Q&A for How to Use Bay Leaves

It depends on your liquid content. However, one or two dried leaves should be more than enough. I'm not sure about fresh, but I would assume the same.

Yes, and the tea is known to be beneficial for helping to manage type II diabetes. For a pot of tea, tear or cut (for fresh leaves) or crumble (for dried leaves) 3-5 leaves (depending on the size of the leaves and strength desired) into a preheated teapot and pour on boiling water. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain into cups or mugs. It's strength is similar to chamomile tea and it has a subtle rosemary/anise/chamomile/citrus flavor.

You can add it later if you forgot, just boil the soup for a few more minutes to allow the leaf to release its flavor.

Absolutely. In Alsace, we also add a few juniper berries.

Add it to the water in which you're cooking the pasta before bringing to a boil.

Bay leaves won't do anything to protect your home, unfortunately.

No, due to the cooking temperatures and their ability to fight off germs and fungus, you will be able to use them immediately.

You can if you really like the taste, one small leaf is enough for 1 mug of coffee/250 ml.

You can buy fresh and dry bay leaves in most grocery stores. They're sold in bulk by commercial food service suppliers, and are also sold at some farmer's markets.

Yes, you can. Bay leaves detox and relax the body and are used in many bath remedies soaps and creams already.

No, they are not. Like anything else, if used in excess you may feel unwell since bay leaves can affect the intestinal system.

You can, but it doesn’t smell as nice as sage does and doesn't have the same cleansing properties.

You could try filtering the soup through a fine, mesh strainer, but if the bay leaf is finely-ground, then you really don't have much to worry abut. The main reason people like to remove bay leaves from soups is because the edges are sharp.

Bay leaves are not poisonous, but they are as tough to chew, so avoid consuming them as part of the meal.

Yes, you can.

Yes. Leave them whole and remove them or crush them until extremely small.

Don't do that! They really are not edible, so fish them out of the dish before serving. You want the flavor, not to bite into a bay leaf.

Some people like cracking dried bay leaves in half to help it release more flavor.

Burning bay leaves won't do anything for your health.

You can, but they won't really do anything.

Yes, you can.

They are not intended to be crushed. Just put them in whole so you can remove them later. They release their flavor into the food, and are not meant to be consumed.

It's likely that you just used too many. 1-2 bay leaves should be plenty for a large dish of food.

They're a must in spaghetti sauce. Anything you can think of that you simmer (soups, sauces, dried beans, stews, casseroles, etc.) can only be enhanced with the addition of a couple of bay leaves.

Yes. Bay leaves can be sauteed in oil for about a minute or two. Then, meat may be added.

Yes, that would be delicious! Just put some bay leaves in the water you are using to boil the dry beans.

No, bay leaves aren't toxic. They're really woody and bitter if you try to eat them, so it's generally not a good idea. But, you can do it without any harmful effects, unless you try to swallow them whole, which could potentially be a choking hazard. When you're using them in your cooking, stick, to using 2-3. It won't make you sick or harm you, but bay leaves have a strong flavor and if you use too many of them, it'll overpower your dish.

Bay leaves are too hardy and bitter to eat directly and are used to infuse their earthy flavor into a dish. If you're using dried bay leaves from a container, you don't need to wash them off. You can add them directly to dishes. If you're collecting fresh leaves to dry them, it's not a bad idea to give them a quick rinse to remove any dirt or potential bugs from the surface, just to be safe. But, if you're worried about it, it can't hurt to rinse off your bay leaves before you use them.

Bay leaves are super versatile. You can put them in slow-cooking meals to infuse them with flavor or add them to a stews, soups, and sauces to infuse their rich, earthy flavor into them. Whatever dish you use them in, stick to 2-3 leaves. If you overdo it, it can overwhelm the dish. You can also scatter bay leaves around your kitchen to ward off mice, ants, flies, roaches, weevils, and other pests. If you like their smell, add 6-8 whole bay leaves to a saucepan with fresh orange and lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves. Cover them with water and simmer it over low heat to fill your whole home with a homemade potpourri.

There's no evidence to suggest that they have this ability. But anything is possible!