I stopped using bay leaf

[Webs]

in my stew. I always found it gave my stew a weird flavor that made me unhappy.

Instead, if I can't get fresh, I put oregano, thyme and rosemary in a mortar and pestle and turn them into as much of a powder as I can, and sprinkle that in.

I find the depth of flavor greater and less medicial than bay leaf.

I've got a pot of stew on the stove now.

[Liiisa]

Well done! Sounds good

[ozziegiraffe]

I never use bay leaf, but love oregano. I’m not sure why.

[sprite]

I use it, but am not sure if I notice it.

rarely, i get organised enough to put herbs/seeds into a tea ball for flavouring.

[kraken]

I'm with you - I've disliked bay leaf from an early age - my mother used to use it in a lentil stew which absolutely ruined what would've been a tasty dish otherwise. I can still conjure up the taste some 35 years later!

[Webs]

Jan 24, 2022 7:04:21 GMT -5 sprite said:

I use it, but am not sure if I notice it.

rarely, i get organised enough to put herbs/seeds into a tea ball for flavouring.

I don't put it in a teaball. I put it directly in the stew. If it's ground fine it just disintigrates. If it's fresh I tie the stems together so they're easy to find and pull out.

I'd only put whole spices in a teaball. You don't want to have to fish them out.

[shilgia]

I love bay leaf, but when I first moved to this country I discovered to my horror that there are two kinds of bay leaf and the second kind does not taste good. Turkish bay leaf: wonderful. California bay leaf: pointless, weird, and a waste of a good stew.

[tucano]

We have a bay tree in the garden but I never use it. You're supposed to use it in a bechamel sauce but I don't particularly like the taste either.

[ozziegiraffe]

I can’t imagine how a bay leaf could work with bechamel.