# Cooking Perfect Bacon



## kleenex

Franalan.com Cooking Perfect Bacon | Franalan.com


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## MrsLMB

What is the reason for rinsing it?


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## GB

I just recently heard that rinsing it makes it shrink less.


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## CarolPa

Was it crispy?  A restaurant in town serves bacon that is flat and does not look shrunk, but it is rubbery.  I am not big on bacon, but to me, it should be shrunken, all curly and wavy, and crispy.


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## MrsLMB

Ahhhh .. ok .. the shrinkage thing. Well I may try this someday.

But I must say, I kind of like the shrinky dink effect of nice crispy bacon.


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## Andy M.

I'm not sure why the shrinkage thing is such a big deal with bacon.  If you cook bacon to the point of crispiness, that means most of the fat has been cooked off and the lean is well done.  What's the difference if that piece is 7" long or 9" long?  It's the same amount of bacon.  It's just curly vs. flat.


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## GB

But but but that is 2" less bacon


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## Roll_Bones

We have been frying our bacon in the oven now for a couple years. We used to fry it on the stove top.
I have a cast iron griddle I keep in the oven (space reasons).
When we want bacon we preheat our oven with the CI griddle inside. Then lay out the bacon on it and turn one time.
We buy thick bacon so it takes about 15-20 minutes at 350.  Much easier than frying and less mess.
Nice to be able to put it in and do other things beside babysitting bacon frying.


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## Dawgluver

I just cooked a lb in the toaster oven, 1/2 lb at a time.  It turned out perfect.  400°, on a crumpled, then uncrumpled piece of foil on a baking sheet, for 15 minutes, flipped, another 5 minutes, drain, done!


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## Zagut

No matter how you cook it it's bacon so it's all good. 

 I agree with Andy. Shrinkage is no big deal. 

 Bacon should be curly. The pig has a curly tail so bacon should too. 

 Bones, Not babysitting is nice but you still have to clean the oven. One thing in life I've learned is you never get away from cleaning.


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## Andy M.

Zagut said:


> ...but you still have to clean the oven. One thing in life I've learned is you never get away from cleaning.



My stove has this cool button.  press it and the oven cleans itself.  Easy peasy.


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## GB

Zagut said:


> you still *should * clean the oven.


I fixed your post


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## Zagut

GB said:


> I fixed your post


 

 What???? You been peeking in my oven? 

 It is one of those places that takes second priority. Out of site out of mind. 



 Andy I've got one of those buttons too but I've found I need to vacate the premises when I push it.


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## GotGarlic

Dawgluver said:


> I just cooked a lb in the toaster oven, 1/2 lb at a time.  It turned out perfect.  400°, on a crumpled, then uncrumpled piece of foil on a baking sheet, for 15 minutes, flipped, another 5 minutes, drain, done!



I do this, too, but I pour the bacon fat into a canning jar that lives in the fridge and use it to fry potatoes and/or eggs.


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## Dawgluver

GotGarlic said:


> I do this, too, but I pour the bacon fat into a canning jar that lives in the fridge and use it to fry potatoes and/or eggs.



My bacon fat can lives in my fridge too.


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## GotGarlic

Dawgluver said:


> My bacon fat can lives in my fridge too.


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## FrankZ

GB said:


> But but but that is 2" less bacon



Just eat extra


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## GB

I have always liked you Frank!


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## taxlady

I'm sure that when bacon shrinks it just loses some fat and gets slightly thicker. If it doesn't shrink, it will be thinner.


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## Mad Cook

CarolPa said:


> Was it crispy? A restaurant in town serves bacon that is flat and does not look shrunk, but it is rubbery. I am not big on bacon, but to me, it should be shrunken, all curly and wavy, and crispy.


They probably use one of those trendy flat weights sold for the purpose of producing flat cooked bacon. The rubbery-ness perhaps comes from steam generated from the cooking bacon collecting under the weight and unable to escape.


