Cooking For Engineers Forum Index Cooking For Engineers
Analytical cooking discussed.
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Cooking Tests: Bacon (Part II)
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Cooking For Engineers Forum Index -> Comments Forum
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2006 3:44 am    Post subject: Re: local source for good bacon Reply with quote

BeerMan wrote:
My local Whole Foods Supermarket has the best readily available bacon that I have found. It is thick cut, smoked nicely, not too fatty, and supposedly nitrate free (or at least ADDED nitrate free.) It does have a rather short shelf life, so don't buy too much unless you plan on cooking it soon thereafter. I guess you could try freezing it but I prefer to have it as fresh as possible. The meat cutter/butcher usually has some in the case, but the Whole Foods gourmet thick cut pre-packed is just as good.


I agree their bacon, especially when purchased as a slab is excellent. If you are in New York, try slab bacon at Zabar's and Citarella.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mister Paul
Guest





PostPosted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 12:41 am    Post subject: Multi-Tecnique Compromise in cooking bacon Reply with quote

I like to make a compromise between the variable quality and speed differentials of the different techniques discussed regarding the preparation of bacon, and I have found that microwaving the bacon for 2/3rds the cooking time (depending on the amount of bacon), then transferring the heated bacon to a pan for 1/3rd of the time searing in a pan on high heat gives you the pan fried texture, with the speed and consistency of the microwave.

All in all it takes about 5 to 10 minutes off of the conventional time it takes just cooking in the pan, which can be important when you are preparing complimentary dishes that take less time to cook.
Back to top
Guest






PostPosted: Mon May 08, 2006 2:40 am    Post subject: skillet on the grill Reply with quote

My favorite method uses a gas grill AND a cast iron skillet. Fill a cold skillet, even the sides of the pan, with bacon. Place the pan on a cold gas grill and set the heat to medium high. The fat will render during the warm up period, fry when the fat is rendered and bake when the grill is hot enough. It takes about 15 minutes.
Back to top
ZeptoGator



Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2006 8:05 pm    Post subject: Bacon Reply with quote

Mmmmmm...bacon
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Guest






PostPosted: Fri May 19, 2006 8:00 pm    Post subject: American Style Bacon Reply with quote

I always thought that american style bacon came from the long winters in the midwest. In the past there wasn't grocery stores like we think of them now, the nearest town might be 5 hours away by horse, and there was no such thing as vegetable oils. The only sources of cooking fat came from either animal fat or butter, and cows would stop giving milk in the winter. On my grandparents farm they would render fat into lard, and they salted and smoked bacon so it would last through the winter. The bacon dripping were poured off into a small covered crock and used in place of butter through the winter (I still have the crock!). I think that this cut of meat was chosen on purpose to make bacon with because it was so fatty, and the thin slices come from having to ration it out to last through the winter. The lard didn't have a strong taste and was used to make breads, pies, cakes, etc.
Back to top
Guest






PostPosted: Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:01 pm    Post subject: American Bacon Reply with quote

My father tells me that when he was growing up (in 1030's Missouri) bacon was pretty much all fat and little or no meat. It was an inexpensive source of grease and flavor. Hogs were raised differently depending on whether they were to be 'lard hogs' or 'meat hogs'. Now bacon and pork is much leaner. Sausage is still often half fat, so I usually make my own from pork butt. I bought some name brand ground pork that was so lean, I had to add some fat to make sausage.
Back to top
grayparrot
Guest





PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:13 pm    Post subject: cooking bacon Reply with quote

I'm a mechanical engineer too guys, and this girl cooks her strips of bacon laid out on cold cast iron pans placed inside a preheated 350 deg. F gas oven for 7 to 9 minutes. No turning necessary and the strips cook up crispy yet remain straight averaging nine inches long. Forget aluminum cookie sheets for the bacon will cook unevenly. Sometimes the old fashioned ways are THE BEST. And BTW I went through the BIG Dig tunnels three times 7-10-2006 in the afternoon. WTF were those idiot engineers thinking about suspending a 3 ton 25' x 45' concrete panel from epoxied bolts????? I'd rather see the I beams above me than have 6000 pounds fall down and crush me. Truly a dumb design.
Back to top
pj
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:06 am    Post subject: cooking bacon Reply with quote

