Brew it like tea. Sip the water. Know the knowledge.

Much like how the ass is the father of the legs, the bay leaf is the cousin-who-has-weed of the recipe.

It adds flavor!

The bay leaf itself tastes like ass, but when simmered long enough, it adds a wonderfully complex flavor

From when this was posted in the Severance sub I now know it imparts an earthy flavour, and that you can try adding a bay leaf to just plain boiling water and tasting it(after it's cooled down a bit) to see for yourself

This is what I thought until I starting buying the fresher stuff you can get in bulk. It shouldn't be waxy and should be a paler green/yellow than the stuff you'd buy in a McCormick bottle. It has a pretty strong floral smell when it's fresh and adds a lot of flavor.

them subtle earthy tannins tho

get some fresh bay leaves, not the ancient stuff that's been in the cupboard since Reagan

Sprinkling some finely chopped cilantro on my food like Im a cop planting evidence.

i just think they look pretty floating on top of the stew

Best thing you can put on beans when stewing them

Magical herbs and spices.