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Regular Contributor
Posts: 199
Registered: ‎06-27-2013

I see bay leaf in recipes but I leave it out. My questions are: does it really add anything to the taste? And it is "dangerous" as I have heard you have to remove it before eating? thanks.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,845
Registered: ‎10-03-2011

I don't use them often, usually in a slow cooking pot roast, maybe beef stew. I add it because the recipe calls for it.  I don't know the specific flavor of a bay leaf. 🤷‍♀️

Super Contributor
Posts: 281
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Yes, it does add flavor, thus the reason it's been used for years in alot of recipes.  The reason you remove it is because it's a crispy leaf, probably wouldn't be very tasty!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,272
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I use bay leaves in my homemade chicken stock and when I cook bean soup.  

I am unaware of any danger from them.  They remain whole and I remove and discard them before serving.

“I heard the sound I had to follow”
In Your Wildest Dreams by Justin Hayward
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,232
Registered: ‎12-14-2018

Yes, I use bay leaf. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,019
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Yes, I keep a few leaves in the freezer for stews and soups.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 39,574
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

@mormel20 wrote:

I see bay leaf in recipes but I leave it out. My questions are: does it really add anything to the taste? And it is "dangerous" as I have heard you have to remove it before eating? thanks.


 

@mormel20 

 

I don't know where you are getting your information about bay leaves, but it's wrong.   

 

Bay leaves have a savory taste and are good in soups and stews.  The leaves are NOT dangerous (where did you read that?).   You take them out because it would feel like a piece of cardboard or a  thick leaf.  Same as if you put a whole clove of garlic in a dish while cooking ... you would take it out before serving so no one accidentally ate it.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 13,912
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I use them in soups and stews too. My mom drummed in me it wasn't safe to eat them, and she was right. She said they could cause digestive issues because 

they are "spiny." They do have a weird consistency, stiffer than most other leaves that look like them.  

 

 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 39,574
Registered: ‎08-23-2010

Incidentally, my grandmother always had lots of bay leaves handy.  Each spring she would put fresh ones in each corner of each cupboard shelf.  Discourages bugs, she said.  Then I once recall seeing a bay leaf in a bag of flour at my aunt's house. 

 

Might be an old wives tale, but I thought I'd throw that into the discussion ... to see if anyone else was familiar with that practice.   Anyone?

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,272
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Tinkrbl44 

 

I have never used bay leaves in that way but I have read that they do deter bugs.

“I heard the sound I had to follow”
In Your Wildest Dreams by Justin Hayward