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## Mad Cook

Roll_Bones said:


> We have been frying our bacon in the oven now for a couple years. We used to fry it on the stove top.
> I have a cast iron griddle I keep in the oven (space reasons).
> When we want bacon we preheat our oven with the CI griddle inside. Then lay out the bacon on it and turn one time.
> We buy thick bacon so it takes about 15-20 minutes at 350. Much easier than frying and less mess.
> Nice to be able to put it in and do other things beside babysitting bacon frying.


But 15-20 minutes to fry a rasher of bacon? And add on the oven heating up time - that's one expensive bacon butty. 

 Actually, I grill, (sorry, broil) my bacon. Quick, crisp as you like and healthier (less fat).


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## GB

Mad Cook said:


> They probably use one of those trendy flat weights sold for the purpose of producing flat cooked bacon.


Most restaurants use the oven method.


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## GotGarlic

Mad Cook said:


> But 15-20 minutes to fry a rasher of bacon? And add on the oven heating up time - that's one expensive bacon butty.
> 
> Actually, I grill, (sorry, broil) my bacon. Quick, crisp as you like and healthier (less fat).



It can be done more quickly. RB said they use thick-cut bacon, which would take a few minutes longer. I use regular bacon and heat the oven to 400ºF and it takes about 12 minutes. We usually make a pound of bacon on Sunday mornings (not every week) with a more substantial breakfast than we usually have, so when the bacon's done, the oven is great for keeping other stuff warm.

And as I said, I cook it crispy, which renders most of the fat, and pour it off to keep for other uses. Not sure how broiling/grilling results in less fat.


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## Andy M.

Mad Cook said:


> But 15-20 minutes to fry a rasher of bacon? And add on the oven heating up time - that's one expensive bacon butty.
> 
> Actually, I grill, (sorry, broil) my bacon. Quick, crisp as you like and healthier (less fat).



One typically does a larger quantity.  I cook two pounds of bacon at a time and freeze the extra for later use.  Just a few seconds gets it back up to temp and ready to go.


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## Mad Cook

GotGarlic said:


> Not sure how broiling/grilling results in less fat.


The bacon sits on the rack on the grill pan with the heat coming from above. (Not talking BBQ grilling here) so the fat drips  down and collects in the pan instead of the bacon sitting in it. Healthier, crispier and I prefer the taste.

 Like this 
Lakeland Large Grill Pan in griddle pan at Lakeland

Works for sausages, chops, etc., too.


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## GotGarlic

Mad Cook said:


> The bacon sits on the rack on the grill pan with the heat coming from above. (Not talking BBQ grilling here) so the fat drips  down and collects in the pan instead of the bacon sitting in it. Healthier, crispier and I prefer the taste.
> 
> Like this
> Lakeland Large Grill Pan in griddle pan at Lakeland
> 
> Works for sausages, chops, etc., too.



I don't know if you've ever roasted bacon, but it doesn't matter whether the bacon sits in the fat while it cooks because when you pick it up and put it on paper towels/kitchen paper, most of the rendered fat stays on the pan and the rest is absorbed by the paper. So it's not dripping with fat when we eat it. 

" (Not talking BBQ grilling here) "

I know, and I know how a British oven grill works, which is why I used both terms, i.e., broiling/grilling.


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## FrankZ

GB said:


> I have always liked you Frank!



I always knew it was the bacon...


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## GA Home Cook

+1 on the oven.  A friend told me that she inverts another baking sheet on top to stop the splattering.  I never tried this.  Also, we should rename the post "Sienfield Bacon" in honor of the dreaded shrinkage.


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## CarolPa

Mad Cook said:


> They probably use one of those trendy flat weights sold for the purpose of producing flat cooked bacon. The rubbery-ness perhaps comes from steam generated from the cooking bacon collecting under the weight and unable to escape.




Either that or they're serving that precooked bacon.


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## GB

Restaurants are definitely not using that precooked bacon, unless they precook it themselves. You pay a premium for the privilege of having it already cooked. No restaurant would ever do that. They would go out of business just on bacon costs alone. It is simple for a restaurant to precook their own bacon. They use the oven method and load it up and have tons of bacon done in no time.


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## FrankZ

The Bel-Loc diner has the world's best bacon (and I have tried bacon the world over).

