My dad cooks with bay leaves a lot, but I’ve never really understood what they do. It seems odd that two tiny leaves would make that much of a difference in a big pot of food. I’m not even sure if I would notice if they weren’t included.
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Answers ( 1 )
Bay leaves provide an aromatic, flattish, not really mint, not really basil, not really thyme kind of flavor to dishes, and is actually most often scented rather than tasted; if you think it is not adding anything to a dish, then it would seem to me either the bay leaves you are using are very old and have lost their oils, or you haven't tasted whatever familiar dish without the bay leaf.
If I have rather new bay leaves, I use smaller ones in my Bean and Barley soup (*yum*- seriously) because, while needed, a single, large freshly-dried bay leaf can overwhelm the earthiness of the Navy beans, the nuttiness of the barley and the umami of the ham bone. In gumbo, it can take over the flavors of the Creole holy trinity (onions, celery, green pepper) and drown the flavor of any delicate seafood. You have to be careful with bay leaves. They are a part of the classic French-cooking bouquet garni, and are used in curries and adobo. No kitchen should be without bay leaves.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-cook-with-bay-leaves-17-recipe-ideas-using-bay-leaves#what-are-bay-leaves