I'm about to cook a large amount of cheap supermarket bacon and was looking for some tips. I harvested all I needed from this fine site. But I did want to add one tip about cheap supermarket bacon. Let it get to room temperature before frying or baking! It will lay flat and cook more evenly!
Back to top
Guest






PostPosted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 1:45 am    Post subject: bacon Reply with quote

best bacon is deep fried!
Back to top
Frugal, not by choice!
Guest





PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 12:17 am    Post subject: thin, cheap bacon.... Reply with quote

It is horrible to have to buy the thin supermarket bacon, but sometimes you just have to. I have found if you lightlly flour it before pan frying in a cast iron skillet it seems to plump it up a bit and helps with the shrinkage. You can still use the drippings for cream gravy... yum!
Back to top
Guest
Guest





PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gross. Why would I want bacon made on some hick's nasty ass farm? So I can catch some sort of disease? And why would I want to eat anything from a hogs' "jowl" or whatever?

I'll stick to buying packaged bacon from Safeway or Kroger's, thanks.

Seriously, are you all like 80 years old and grew up on farms milking your cows and eating unprocessed chicken eggs or what? Between this and homemade mayo with raw eggs, you all must have a death wish.
Back to top
bamsejente
Guest





PostPosted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 4:02 am    Post subject: bacon in a crock pot Reply with quote

I have actually put bacon ends and pieces in the crock pot and let it render and crisp. I can buy ends and pieces in bulk at a rather good price. You end up with some very tender thick meat pieces and some crisp pieces and some melt in your mouth fat pieces. It is great to sort and store in the freezer for later uses: baked beans, salads, bacon gravy w/ crumbles over cornbread, bacon and green beans, eggs or omelets, etc. I also collect the rendered fat and use that for cooking other items. There is no spatter and clean up is just as simple as other crock pot cooking.
Back to top
Seattle guest
Guest





PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:27 am    Post subject: baking bacon Reply with quote

I took the advice of the resident chef at my favorite super market and bake my thick slice bacon for about 30 minutes at 350 in an aluminum baking pan with an edge. Works VERY nicely and the grease is all contained in the pan.

The cast iron idea intrigues me. I will have to try that method some time.
Back to top
Grendel
Guest





PostPosted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:16 am    Post subject: Cooked bacon freezes Reply with quote

Great site! I love the format of the recipes, and the attitude to testing.

I buy bulk whole bacon when it's cheaper here (Australia) and trim it, separating the eyes, which don't need much cooking, from the rest. The eyes I use immediately for recipes I don't want fatty bits in, or fry it lightly, then freeze, because cooked bacon freezes well, where raw bacon doesn't. The streaky bits I oven cook spread on trays because you can do a lot at a time and it doesn't need much attention. I then freeze that in ziplock bags and when I want a quick bacon sandwich or something a couple of rashers microwave very efficiently in 10 - 20 seconds and go extra crisp.
Back to top
jkarle1106



Joined: 10 Jul 2007
Posts: 16
Location: DeBary, Florida, USA

PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:42 pm    Post subject: BaconII Reply with quote

I live in central FL, and wild hogs are a common thing here. They are a cross between feral pigs and Russian boars. And they make great bacon. Not as much fat on a wild boar as on a domestic pig. Now, I make mine from the jowl, as it's more meaty than the belly. This is also true of domestic pigs. The microwave works best for me, being lazy and impatient, lololol.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Cooking For Engineers Forum Index -> Comments Forum All times are GMT
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7  Next
Page 4 of 7

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You can reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You can delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group