The preservation of saffron is very important because the reduction of saffron essential oil and the reduction of its aroma means the reduction of saffron’s properties, and this means that the more your saffron loses its aroma, smell and color, the more its value and Its efficiency also decreases. Therefore, pay attention to its maintenance and we will explain the principles of saffron maintenance in this section…
How is the process of keeping saffron
First, dry and grind the saffron
Grinding saffron is an easy task, you can grind saffron with any device you have at home, of course, it is better if you do this with a wooden device, and after grinding, chop it into pieces. become small
If the saffron you bought is not dry, you should dry it with an oven or flame before grinding, which of course is better to do with an oven and you need 5 to 8 minutes to dry saffron with these methods. you have. But note that you should not heat it for a long time because it will burn the saffron and waste its properties.
Now brew the saffron
The best method in terms of quality is to brew saffron with ice, in this situation you not only get more color of saffron, but you also have more time to freeze it.
Of course, you can also use the same traditional method where we pour some boiling water on saffron and place the resulting solution on low heat (like on a samovar that has a low flame) and let the saffron transfer its color to the water well and some of that water evaporates, which makes it easier to store it because its water has decreased and now that the saffron has been infused, it is time to cool down a bit. , freeze it.
Storing saffron in the refrigerator
If you want to store your saffron in the refrigerator, we recommend following the following tips:
In the first step, you should brew the saffron and freeze the brewed saffron.
It is better to freeze saffron, keep it in small ice packs that you can easily use whenever you need it.
Also, try to put saffron in glass packages and close the lid well.
pay attention; Storing saffron in the refrigerator should not last more than 2 weeks, otherwise, saffron will lose its color and its quality will decrease.
How to store dried saffron
Many people go to buy saffron at the very beginning and before it is dried, and they pack the saffron before it is dried and start the process of freezing or storing it in the refrigerator, which is very wrong.
But the principles of work are as follows: if the saffron is not dried, you must dry it and grind it, and then brew it and freeze it.
Suitable conditions for keeping saffron
- Saffron should be stored in an environment that is dry and dark and has a cool and humid climate and never put it in front of direct sunlight because it reduces the color of saffron and causes the quality of saffron to be low. come and when using it, it will lose its constant and unique fragrance. The optimal temperature for storing saffron is about 20 degrees Celsius and the air humidity should be less than 40%. Keeping saffron in open air is not only harmful for saffron due to the presence of weather pollution, but it also reduces the pleasant aroma of saffron.
- Try to keep the place you choose to store saffron away from any insects and rodents.
- If you want to increase the quality of your saffron in addition to preserving its aroma and taste, then when consuming saffron, grind it completely.
- Also try to close the lid of the container in which you have poured saffron well, otherwise, the aroma of saffron will decrease and as a result its properties will decrease.
Storage of saffron
Maximum storage time of saffron
The valuable plant of saffron can be kept for several years, but since the aroma and properties of saffron decrease over time, we recommend that you try to consume your saffron for a maximum of 2 years, and more than that, saffron do not save.
Transportation of saffron
Another important point is in the transportation of saffron that we should try not to crush this valuable plant during the transportation of saffron because it loses its economic value.
To transport saffron, try to put it in a wooden or metal box.
Final and important tips for storing saffron
Sieve the saffron:
If you want your saffron to preserve its color better, then before brewing it, beat and sift it.
Keep saffron in metal or glass containers:
Try to store your saffron in metal containers, and if the storage conditions are not in a metal container, then store it in glass containers, because with this trick, you can prevent the loss of saffron properties. Therefore, do not put saffron in plastic containers because the properties of saffron are reduced in these containers.
In addition, it is good to know that if you store saffron in glass containers, direct sunlight can cause a lot of loss and color change in your saffron.