ISO What to do with bay leaves

[Katie H]

I want some!

Come on down, Connie. I have a nice, big ham bone in the freezer just waiting to hunker down in a big pot of split pea soup. Can't beat a meal of that and a loaf of N.Y. Times Bread. Pure heaven.

 

[Dave Hutchins]

I put bay leaf in just about every thing I cook and In bbq sauce it give a flavor nobody can pick up on . beans/tomatoes/fish/gumbo. bloody mary's (a pinch)

 

[bevkile]

A guaranteed way to deal with any larva in the flour you buy is to freeze the bag of flour for 3 days then take it out of the freezer. This freezing kills off any bug eggs in the flour.

I was told that, but I trusted my old bay leaves more. I guess maybe I will give it a try.

 

[GotGarlic]

I didn't know you could use them for anything other than putting them in flour to discourage weevils!

Do they make the flour taste funny? My aunt used to put a vanilla bean in her sugar canister to make it take on the vanilla flavor; I was wondering if the same thing happens with bay leaves in flour.

 

[Dartssnake]

Try Richter's Herbs online. I was just directed there today by the local Herb Society of America representative.

I was sad. I was hoping to find somewhere more local that had a plant for sale that was a little more established, maybe 2 or more feet.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Do they make the flour taste funny? My aunt used to put a vanilla bean in her sugar canister to make it take on the vanilla flavor; I was wondering if the same thing happens with bay leaves in flour.

No, they don't affect the taste of the flour at all. Of course, after reading this thread, I'm wondering now if they do anything at all!

 

[expatgirl]

There are usually 2-3 common types of varmints(probably more) that inhabit flour, rice, and meal based products (yep, that's about 1/10 or more of a common pantry). Flour beetles (family Tenebrionide if you're into bugs), mealy moths, and tiny weevils are the usual culprits. The adults mate, and then lay their eggs in our pantry products. The eggs then hatch and feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin. Some females have no desire to leave home and so lay their eggs in the most convenient place---your precious flour, rice, grains, cornmeal, even found them making love and babies in a can of cayenne pepper. Many moths, weevils, and beetles do eventually leave the love nest and fly to other places in your pantry. THAT'S where your bay leaves can help. They are repelled by bay leaves and rarely will you find NEW eggs being laid in products that have them. I put a bay leaf in every bag of flour, rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, etc., that I open. When you buy these products at a grocery, as has already been suggested, freeze them first to kill any eggs that have already been laid before you bought the item. Otherwise you are going to start a vicious cycle. YOu can also tape the bay leaves in and around your cupboards to discourage those seeking new homes to populate. If you see tiny, ugly looking moths flying around the light in your pantry (off white color, thin heads, very small) you probably have them in your foodstuffs. They like popcorn, too. Good news--they won't breed in your delicious stews and soups that you make using the bay leaves, too.

 

[Andy M.]

expat, you spend way too much time watching those little critters. I have an image in my head of you with a magnifying glass and a note pad writing furiously as the little critters, "feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin".

 

[expatgirl]

expat, you spend way too much time watching those little critters. I have an image in my head of you with a magnifying glass and a note pad writing furiously as the little critters, "feed, do their bathroom business, sleep, watch tv, and then turn into adults. Then serious love connections begin".

See what an entomology class (study of insects) will do to you???? I have never been the same since------and instead of a magnifying glasses we used microscopes. If I had had the $$ back then like I do now, I really think that I would have become an entomologist. I really do see a reality show here, don't you??

 

[GotGarlic]

Many moths, weevils, and beetles do eventually leave the love nest and fly to other places in your pantry. THAT'S where your bay leaves can help. They are repelled by bay leaves and rarely will you find NEW eggs being laid in products that have them. I put a bay leaf in every bag of flour, rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, etc., that I open. When you buy these products at a grocery, as has already been suggested, freeze them first to kill any eggs that have already been laid before you bought the item. Otherwise you are going to start a vicious cycle. YOu can also tape the bay leaves in and around your cupboards to discourage those seeking new homes to populate.

This is great, expatgirl. Now I have something to do with all those bay leaves! Thanks!

 

[expatgirl]

Glad to hear it, GotGarlic!!

 

[buckytom]

getting back to cooking with bay leaves: i like to put them in my sausage and peppers, tomato sauces, soups and stews, and they're a key ingredient in a pork marinade that i've been try to reproduce for a long time, from a favourite but now defunct restaurant.
it's a combo of a load of bay leaves and a load of garlic, with sweet sherry, black rum, allspice, peppercorns, and cloves.

 

[college_cook]

I think it was the Top Chef Season 2 winner that made a sort of fritter batter for bay leaves. He dipped the bay leaves in the batter, then deep fried them, and served them with a variety of fresh fruit. To eat them, you bite down through the batter but not the leaf, and then you slide the leaf through your teeth, leaving no leaf, but only bay-scented batter in your mouth. Never tried it myself, but the judges seemed impressed by it.

 

[buckytom]

that sounds a lot like stuffed artichokes, collegecook. have you ever had those?

 

[ErikC]

Chef Michael Smith of PEI, Canada, mentioned a mix he calls "Bay Spice." It involves equal parts dried Bay Leaves, Fennel Seeds and Coriander seeds. Run those through a spice grinder or a coffee bean grinder (I have an extra grinder for exactly that purpose), and you have a wonderful aromatic spice to add to chicken, seafood, vegetable, rice, or whatever you can think of.

 

[Poppinfresh]

We put one of those in our garden.

It diededed

They don't do well in high desert environments, heh.

 

[Billdolfski]

I'm pretty much repeated what a lot of ppl have been saying here... what don't you put them in?

All manners of soups, stews, roasts (red or poultry)... it could go on and on

 

[archiduc]

Hi GotGarlic,
You can use bay leaves to make a wonderful ice-cream. I make mine by infusing bayleaves in milk just brought up to simmering temperature, covering the pan and leaving the bay leaves to infuse for 20-30 minutes. From memory, I think I used about 8 dried leaves to 1 pint of milk. The milk is then strained and used to make an egg custard ice-cream.
Regards,
Archiduc