Do bay leaves actually do anything? - Democratic Underground

LostInAnomie

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Thu Aug-20-09 03:10 AM
Original message

Do bay leaves actually do anything?

Edited on Thu Aug-20-09 03:10 AM by LostInAnomie

I've never noticed them doing anything but being $7.00 a container.

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JCMach1

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Thu Aug-20-09 04:14 AM
Response to Original message

1. You are buying stale ones then... this is a big problem with herbs in America

They have a wonderful taste.

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Gormy Cuss

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Thu Aug-20-09 10:48 AM
Response to Reply #1

13. +1

Edited on Thu Aug-20-09 11:36 AM by Gormy Cuss

I'm fortunate enough to have a bay laurel growing in my yard. Fresh or fresh dried leaves are aromatic and flavorful. The typical American supermarket stuff is at least a couple of years old when you buy it and the discount brands are even older (hint: bay leaves should be green, not gray-green or brown.)

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JCMach1

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Thu Aug-20-09 11:04 AM
Response to Reply #13

14. We get the nice green fresh ones here

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regnaD kciN

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Thu Aug-20-09 04:21 AM
Response to Original message

2. They help bay trees grow...

;-)

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kentauros

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Thu Aug-20-09 04:47 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. That's right Betty Jo Biolowski!

Love your nick, by the way

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Ohio Joe

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Thu Aug-20-09 05:10 AM
Response to Original message

4. Yes, they decide who does the dishes

Whenever my grandmother made sauce, there was always one bay leaf in it and the person that got it had to do the dishes after dinner. A tradition my whole family has continued :D

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redqueen

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Thu Aug-20-09 09:39 AM
Response to Reply #4

11. What a neat idea!

I always fish mine out 2 or 3 hours into the simmering... I think next time I'll put them in later and leave them in. :)

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Ohio Joe

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Thu Aug-20-09 10:40 AM
Response to Reply #11

12. Don't forget to cheat

I think I was about 17 or 18 before I figured out that it was always one of the kids that got the bay leaf and not once was it one of the adults, hahahahahahaha. Now the great grandkids always get it :D

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lillypaddle

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Thu Aug-20-09 12:31 PM
Response to Reply #4

16. I read somewhere to take the leaf OUT or ...

Edited on Thu Aug-20-09 12:32 PM by lillypaddle

they can be deadly when choked upon. Apparently the leaf, if swallowed, can cling to the back of the throat easily causing suffocation. Ever since reading that, I always remove them.

spelling edit

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lillypaddle

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Thu Aug-20-09 12:35 PM
Response to Reply #16

17. bay leaves are a necessity in

red, Italian sauces. And if you're boiling or steaming shrimp (or any shell fish), add a handful of the small ones or several large ones to the water.

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XemaSab

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Thu Aug-20-09 05:17 AM
Response to Original message

5. They give the woods of california and oregon some stank

Edited on Thu Aug-20-09 05:20 AM by XemaSab

x(

(and they're the primary foliar host for sudden oak death.)

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HopeHoops

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Thu Aug-20-09 06:54 AM
Response to Original message

6. They get stuck in your teeth

Well, only if you can't fish all the pieces out of the pasta sauce. I've never found them fresh enough to be worth using and they don't grow in my area.

We grow almost all of our own herbs. The parsley, oregano and basil are WAY out of control right now!!!

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MissMillie

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Thu Aug-20-09 07:28 AM
Response to Original message

7. yes

I won't make a soup stock w/o them.

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Orsino

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Thu Aug-20-09 08:15 AM
Response to Original message

8. They make spinach taste terrible.

Encountered that a few times.

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Swede

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Thu Aug-20-09 09:24 AM
Response to Original message

9. They are a spice,they add a layer of flavor to stews and soups.

Used in pickling,also,I believe.

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GreenPartyVoter

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Thu Aug-20-09 02:08 PM
Response to Reply #9

20. I use them for stews.

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Moondog

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Thu Aug-20-09 09:35 AM
Response to Original message

10. Yes. For some reason, they repel roaches.

Not a small thing here in Florida, where the roaches fly, and grow a couple of inches long.

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IcyPeas

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Thu Aug-20-09 02:11 PM
Response to Reply #10

22. I'm so glad you said this Moondog...

I used to put a leaf in my boxes of cereal to keep the bugs away.... I don't remember where I heard this but glad I'm not alone.

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redqueen

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Thu Aug-20-09 02:16 PM
Response to Reply #10

23. Ugh... we call those waterbugs. Why are they so scary?

Well maybe you don't find them scary, but they might as well be axe-weilding murderers as far as I'm concerned.

It makes no sense, but there it is.

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Javaman

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Thu Aug-20-09 12:03 PM
Response to Original message

15. Wait for a full moon, they you will know. nt

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edbermac

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Thu Aug-20-09 01:54 PM
Response to Original message

18. George Carlin had a great use for them.

On one of his earlier albums, he said if you ever run out of deodorant, go to the kitchen and put a bay leaf under each arm. Won't help you from stop perspiring but at least you'll smell like soup.

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Bucky

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Thu Aug-20-09 02:06 PM
Response to Original message

19. If you boil about 40 bay leaves into a bay leaf soup and drink it, you'll get violently sick.

it ain't much, but it's something

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Broken_Hero

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Thu Aug-20-09 02:10 PM
Response to Original message

21. In my experience

they are a overpriced garnish, my wife loves them though...I just pick them out.

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