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Your opinions, please. On the Bay.
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Steve Miller
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Ina Garten and Christopher Kimball have each stated that adding bay leaves to a dish is pretty much a waste of time.

Your opinions, please.


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Life is short. Play with your dog.

 
Posts: 34927 | Location: Hooterville, OH | Registered: 23 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Mikhailoh
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Agreed


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Posts: 13549 | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wtg
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When I've left bay leaves out of stew or sauerbraten, it seems to me that something is missing. But I'm more than willing to admit that it could just be my imagination...


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

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CHAS
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I think it leaves quite a gulf.


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Posts: 25702 | Location: Still living at 9000 feet in the High Rockies of Colorado | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Steve Miller
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quote:
Originally posted by CHAS:
I think it leaves quite a gulf.


Oh he’s good.

He’s very good! ThumbsUp


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Life is short. Play with your dog.

 
Posts: 34927 | Location: Hooterville, OH | Registered: 23 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
jodi
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Agree. I almost never do it.


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Posts: 20450 | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
jodi
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Except that we have a jar, so I’m trying to use them up, lol. So if I’m actually following a recipe (which I rarely do) - I usually add it.


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AdagioM
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I usually add twice as many as called for, hoping it makes a difference. Does it?

Shrug

Actually Samin Nosrat loves bay leaves, but I’m pretty sure hers are much fresher than the ones I’m using!


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Piano*Dad
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Yes, when I want a hint of that flavor I tend to double or triple the recommended number. And I'm sure using fresh leaves would be quite different. Cooking with fresh sage, for instance.
 
Posts: 12530 | Location: Williamsburg, VA | Registered: 19 July 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
RealPlayer
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Could depend on the type of bay leaf too. California bay laurel is different from standard bay leaves. And even the standard ones have different hybrids or subspecies, I think.

I bet a good spice shop could steer you to the best ones.


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Posts: 13811 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Mikhailoh
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quote:
Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
Yes, when I want a hint of that flavor I tend to double or triple the recommended number. And I'm sure using fresh leaves would be quite different. Cooking with fresh sage, for instance.


I do that with garlic too.


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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch

 
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jon-nyc
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I’ve recently stopped as it seems entirely performative.


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Posts: 33797 | Location: On the Hudson | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
RealPlayer
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Bite into a dry leaf and see if you taste anything. If not, it won't do anything for your dish.


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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

 
Posts: 13811 | Location: The outer burrows | Registered: 27 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
dolmansaxlil
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We have a small bay laurel tree (inside) so we use fresh ones. Before that I typically bought fresh and stored them in the freezer. I can taste the difference when I skip using them. We also use dried ones when we smoke jerk chicken (since pimento wood is impossible to get now).


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Posts: 4091 | Location: Ontario, Canada | Registered: 29 June 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nina
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I can definitely taste (or miss) the bay leaf flavor. The key is to keep them fresh. This can be challenging because it's not something I use that often. My non-scientific test is that, if I can't smell the bay leaves when I open the jar, they're too old.

I've used fresh bay leaves on occasion and they are even better.

I know there are a jillion different types of bay leaves, but the ones I usually get are Spice Islands, which I think are California bay laurel.
 
Posts: 35377 | Location: West: North and South! | Registered: 20 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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