer to keep saffron in string and dry form and grind it in special ways when we need it. Of course, this method of keeping saffron is the best choice. Because it will help preserve the aroma of saffron as much as possible. But the points that must be followed to keep dry and stringy saffron are:

The best container for storing saffron is a tightly closed glass or metal container. It is better that the light does not penetrate into the container and that it is tight enough to prevent the entry of oxygen.

After buying saffron, if it is in a paper package, it is better to transfer it to a container with the mentioned conditions.

After we transfer the saffron to a suitable container, it can be stored in a cool and dry cabinet or closet in the kitchen or warehouse.

If you plan to store saffron for a longer period of time, you should place it at a temperature of about 20 degrees. In this way, when the weather is hotter, we keep saffron in the refrigerator or in cool places. Be careful, in any condition and temperature, saffron should be stored in a closed and airtight container to prevent moisture absorption.

How to store saffron in powdered and dry form

Some of us prefer to grind saffron in weights of half or one shekel and keep it like this. Faster and easier use of powdered saffron creates this desire in many. But if you want to grind your string saffron with special tools and keep it in this state, you should also keep some other points in mind. These points include:

Ground and powdered saffron loses its aroma faster. Therefore, try to grind and store saffron in smaller weights as much as possible.
Ground saffron absorbs moisture earlier than string saffron. So it is necessary to keep it in a dry and cool place and away from light.
Note that it is a better choice to store ground saffron at room temperature in a light-proof container with a tight lid. In addition, plastic containers can cause saffron aroma to jump.

How to store saffron in liquid form

You may prefer to keep the saffron in an infused form. Or that your brewed saffron was more than you needed and you want to keep it somewhere. Note that brewed saffron has a shorter shelf life than dry saffron. This is due to the presence of water in the brewed saffron, which makes it spoil faster. In this case, saffron must be kept in the refrigerator. Brewed saffron can be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator for several days. For longer storage, brewed saffron can be placed in the freezer. In this case, brewed saffron should be stored in a small but closed ice cube tray to avoid absorbing the smell of other ingredients. Brewed saffron can be stored in the freezer for several months.

final word

According to what was said, keeping saffron is very important in maintaining its quality. So make sure to follow all the tips to preserve your saffron fragrance. Since most of the saffrons available in the market are offered in paper or plastic envelopes due to the more reasonable price, after buying saffron, it is better to transfer it to a suitable container and then store it in a suitable place. Also, as far as possible, do not keep saffron in ground and powdered form.