Katra wrote:

> Ok, I know this is really going to make me sound ignorant, but my mom
> almost never used bay leaves and I did learn to cook mostly from her....
>
> so what is up with Bay Leaves?
> Why do I want to use them?
> What flavor do they impart?
>
> I understand you use them whole because you need to remove
> them when you are done as they are toxic if eaten???

I like Bay Leaf in small doses, but a lot of people seem to hate it.

The reason that you remove them is that the stem does not soften when cooking and could cause a person some damage if eaten.