Where do you use bay leaves?

[Ali in OR]

I miss our grocery store's bulk foods section, particularly the spices, which is not being used during the pandemic. I always just filled my old little spice bottles with very inexpensive bulk foods spices. I don't want to buy expensive new little bottles of spices when I run out, so I've been tracking down large bottles of the spices we used most that I can keep in the garage to refill my little bottles as needed. Found most of what I wanted at Costco and 3 different grocery stores in town, but the one spice I couldn't find in a larger quantity was basil. So I placed my first Penzeys order ever to make sure I could have basil, and as an impulse buy I got some bay leaves too. I used to buy bay leaves maybe 3 or 4 at a time from the bulk bins. Well, my Penzeys order came today (took about 3 weeks), and I think I now have a lifetime supply of bay leaves! I can't even remember what I was making recently where I needed one and didn't have one. Maybe chicken stock? I'm thinking I need to make some recipes with bay leaves. My mom may have put them in her spaghetti meat sauce--I could do that. Where else do you use bay leaves?

[bolt.]

Most soups and stews. What they do is add "umami" which is the meaty robust flavour that helps things taste full and hearty. They are a good choice anytime you want to use a little meat and have it taste like a lot of meat.

[alisoncooks]

Beef stew. There's maybe 2-3 recipes (out of hundreds) in my recipe box that use bay leaves...which means I use the same bottle for like 5 years. 

[Caraway]

I use them in the back of the spice drawer to shove the other spices forward.  🤣

[Miss Tick]

36 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I now have a lifetime supply of bay leaves!

😄I did that 15 years ago - still have some in the freezer! I usually double the amount ,assuming that by now they've lost some potency. I have a few lentil casseroles that use them.

[happi duck]

Penzeys has the best bay leaves!  Vegetable soup and Hoppin John are two recipes where I always add a few bay leaves.

[Carol in Cal.]

I use them whole in spaghetti sauce, and sometimes when I'm making beans from scratch.

Then I fish them out at the end.  

Have never tried them in chili.

[catz]

I use them in soups, stews,sauces, curries, etc.  Anything that simmers or bakes in liquid a long time.  You can throw one in when you make rice.  

[Moonhawk]

Anything that is soupy, just about. Chicken stock, and lentil soup are the first that come to mind. I make chicken stock once a week so it goes fast. Also, when cooking dried beans.

[KungFuPanda]

Soooo many things. I tried growing a bay tree, but I’m at the edge of its zone. Our late frost took it out. I’ve been bringing that stupid thing inside for two winters and it got killed in spring. 😞 The National arboretum had one so I thought I could too. Nope. Not without their gardeners to care for it. 

[Spy Car]

2 hours ago, bolt. said:

Most soups and stews. What they do is add "umami" which is the meaty robust flavour that helps things taste full and hearty. They are a good choice anytime you want to use a little meat and have it taste like a lot of meat.

You've rendered me redundant. LOL.

Bill

[mathnerd]

One special use of bay leaves is that it deters moths and other insects in the pantry (along with cloves). So, I buy huge bags of bay leaves and cloves and I always leave a few on each shelf of my pantry as a moth repellent. I put them in a tiny mesh bag that I get from the party store (used for party favors) and replace them every few months.

[Spy Car]

34 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Soooo many things. I tried growing a bay tree, but I’m at the edge of its zone. Our late frost took it out. I’ve been bringing that stupid thing inside for two winters and it got killed in spring. 😞 The National arboretum had one so I thought I could too. Nope. Not without their gardeners to care for it. 

I'm growing a Greek bay laurel here in SoCal. I got it last fall. It was a tiny 4 inch twig when I got it. Maybe 3 leaves. 

Now? Still pretty durn small. About 35 leaves and about 12 inches tall. One day--I hope--I'll be able to harvest some. The climate is right here in LA.

Bill

[Spy Car]

My only advice (as one who loves bay leaf) is don't use too much or cook it too long, or the delicious quality can turn strongly medicinal and unpleasant.

Bill

[KungFuPanda]

1 minute ago, Spy Car said:

I'm growing a Greek bay laurel here in SoCal. I got it last fall. It was a tiny 4 inch twig when I got it. Maybe 3 leaves. 

Now? Still pretty durn small. About 35 leaves and about 12 inches tall. One day--I hope--I'll be able to harvest some. The climate is right here in LA.

Bill

Well now you’re just rubbing it in! I live in central Maryland. We get all of the weather. 

[Spy Car]

Just now, KungFuPanda said:

Well now you’re just rubbing it in! I live in central Maryland. We get all of the weather. 

Yea, but you get to use bay leaf to flavor nice fresh crabs. Where we are luck if we get get frozen stuff from goodness knows where.

Feel better? 

Bill

[Soror]

Stock, broth, and soups.

[Lori D.]

In addition to the usual soups/stews, I use dried bay leaves in my dry storage canisters of flours, rice, beans, and other grains. The pungency of bay leaves keeps pantry bugs out of the food. 

