ceresone
Junior Member
Posts: 33
Joined: June 2017
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Post by ceresone on Jun 9, 2019 17:43:37 GMT -5
I have always read to discard bay leaves after cooking, but a recipe for juice it says to process it with everything else..v10 juice, BTW. Should I remove it before processing, or leave in as it says?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 9, 2019 18:05:49 GMT -5
Bay leaves can be dangerous, with the sharp points on them, but if you want to leave them in something, and get more flavor, grind them to a powder, and use that. You get about 1/6 tsp per leaf. I always keep a small amount of powder on hand for creole and cajun cooking.
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Post by paulf on Jun 9, 2019 19:18:52 GMT -5
Bay leaves get discarded after the goody is cooked out of them.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 9, 2019 20:47:28 GMT -5
I would not eat them. Someone may get a sharp particle stuck in their throat.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 9, 2019 22:49:04 GMT -5
I had a bay tree some years ago and harvested enough leaves to last almost a lifetime. When totally dry, they were reduced to powder in a spice grinder. If a recipe calls for bay, a pinch of that is sufficient.
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by brownrexx on Jun 10, 2019 8:05:40 GMT -5
When totally dry, they were reduced to powder in a spice grinder. If a recipe calls for bay, a pinch of that is sufficient. I think that powder may add more flavor. I never feel like cooking with a bay leaf adds much flavor. I even bought new bay leaves and still didn't feel that they were very flavorful. Maybe the store bought ones are old even before I buy them.
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Post by paquebot on Jun 10, 2019 10:09:01 GMT -5
From Bing: "The risk around eating bay leaves occurs if they are eaten whole or in large pieces as they could scratch the digestive tract or cause choking, As there are multiple cases of intestinal perforations causesd by swallowing bay leaves, it's advised that they shouldn't be swallowed or left n food before eating."
Martin
The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 10, 2019 11:52:24 GMT -5
This is good information. I always wondered why it was okay to cook them in dishes but not eat them afterwards, but never thought to look it up.
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Post by carolyn on Jun 10, 2019 18:27:00 GMT -5
This is good information. I always wondered why it was okay to cook them in dishes but not eat them afterwards, but never thought to look it up. I, too, have wondered if you could cook with them what was the need to remove the leaf?... good to know. great question. and really, how much flavor do they add? I can't taste them in anything I have ever used them in. what am I supposed to be tasting?
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Post by paquebot on Jun 10, 2019 18:45:28 GMT -5
carolyn,an easy taste test would be to make a couple quarts of plain tomato juice. Cook one with a bay leaf. Then you will see what difference it makes. Martin The truth is more important than the facts.
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Post by september on Jun 11, 2019 8:37:41 GMT -5
It's hard to describe the taste of bay, but it has sort of a nicely bitter woodsy tang. I always put a leaf or two in with my crock pot beef or venison roasts, it makes the meat and gravy taste better. Also use it in many soups. I don't think anyone would be tempted to eat the leaves, because even after cooking they retain a leathery texture which would be hard to chew. I wonder how many kinds of Bay are available commercially. I like the bigger more oval leaves, they are easier to fish out after cooking and to me have more flavor. But sometimes (especially in Mexico) I run into the much smaller more pointed leaves. I can see where those might get lost in the broth.
I love bay and finally ordered a small plant (tiny, tiny rooted cutting) last year from Amazon. It's doing well, but will be another year or more before I dare deprive it of any leaves. I previously had some cuttings from my sister's potted tree, but I neglected them outdoors for the summer and they didn't make it.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 11, 2019 16:19:35 GMT -5
I should get a bay tree - they grow into large shrubs/small trees here.
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Post by coppice on Jun 11, 2019 23:02:22 GMT -5
My bay tree is kept small to fit in lighted shelf. I just clipped a branch to prune it back some. Drying on table as I speak.
I take spent leaves out of the sauce when done.
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Post by carolyn on Jun 15, 2019 16:56:18 GMT -5
I bought a tree last year and it is in a pot in the greenhouse and is about 4' tall now. How many leaves can I or should I be harvesting from the tree. I can take them to my farmers market in a bag and sell them. no point in doing nothing with the tree as I have never used one leaf for cooking yet. how leathery should I allow the leaf to get before harvesting? will they have more flavor than a softer leaf?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jun 15, 2019 21:18:57 GMT -5
I just harvest the leaves when fully sized, and dark. The leaves have a good flavor, and I remember the first CB I saw a reference to fresh bay leaves in was Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Cooking Patricia Wells' Trattoria and she calls for a generous number of them in many recipes - up to 6, if I recall.
Correction - noted the wrong book above,and realized it when I looked something else up in Trattoria today!
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