How many saffron threads would equal a standard-size sachet?

March 5, 2021 5:22 PM

I'm making Palermo-style arancini which have saffron in the rice. The recipe calls for a sachet of saffron (presumably crushed?) per kilo of rice, but the saffron I have is in whole threads. Approximately how many threads would be the equivalent of a sachet that someone in Italy might have on hand? A sachet in Italy seems to be 100 to 125 mg, and I doubt my kitchen scale would be able to register such small amounts.
posted by theory to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: It looks like there are about 200-500 threads per gram, so it'd be about 20-50 threads per 100mg, assuming the sachet is pure.
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:43 PM on March 5, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You take a pinch of those threads and soak them in hot water. Saffron has to bloom before you use it. So I would say about 14 percent of what you are holding in your hand, take it and put it into a tiny bit of hot water and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, before you add it to your recipe.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 6:49 PM on March 5, 2021

Response by poster: Thanks! Google skills went out the window when I started cooking this evening.

20-50 threads is a pretty wide range -- I opted for the lower end since saffron's more for color than flavor in this recipe.
posted by theory at 7:32 PM on March 5, 2021

Best answer: For future arancini endeavors: The bustine are indeed crushed saffron powder. After purchasing a Costco jar of saffron threads in a past trip back Stateside, my previous Google.it searches turned up about 40-50 threads as the equivalent dosage.
posted by romakimmy at 5:39 AM on March 6, 2021