Stuff I don’t get: Bay Leaves
Seriously? Do they have a taste?
13 Responses to “Stuff I don’t get: Bay Leaves”
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September 25th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Fresh ones do. The ones that have been sitting unused in your cupboard for 10 years don’t.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Yes, fresh do and dried add nice flavoring to some things. Do not eat them though….
Oh, and they make an awesome Christmas wreath!
September 25th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
When I said “fresh”, I should say that “fresh dried” ones are also OK. Most spices lose flavor, aroma and potency when they sit in your cupboard for 10 years 🙂
I replace any unused green/leafy herbs at least yearly.
September 25th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
You can get away with older ones, but you gotta grind them if you want anything worthwhile. Of course, you should grind bay leaves anyway.
If you’ve ever bitten into a whole one, you’ll recognize both what they taste like, and why grinding is important.
September 25th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Grinding isn’t necessary. Just drop a whole one into the sauce you’re cooking and let it cook a good long time. Pull the leaf out before serving.
September 25th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Are they really bay laurel leaves? Some times what you get isn’t really bay laurel but California bay (no comparison in taste blech) or red bay (which has a weak flavor). If you see a recipe calling for two bay leaves, the person who concocted it was using something else. One bay leaf is enough for a gallon of stock.
September 25th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
When it’s right it’s kind of a heady, aromatic taste.
When it ain’t right it’s cardboard.
September 25th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
They have aroma more than taste. They’re a good counterpoint to onions and tomato sauces in some soups, stews and ragouts. They must be used sparingly otherwise they’ll make the food bitter. I use two for seven quarts of lentil soup and if they’re smelling too strong I fish them out about halfway through the cooking.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Another use for Bay Leaves is to ward off bugs. Place a Bay Leaf inside a plastic storage bag and place a package of flour or some other commodity in there. The plastic bag will help keep the flour longer and bugs hate Bay Leaves. This works with lots of other foods, spaghetti strands, cookies, or just about anything dry.
As for the Bay Leaf in spaghetti sauce, put it in whole while cooking and remove it prior to serving. You don’t want to eat one.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
Stop now!
I made the same sort of statement about bay leaves, and from the age of 11 until I moved out of my parent’s house, every single solitary time that any stew was for dinner, there was a bay leaf on my plate.
Don’t irritate the cook.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Bay leaf provides a somewhat bitter taste that enhances meat and stews. It is a background spice that provides depth to the dish. It is normally used in marinade or during long cooking in liquid then removed before eating.
I once had beef kabobs marinated for a long period in more bay leaves than I’d ever seen. They were delicious. I just wish I’d gotten the recipe. This meal was prepared by a man from Maderia Island (Portuguese). Bay leaf was an important spice from his childhood. He planted a Bay bush as soon as he bought his home in San Diego.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
Add one to a (small) closed container of flour to keep the bugs out. Or that’s an old sailor’s story anyway.
Like I’m gonna bake my own bread….
September 26th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
It depends. Bay Laurel leaves do if not more than a few years old. They have to simmer in liquid for a while to develop their flavor though.
Fresh bay leaves in this country, and cheap dried ones not labeled bay laurel are actually a eucalyptus leaf and taste like bad cough drops.