Their secret seems to oven cooking it, then letting it sit under the heat lamps.  It is usually chewy and crispy but not limp.  

We go for breakfast on Saturdays... is it Saturday yet?


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## PrincessFiona60

That's it, I'm stopping off for bacon on my way to work...I KNEW I shouldn't read this thread.


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## GB

I just read about an iPhone add on being made by Oscar Meyer that wakes you up with the smell of bacon and the sizzle sound.  They are not selling them yet, but they have created them. It is not just on the drawing board. Who would do that to themselves? That sounds like torture to me. You wake up to the sounds and smells of bacon, but none to actually eat. That is just pure evil.


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## taxlady

GB said:


> I just read about an iPhone add on being made by Oscar Meyer that wakes you up with the smell of bacon and the sizzle sound.  They are not selling them yet, but they have created them. It is not just on the drawing board. Who would do that to themselves? That sounds like torture to me. You wake up to the sounds and smells of bacon, but none to actually eat. That is just pure evil.


How do they make a phone give off smells? That sounds like an accident waiting to happen.


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## GB

It is something you plug into the phone that sends out a "puff" of smell.


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## JoAnn L.

Right now there is a very popular magazine out that is called THE BACON ISSUE. It is filled with all kinds of recipes and ideas for using bacon. Can I name the magazine?


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## Andy M.

JoAnn L. said:


> Right now there is a very popular magazine out that is called THE BACON ISSUE. It is filled with all kinds of recipes and ideas for using bacon. Can I name the magazine?



I don't know.  Can you?  Go ahead, give it a try.


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## Katie H

We buy what amounts to "local" bacon and, by that, I mean it's bacon provided to our markets by the area's farmers.  It's fantastic.  Meaty, just enough fat, smoky enough and wonderfully thick.  It's not processed to death and there's next to no shrinkage when it's cooked.  I can't bear the name brand bacon that you can read a newspaper through when you take it out of the package.  Yuck!

I buy several pounds at a time and portion it out in lots that the two of us will eat at breakfast.  Sounds spartan, but usually 6 strips.  Each piece is so thick and generous that three pieces are about all we can eat, especially if we're also having, bread/toast/rolls, eggs, juice, coffee, etc.  

When I say it shrinks very little, I mean it.  I cook it in a 12-inch skillet and each strip spans the entire diameter of the pan.  All 6 completely fill it.

It cooks up crispy if that's the way we want it or pliable.  Depends on the mood we're in.

And, of course, the grease goes into a big ceramic mug in the refrigerator for a myriad of cooking uses.  If I made lye soap, it would be used for that.


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## JoAnn L.

Andy M. said:


> I don't know.  Can you?  Go ahead, give it a try.



Ok Andy, if I get in trouble its your fault. It's Food Network Magazine.


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## Andy M.

JoAnn L. said:


> Ok Andy, if I get in trouble its your fault. It's Food Network Magazine.



You're not going to get in trouble.  You just gave them free advertising.


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## Roll_Bones

Mad Cook said:


> But 15-20 minutes to fry a rasher of bacon? And add on the oven heating up time - that's one expensive bacon butty.
> Actually, I grill, (sorry, broil) my bacon. Quick, crisp as you like and healthier (less fat).



Its a toss up.  Turn on the oven or turn on the burner.  Its electricity being consumed either way.
I don't mind paying for something that makes my life easier.  Kinda like heat and AC. They are expensive, but I like to have both.
Satellite too.  Where does one draw the like on expenses?
My oven is the very least of my concern. 

We use thick cut bacon and I guess thats why the 15 -20 minute cook time.
At 350, there is little spatter and the bacon just sizzles away.
The bacon we get is very very lean. Costco thick cut.  Its almost as lean as ham. Almost!

Oh....We sometimes use a flat rack and the toaster/convection oven.  Either way is fine for us.


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## GB

Here is the iPhone bacon thing i was talking about...
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/your-iphone-can-now-wake-you-up-with-the-smell-of-bacon-78670253114.html


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## taxlady

GB said:


> Here is the iPhone bacon thing i was talking about...
> https://www.yahoo.com/tech/your-iphone-can-now-wake-you-up-with-the-smell-of-bacon-78670253114.html


Oh dear!


