Cooking with Bay Leaves?

Question

How come when you use a bay leaf you have to take it out after youve cooked with it?

Answer 1

because if you swallow it it is very sharp even after hours of cooking .

Answer 2

Because it does not soften and is unpleasant to eat. It's not poisonous however. There are many spice mixtures that may contain ground bay. If it's all ground up, you obviously can't remove it. I usually don't bother removing it from the pot unless it is easily done or I am going to puree the contents (like for soup). If you find a bay leaf in your plate of food, just place it on the side of your plate.

Answer 3

It's bitter.  You don't want anyone gettin the bay leaf or part of one on a forkfull of food.  It gives food a mild flavor but to me it's actually so mild it doesn't make a difference.  I never use them.  

Answer 4

u dont want to eat it, cause its not really good to eat it, u just want the flavor of the bay leaf, thats all,  

Answer 5

Because dried bay leaves stay hard and wouldn't be that fun to chew up.

Answer 6

Because it's only there to extract flavor if you bite into it it's bitter and hard.