Cooking With Bay Leaves: Tips to Wake Up the Flavor of Bay Leaf and Your Dishes
Bay leaves, sometimes called Laurel or laurel leaves, are so named because they come from the Bay Laurel tree. Cooking with bay leaves is usually a very simple affair: some dried leaves, tossed into a homey, simmering pot of stew or sauce. Bay leaf’s subtle, savory flavor is difficult to pinpoint, but easily missed. And perhaps that’s the way it should be — bay sings in the chorus, lifting good dishes into greatness.
About Bay Leaves in Cooking
Never eaten on their own, bay leaves instead are added whole to dishes while they are cooking, and fished out before serving. This is because the leaves themselves are very fibrous and indigestible. Dried bay leaves, in particular, impart a special danger, even when softened: they remain stiff, and sharp edges from torn leaves can cut the mouth and throat.
As a result of the bay leaf’s special cooking and eating considerations, the effect we obtain from it is more an aroma and a gentle savory flavor addition rather than any strong or easily-identifiable taste.
The reason dried leaves often seem to impart little flavor may be because they are old. This can be alleviated by trying some fresh bay leaves, if you can get a hand on some. Fresh bay leaves, of course, are much more pungent-tasting than dried. If procuring fresh bay leaves, be sure they are called Turkish Bay or culinary bay leaves. Avoid California Bay for culinary uses, as this is a different-tasting tree used for landscaping.
Whether using fresh or dried bay leaves, keep in mind that bay isn’t meant to stand out as a specific flavor in a dish. Often when cooking, flavors are layered, so that in the end the overall taste of the dish is full and well-rounded, even though you can’t discern which particular herbs and spices are doing the work. This is what bay leaf does.
How to Get the Most Flavor From Bay Leaves
To help bay leaf impart its flavor, consider using one or both of these tips:
- Use double or more the number of bay leaves called for by the recipe. If your dried bay leaves don’t smell strongly any longer, they may be past their prime, in which case a boost by adding more can have good results.
- Sauté the bay leaves briefly in butter or oil before adding to your dish. Giving dried herbs a quick fry in fat wakes them up and helps them to impart their flavor better.
How Bay Leaves are Used in Different Dishes
Bay leaves are one of the herbs used in a bouquet garni (French for “garnished bouquet”). A bouquet garnet is a bunch of several herbs, stems and all, usually tied together with string. This herb bundle is then dropped into dishes such as stews or soups, and fished out of the pot before serving. Traditionally, a bouquet garni has bay leaves, parsley, and thyme, though you can add whatever herbs, and sometimes vegetables, that you like.
Bay leaves are most often used to season meat, poultry, fish, and tomato dishes, and always in dishes that have a long simmering time — soups, stews, sauces. Its subtle flavor adds depth to many Mediterranean cuisines, including French, Turkish, and Moroccan. Because bay leaves aid in digestion, it’s especially welcome in meat dishes, where its enzymes help to break down proteins.
Cooking with bay leaves is so ordinary, so everyday, that this humble herb is easily overlooked. Never the star, bay adds subtle, savory, nearly indefinable flavor and aroma to dishes. And yet…it would be difficult to make a tomato sauce or savory stew without one or more bay leaves seasoning it. Perhaps that’s the way it should be.
References
Add a Little SPICE (& HERBS) to Your Life!: https://lancaster.unl.edu/food/spiceherbshandout-color.pdf%20
Laurel: https://faculty.ucc.edu/biology-ombrello/pow/laurel.htm
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