8 Ways to Use Bay Leaves in Cooking That You Might Not Know
Ways to Use Bay Leaves in Cooking: Bay leaves have a pungent aroma that is often used in Indian cooking to add flavour to dishes. They are also known as laurel leaves and can be purchased from almost any grocery store. However, there are not too many ways in which you can use these bay leaves in your cooking. We see them being used mostly for their smell and discarded after the dish has been cooked. However, that doesn’t mean that these leaves cannot be used for anything else. There are plenty of uses for bay leaves in cooking that you may not know about!
Use for Decoration
If you have a bay leaf plant in your garden, then you can use them as a decoration around your home. You can use them to decorate your kitchen or even use them to decorate your dining table on special occasions. They will look very pretty, especially if they have flowers growing on them. If you don’t have a bay leaf plant, then you can use fresh bay leaves to decorate your home. You can dry them out and then use them as table decorations. Bay leaves made into a garland are also very popular in India. You can make a garland out of fresh or dried bay leaves.
Add flavour to curries
Bay leaves added to a curry will add a warm flavour to your dish. Bay leaves are often used in Indian curries, but they can be used in many other cuisines too. Bay leaves are also often used when cooking meat, especially chicken and lamb. It is best to add the bay leaves at the beginning of the cooking process so that the leaves are infused with the meat juices. Bay leaves can be added to soups, stews, curries and even some desserts.
Add fragrance to your food
If you are cooking a dish that requires you to use bay leaves subtly, then they can be used to add fragrance to your dish. Bay leaves can be added to a pot of rice, while it is being cooked. The rice will then have a nice fragrance and taste. Bay leaves can also be used to make a fragrant tea. You can either add the leaves to your regular black tea or green tea while they are being brewed. Bay leaves can also be used when you are steaming vegetables and potatoes. You can add a bay leaf to your pot of vegetables or potatoes while they are being steamed to add a nice fragrance.
Bake them for a delicious dessert
If you want to indulge in a delicious dessert, then you can bake bay leaves in your oven. You can add bay leaves, almonds and raisins for a delicious treat. You can serve this as a dessert or even as a snack.
Enhance the flavour of soups and stews
Bay leaves are often added to stews and hearty soups. Bay leaves are very flavourful, and the flavour is released when they are cooked. You can add bay leaves to soups and stews to enhance their flavour.
Apply it to marinate the meat before cooking
Bay leaves are often used for marinating meat. Bay leaves are used to flavour the meat and tenderise it at the same time. They can be added to meat dishes like meat stews, curries and roasts. Keep in mind that bay leaves can overpower some dishes, so use them sparingly.
Boost the flavour of your Rotis and flatbreads
Bay leaves can be used to add flavour to your flatbreads. You can add bay leaves while you are cooking the dough to boost the flavour of your flatbread.
Mask the smell of other ingredients that you may not like
If you are baking a dessert or a cake and there is an ingredient that you don’t like, then you can add bay leaves to cover up the taste. You can also use bay leaves to cover up the smell of certain vegetables that you don’t like such as cauliflower or broccoli.
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Conclusion – Use Bay Leaves in Cooking
Bay leaves have a lot of uses and can be added to many different dishes. Bay leaves are often used in stews and curries, but they can be added to many other dishes. If you keep a bag of bay leaves in your kitchen, then you can use them for many different dishes. Hope you liked this post. Please share this on your social handles. Also, you must follow our website “usagardenshop.com“. Thank You