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## msmofet

taxlady said:


> I'm sure that when bacon shrinks it just loses some fat and gets slightly thicker. If it doesn't shrink, it will be thinner.



I found the fat 



Dawgluver said:


> My bacon fat can lives in my fridge too.



It lives ON my can


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## PrincessFiona60

msmofet said:


> I found the fat
> 
> 
> 
> It lives ON my can



I find the bacon fat and lemon meringue pie are battling for dominance on my can.


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## taxlady

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I find the bacon fat and lemon meringue pie are battling for dominance on my can.


Oh! That kind of can. Haven't heard that expression in years.


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## msmofet

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I find the bacon fat and lemon meringue pie are battling for dominance on my can.


 
 OH YEAH!! Homemade lemon meringue rocks!!



taxlady said:


> Oh! That kind of can. Haven't heard that expression in years.



LOL Booty can!


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## CWS4322

FWIW, there are restaurant chains that buy pre-cooked bacon. It comes frozen and is popped in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Comes out flat. That is what is served on bacon cheeseburgers and for Canadians, that is what is served on any sandwich you get at Timmie's that comes with bacon.


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## tinlizzie

The other day I bought a package of Oscar Mayer Selects -- "Smoked Uncured Bacon; No Nitrates or Nitrites Added except those naturally occurring in celery juice."

Is it possible that this is a more healthful choice for bacon?  I couldn't tell any difference in texture or taste, just price.

One warning on frying bacon though:  Do not fry it at breakfast time.  I ended up eating a couple of slices at breakfast, made a BLT for lunch, and later on made bacon & eggs in the frying pan.  I couldn't help myself.  mmmmmm.  The package didn't go far; it was only 12 ounces to begin with.


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## GotGarlic

tinlizzie said:


> The other day I bought a package of Oscar Mayer Selects -- "Smoked Uncured Bacon; No Nitrates or Nitrites Added except those naturally occurring in celery juice."
> 
> Is it possible that this is a more healthful choice for bacon?  I couldn't tell any difference in texture or taste, just price...



It depends on who you choose to believe  I like bacon, so I believe Michael Ruhlman: http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/


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## taxlady

GotGarlic said:


> It depends on who you choose to believe  I like bacon, so I believe Michael Ruhlman: The ?No Nitrites Added? Hoax | Michael Ruhlman


Yeah, uncured bacon? Is it even bacon if it isn't cured?

I do wonder if the naturally occurring nitrates and nitrites are the same or just similar to the ones used in curing meat.


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## Dawgluver

GotGarlic said:


> It depends on who you choose to believe  I like bacon, so I believe Michael Ruhlman: http://ruhlman.com/2011/05/the-no-nitrites-added-hoax/



Interesting article, GG.

With or without nitrates/nitrites, bacon good.


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## PrincessFiona60

Bacon...yup, it always sounds good.


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## cave76

Andy M. said:


> My stove has this cool button.  press it and the oven cleans itself.  Easy peasy.



Are the newer self cleaning ovens safer to use than the older  models?


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## Andy M.

cave76 said:


> Are the newer self cleaning ovens safer to use than the older  models?



I assume they are safe.  I've been using a self-cleaning oven since the 70s without incident.


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## cave76

Andy M. said:


> I assume they are safe.  I've been using a self-cleaning oven since the 70s without incident.



The reason I ask is when they first came out people were warned to leave the house and take any birds, animals with them.

I used one several times when we had one and loved it---- but always left the house and put animals outside too.

I assume they make them safer now because of the bad press back then.


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## Andy M.

cave76 said:


> The reason I ask is when they first came out people were warned to leave the house and take any birds, animals with them.
> 
> I used one several times when we had one and loved it---- but always left the house and put animals outside too.
> 
> I assume they make them safer now because of the bad press back then.




Never heard any of that and always stayed in the house when the oven was self-cleaning.  

So the warning was to put out the animals but not the humans...


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## FrankZ

Sodium Nitrate is sodium nitrate.  Sodium nitrite is sodium nitrite.  It matters not the source.


