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SMART SHOPPING: BAY LEAVES

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There are two kinds of bay leaves: Turkish and Californian. We prefer the milder flavor of the more common Turkish bay leaves. To test the effect of this ingredient, we prepared three batches of a simple chicken broth, one using two bay leaves (as the recipe indicated), one using no bay leaves, and one using four bay leaves. The broth made without bay leaves was panned as “bland” and “watery,” with “no flavor.” Too many bay leaves, however, left the broth “bitter,” “piney,” and “sour.” Just the right amount produced a broth that was “balanced,” “nicely seasoned,” and “herby.”