ZeroCool

I loved Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction so much as a kid. Still do, but I used to too.

Yeah, it’s not as important as professionals make it out to be. Like, if you under-salt a dish, people will notice that the meal doesn’t taste as good as the last time you made it, even if they can’t identify why. But the “depth” that bay leaves are supposed to add to a dish, probably won’t even register for most people. I don’t think bay leaves are entirely useless, but I do think it’s safe for home cooks to consider it an optional ingredient. If you have them, use them. If you don’t this time? Don’t worry about it.

I guess this hot take depends on the audience… But if you don’t have bay leaves on hand for a recipe, your family and friends aren’t going to notice the difference. When push comes to shove, it’s probably the least important part of any recipe. If you’re making soup or a stock, it’s gonna be fine without it.