Do Bay Leaves Really Add Flavor To Food? Experts Make Their Case.

Do Bay Leaves Really Add Flavor To Food? Experts Make Their Case.

I'm never happier than when I'm at home on a leisurely weekend, keeping an eye on the stove while a big pot of homemade stock, soup or pasta sauce bubbles away for hours. And since a lot of those long-simmering recipes call for bay leaves, I've dutifully dropped one or two of the leaves into pots for years with the faith that I was infusing the liquid with some elusive-yet-magical essence.But when I sat down to eat, I often wondered: Do I actually taste the bay leaf, or am I just imagining that I do? Come to think of it, what do bay leaves even taste like? Are they worth the money? And when a recipe calls for a bay leaf, does that mean dried or fresh? Can they be used interchangeably?I realized that while I liked the ritual of dropping those leaves into simmering pots of comfort food and watching them dance on the surface, I wasn't sure they were actually doing anything.On one hand, there are so many recipes and types of cuisines that call for this herb: Everyone from old-school Italian grandmas to fancy Michelin-starred chefs consider them essential to their broths, stews and sauces. On the