I have read that it's best to replace with newer (dried) bay leaves every few months. I grow a bay laurel bush just so I can snip a branch of leaves every so often, dry it, and store it in a bottle for the next time I need bay leaves for cooking -- or for pest deterrent. 😄 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Lori D.

[Tap]

I miss bay leaves. 😞 my husband hated the taste when we first met 30 years ago, so I  stopped using them. HMMMMmmm. I wonder if I should try again. LOL  He probably doesn't even remember what they taste like. Haha.  

I used to use them in dishes with tomato like a stew, or spaghetti. I put them in whole and take them out  in the end. 

[katilac]

5 hours ago, Caraway said:

I use them in the back of the spice drawer to shove the other spices forward.  🤣

I will confess to not even having any, even though I live in south Louisiana and it's possibly against the law, lol. I never seemed to notice a difference in using them or not, so eventually stopped no matter what I'm making. 

5 hours ago, bolt. said:

What they do is add "umami" which is the meaty robust flavour that helps things taste full and hearty. They are a good choice anytime you want to use a little meat and have it taste like a lot of meat.

Maybe that's why I don't notice much of a difference, most of the recipes that call for it around here tend to have plenty of meat to begin with. 

[Bootsie]

I use them in shrimp etouffee

[KungFuPanda]

3 hours ago, Spy Car said:

Yea, but you get to use bay leaf to flavor nice fresh crabs. Where we are luck if we get get frozen stuff from goodness knows where.

Feel better? 

Bill

Crabs are a perk, but usually the only bay I put on them is Old Bay. It’s a religious obligation here. 🤣

[Ausmumof3]

Spaghetti bolognese or any other tomato based meat stew type dish.  Sometimes I lay them on top of chops along with rosemary salt and garlic to bake.  To be honest I don’t notice that much Flavour difference if I leave them out but it makes me feel like a more authentic cook using them 🤣

[sassenach]

7 hours ago, bolt. said:

Most soups and stews. What they do is add "umami" which is the meaty robust flavour that helps things taste full and hearty. They are a good choice anytime you want to use a little meat and have it taste like a lot of meat.

I was today-years-old when I learned the purpose of bay leaves. 

I dutifully put them in my stews but I never really knew why. 

[lewelma]

We have a bay TREE!  So many leaves, a life time supply.  We use them when we make chicken broth.  I buy bones, boil them up with a carrot, onion, and bay leaf. Then freeze it in 2 cup containers.  The bay flavor is delicious. The longer they boil, the more flavor is released. 

[gstharr]

10 hours ago, Spy Car said:

I'm growing a Greek bay laurel here in SoCal. I got it last fall. It was a tiny 4 inch twig when I got it. Maybe 3 leaves. 

Now? Still pretty durn small. About 35 leaves and about 12 inches tall. One day--I hope--I'll be able to harvest some. The climate is right here in LA.

Bill

Same here in So Cal.  It has been in a 5 gallon paint bucket for 20 years and is about 3 ft, tall. I pull 3 or 4 leaves every now and then.

[J-rap]

I love the flavor of bay leaves but rarely use them (yet always have them!).  The only thing I consistently use them in is navy bean soup!  I always used up old bay leaves by spreading them on my pantry shelves, because they kept the bugs away.  (We lived in an old house and bugs were occasionally a problem.)  I like the idea of throwing one in a pot of rice.  I'm going to try that!

[Spy Car]

On 7/25/2020 at 4:13 AM, gstharr said:

Same here in So Cal.  It has been in a 5 gallon paint bucket for 20 years and is about 3 ft, tall. I pull 3 or 4 leaves every now and then.

Mine is building up strength in a terra cotta pot. I'd planned to put it in the ground this fall, but then saw pictures online of how big these bush/trees can get and have been questioning the chosen location. 3 feet after 20 years provokes another re-think.

Do you think the pot is retarding the growth? It must.

Bill

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

Mine is building up strength in a terra cotta pot. I'd planned to put it in the ground this fall, but then saw pictures online of how big these bush/trees can get and have been questioning the chosen location. 3 feet after 20 years provokes another re-think.

Do you think the pot is retarding the growth? It must.

Yes -- pots do retard growth. It does for citrus trees, too. My bay bush is in a 12 to 15 gallon pot, and is staying small -- about 3-4' tall.
The other thing to realize is that bay plants are slow growers, AND they take to being pruned very well.
Bay is a plant used for topiary or ornamental looks, so you can keep it shaped to fit the location. 😄

Edited July 26, 2020 by Lori D.

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, Lori D. said:

Yes -- pots do retard growth. It does for citrus trees, too. My bay bush is in a 12 to 15 gallon pot, and is staying small -- about 3-4' tall.
The other thing to realize is that bay plants are slow growers, AND they take to being pruned very well.
Bay is a plant used for topiary or ornamental looks, so you can keep it shaped it to fit the location. 😄

Thanks. I think I will put mine in the ground. I could handle a 7 foot tree/bush in my intended location. Just not a 20 footer.

Bill

 

[Pippen]

I use them when I'm cooking dry beans, stew, soups, chili, and spaghetti.

[Reefgazer]

Soups and stews.