# Why do we add Bay leaves to our soups/stews? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 10, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366 "2005-08-10T00:10:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/21 "2005-08-10T21:11:50Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Where did you get that? 🙂 And is it “infirmed” or “infirm”? Pull over and show me your dictionary. > > Are they always dried? There is of course a great deal of difference in dried and fresh herbs. Infirmed seems to be fairly often used (try Google search) but not as common as infirm, my Webster’s New World College Dictionary does not list infirmed. CF nasa using [infirmed](http://ipp.nasa.gov/innovation/Innovation54/robotast.htm) . Bay leaves are about as dangerous as whole nuts in food, as in may be a problem for toddlers or 85year olds. Fresh Bay Leaves can be found (I got them ocasionally in Indian grocery stores) and are used just as well. I really wouldn’t pick my own unless I had very good knowledge that I wasn’t mistaking one of the poisonous Laurels for the edible Sweet Laurel, like picking wild mushrooms being wrong is just too risky to be worth doing without good and relyable expertise. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/22 "2005-08-10T21:18:28Z")
Nuts are dangerous in food? Hell, Grandmother was cooking with bay leaves and whole nuts in her 80’s. Not the same dish, though… Thanks for the lexicon cite. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![quiltguy154](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ad7895/32.png) [@quiltguy154](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy154)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/23 "2005-08-10T21:30:39Z")
If you’re still fearful of the odd forgotten bayleaf lodging in your windpipe, you can buy them powdered. There’s also an herb mixture, containing bayleaves, than can be used for a variety of foods.The flavor is released much quicker, but at the expense of a shortened shelf life. Check the Penzey’s[TM] catalog.I’ve seen recipes for baked custard that call for a leaf to be placed atop each custard cup before it goes in the oven. Pound cake too, except put the leaf in the pan before adding the batter. Bayleaves work well with dairy, I never make any kind of cream or white sauce without them[a little nutmeg too] ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/24 "2005-08-10T21:38:06Z")
> [@Gaudere](#): > > Here I was going to mention that I thought it was hysterical last night when someone told me bay leaves were poisonous and that’s why we take them out of food before eating. I’d never heard that before but apparently it’s a common belief! Why do people think we would put poison in our food? Well, we automatically believe what our moms tell us, and it’s one of those mildly sadistic things moms like to do to their kids. **Lev** , I’ve put _poison_ in your soup. I tried to pick out the _poisonous_ leaves, but I might have missed one. Whatever you do, don’t eat the poisonous part! Enjoy your soup. Buh, buh, buh, but MOM!!! ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/25 "2005-08-11T00:38:24Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Would my soups/stews come out somehow lacking, were I to omit the Bay leaves? So what you want to know is, should you bay leaf it or not? ---
**Author:** ![melondeca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@melondeca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melondeca)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366/26 "2005-08-11T03:28:54Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > So what you want to know is, should you bay leaf it or not? Oh it hurts. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-add-bay-leaves-to-our-soups-stews/316366.md?page=1)