/ck/ - Food & Cooking

it adds the taste of bay leaf

>>11908888
i appreciate the input

the bay leaf

>>11908888

>>11908859
you can chew on one to get the flavor, just don't try to swallow it because it's pretty rough. you might not be using enough or the ones you're using are old. you can also get ground bay leaf which you can add to a dish until you get the flavor.

>>11908888
>>11908899
exquisite numbers

>>11908859
fresh bay leaf >>>>>>>>>> penzey's bay leaf >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> mccormick shit tier factory floor scrapings in the shape of a bay leaf

>>11908901
Check them dubs you got too anon. we in a get thread.

>>11908888
Fpbp

>>11908888
outstanding.
clearly you haveto use bayleef now

bay leaf smells good if you light it on fire

>>11908859
>>11908888
The eucalyptol and terpineol give it a slight thyme/sage flavour. Obviously they're better fresh - something like in the OP isn't going to do much. Next time you cook with one, pop it in your mouth when you pull it out. That's the flavour it's adding.

Superb for tomato based broths and sauces. Manhattan clam chowder and conch chowder especially.

Reminder to all: grow your own damn herb. Much more flavorful.

>>11908859
You posted the pic from the Wikipedia article, so I presume you read it. Here's some more:

The thing with bay leaves is they need to simmer a LONG time to extract all their flavors. If you let them do that, they add a depth and layers to your flavor profile that you notice, and you ought to notice if they're absent. Note I didn't say they add a bay leaf flavor. Their effect is to heighten the OTHER flavors. Yes, there's a piney herbal background, if you can discern it. But what's most important is not a discernible flavor but the effect it has on the rest of the flavors.

A heavy stew or chili, bay leaves will lighten the whole thing, and let so many more flavors come out that would have been drowned otherwise. You won't taste "bay leaf flavor," but you'll taste so much more. Leave (ha) them out, and you're stuck with the straightforward heaviness.

Dry leaves are fine, by the way. The volatiles in bay leaves don't evaporate with the water as they dry out, so dry is just as good as fresh. So long as it's not old. As with any other dried herbs, if they've been sitting around for a year or more, throw them out, they're shot. (Spices like nutmeg and clove and pepper, those last a lot longer if left whole.) The flavors last longer if you keep them in the freezer.

If you're in America, stick with dried. Fresh are usually California bay laurel. Those are longer and thinner than Mediterranean bay leaves, with a strong oily kick instead of the subtle behind-the-scenes flavoring you're looking for. Turkish bay leaves are shorter, wider, and with a wavy edge. (West Indian bay leaves are more cinnamon-like.)

If you use bay leaf and can't taste it your mouth must be dead.

>generally better for things that simmer for an extended period
>remove before serving
>if using fresh use less
>if using California bay just use one leaf
>fresh California bay will flavor it up real quick

>>11908888

Buy a tree and some indoor led grow lights. The fresh leaves taste WAY better than the dried ones.

>>11908859
it doesn't add anything
it's a larp for idiots who want to feel "chefy"
>oh i put a fucking leaf in my pot i must be so culinary and refined to use this exquisitely subtle flavor

>>11910423
You have to use fresh leaves and add like 4-6 of them. Dried leaves are a meme. Easy as fuck to grow indoors.

>>11908859
Buy fresh bay leaves and keep them in the freezer.

>>11908888
that's a good post

>>11908859
It adds a lot of flavor and aroma.
What people are missing is that they're buying shitty, flavorless dried crap from Wal-Mart. Get good fresh leaves and the flavor is obvious.

The same thing often happens with turmeric and paprika. People who don't know any better buy flavorless McCormick dust and then wonder what all the fuss is about.