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Your opinions, please. On the Bay.
03 February 2023, 08:01 AM
Steve MillerYour opinions, please. On the Bay.
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.
03 February 2023, 08:09 AM
MikhailohAgreed
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"A mob is a place where people go to get away from their conscience" Atticus Finch
03 February 2023, 08:13 AM
wtgWhen 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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When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden - Minnie Aumônier
03 February 2023, 08:39 AM
CHASI think it leaves quite a gulf.
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Several people have eaten my cooking and survived.
03 February 2023, 08:43 AM
Steve Millerquote:
Originally posted by CHAS:
I think it leaves quite a gulf.
Oh he’s good.
He’s very good!
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Life is short. Play with your dog.
03 February 2023, 11:22 AM
jodiAgree. I almost never do it.
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Jodi
03 February 2023, 11:23 AM
jodiExcept 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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Jodi
03 February 2023, 11:57 AM
AdagioMI usually add twice as many as called for, hoping it makes a difference. Does it?
Actually Samin Nosrat loves bay leaves, but I’m pretty sure hers are much fresher than the ones I’m using!
03 February 2023, 12:37 PM
Piano*DadYes, 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.
03 February 2023, 01:13 PM
RealPlayerCould 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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“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
03 February 2023, 01:22 PM
Mikhailohquote:
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
03 February 2023, 01:36 PM
jon-nycI’ve recently stopped as it seems entirely performative.
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If you think looting is bad wait until I tell you about civil forfeiture.
03 February 2023, 01:42 PM
RealPlayerBite 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
03 February 2023, 04:02 PM
dolmansaxlilWe 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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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
03 February 2023, 08:13 PM
NinaI 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.