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## Caslon

I buy Oscar Mayer Center Cut bacon, cut the package in half and freeze it until needed.  Some bacon brands seem to curl more than others.


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## GotGarlic

taxlady said:


> Yeah, uncured bacon? Is it even bacon if it isn't cured?



From the article:



> Bacon is one of the greatest foods on the planet, but the food marketers are going to figure out a way to make you buy their bacon.  So what they do is use celery powder and celery juice (note the asterisk on the label above) as their nitrate source (celery is loaded with nitrate) and are therefore are allowed to say no nitrites added.  Why go to the trouble? Because we don’t know any better.  Can we really be this stupid?  I have only one word to say on this beyond an emphatic yes.



And



> Callout Comment: Elise Bauer responds: “The thing that irks me is the “no added nitrites or nitrates” as if the fact that they’re adding celery powder means nothing.  Or “uncured” even though they are obviously “curing” with celery powder.  It is false, misleading, and playing off of people’s food fears to market their cured product that is loaded with nitrates.  When I saw a bright pink slab of corned beef for sale at TJ’s, marketed as “uncured” I knew there was a problem.”



The nitrates in the celery cure the bacon.


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## taxlady

GotGarlic said:


> ...
> The nitrates in the celery cure the bacon.


Oh, I realize that. Reading "uncured bacon" would have set off the alarm on my BS detector.


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## tinlizzie

GotGarlic said:


> It depends on who you choose to believe  I like bacon, so I believe Michael Ruhlman: The ?No Nitrites Added? Hoax | Michael Ruhlman



Thanks for an interesting site.  I don't know which is harder -- putting new stuff in my head or ridding my memory of stuff that no longer applies or has been debunked.


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## Termy

Anyone try the water method ?

In the usual fry pan, you put enough water to cover plus some. Turn the gas on high and let it boil vigorously. You'll notice them curling. When the water is all boiled away it fries like any other bacon, get it brown the way you like it. But you don't have pieces of rubber where a part of it didn't cook. The water fixes that and takes the work out of the first part of the cooking. You just finish. 

Also the rended bacon grease is just fine. Got to have bacon grease. This stuff I think is a bit cleaner than what it would be if fried. 

One reason this suits me is because I like my bacon completely done, I mean brittle. I want it to shatter when I bite it. Still it is capable of making it less done, but still done evenly. 

Try it sometime, i did and it stuck to me. I always do it that way now. 

T


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## cookwewill

Termy said:


> Anyone try the water method ?
> 
> In the usual fry pan, you put enough water to cover plus some. Turn the gas on high and let it boil vigorously. You'll notice them curling. When the water is all boiled away it fries like any other bacon, get it brown the way you like it. But you don't have pieces of rubber where a part of it didn't cook. The water fixes that and takes the work out of the first part of the cooking. You just finish.
> 
> Also the rended bacon grease is just fine. Got to have bacon grease. This stuff I think is a bit cleaner than what it would be if fried.
> 
> One reason this suits me is because I like my bacon completely done, I mean brittle. I want it to shatter when I bite it. Still it is capable of making it less done, but still done evenly.
> 
> Try it sometime, i did and it stuck to me. I always do it that way now.
> 
> T



Interesting! Never tried that but since I fry bacon frequently for one of my sons who is obsessed with it, I will give it a try soon


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## dragnlaw

*GG*, going back to 2014 (whee, wouldn't it be fun to just _go_ there! lol) you posted a link for Ruhlman's article of "no nitrates hoax".  The site/page no longer exists.  Any thoughts as to why he would take it down?


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## GotGarlic

dragnlaw said:


> *GG*, going back to 2014 (whee, wouldn't it be fun to just _go_ there! lol) you posted a link for Ruhlman's article of "no nitrates hoax".  The site/page no longer exists.  Any thoughts as to why he would take it down?


It looks like he's reorganized his blog and gone to Substack. A lot of well-known writers have done that because it makes it easier for them to monetize it if they want to. The science has not changed.

https://ruhlman.com/blog/


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## dragnlaw

"gone to substack"  what does that mean? 

I had no trouble finding his blog.  He even mentions the 'hoax' article in another article on salt (funny guy).  Found another article where they were discussing _his_ article and it still came up blank.  

But I guess it all boils down to ....


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## GotGarlic

If you click on "Sign up for my newsletter," you get this: https://ruhlman.substack.com/ From what I can tell, he reorganized the blog, so it doesn't have the same link as the one above. 

The problem with common sense is that it doesn't account for deception by the food industry done to cater to food fads and fears. Some people avoid bacon because it's cured with pink salt (nitrate) and they have unreasonable fears about it. So the bacon makers write their labels saying "no nitrates added." What they added instead is a celery derivative that contains what? Yup, nitrates. Lots of vegetables contain nitrates naturally. But it's easier to deceive customers than to educate them, which is why you see "non-GMO" on labels for things that don't contain any genes and "gluten-free" on things that never contained gluten.


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## dragnlaw

GG, I get all that and agree with you 100%.  But common sense also means that you have to be aware that they are trying to sell things and so will say whatever it takes as long as it is not bald lie. "Truth" in labeling only means 'no lying', it doesn't mean the whole truth is there!

Don't think I'll ever forget a friend choosing 7-Up (or maybe it was Ginger Ale) because it said it was "caffeine" free!  WHA??  

Common Sense means also use your brain and think about it.  

I truly believe that Common Sense should be taught in schools, because somehow they ain't gettin'it.


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## GotGarlic

dragnlaw said:


> GG, I get all that and agree with you 100%.  But common sense also means that you have to be aware that they are trying to sell things and so will say whatever it takes as long as it is not bald lie. "Truth" in labeling only means 'no lying', it doesn't mean the whole truth is there!
> 
> Don't think I'll ever forget a friend choosing 7-Up (or maybe it was Ginger Ale) because it said it was "caffeine" free!  WHA??
> 
> Common Sense means also use your brain and think about it.
> 
> I truly believe that Common Sense should be taught in schools, because somehow they ain't gettin'it.


The schools call it critical thinking and yes, there needs to be more of it.

It's so funny (not haha) to me that the same people who don't trust Big Agriculture or Big Pharma somehow think Big Grocery Stores are giving them reliable health and nutrition information 

I wrote a paper in college about the psychology of advertising. That was more than 30 years ago and they've only gotten more insidious since.


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## taxlady

dragnlaw said:


> ...
> 
> Don't think I'll ever forget a friend choosing 7-Up (or maybe it was Ginger Ale) because it said it was "caffeine" free!  WHA??
> ...



Was the friend choosing the particular soft drink instead of another clear soft drink that doesn't have "caffeine free" on the label? A lot of soft drinks do have caffeine, e.g., colas, some root beer, and Mountain Dew. It's not always obvious which soft drinks have caffeine. Maybe the friend didn't want caffeine at that time of day or on that day or some other good reason.


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## Bitser

Prague Powder #1, Insta Cure #1 or Pink curing salt #1. It contains 6.25% sodium nitrite and 93.75% table salt.[3]  It is recommended for meats that require short cures and will be cooked  and eaten relatively quickly (e.g. bacon). Sodium nitrite provides the  characteristic flavor and color associated with curing. 

 Prague powder #2 or curing salt #2. It contains 6.25% sodium nitrite, 4% sodium nitrate, and 89.75% table salt.[3] The sodium nitrate found in Prague powder #2 gradually breaks down over time into sodium nitrite, and by that time a dry cured sausage is ready to be eaten, no sodium nitrate should be left.[2] For this reason it is recommended for meats that require long (weeks to months) cures, like hard salami and country ham.

 Uncured pork belly is often called side pork.  Treated with plain salt it is known as salt pork.  I cure, smoke, and slice our bacon at home.


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## dragnlaw

taxlady said:


> Was the friend choosing the particular soft drink instead of another clear soft drink that doesn't have "caffeine free" on the label? A lot of soft drinks do have caffeine, e.g., colas, some root beer, and Mountain Dew. It's not always obvious which soft drinks have caffeine. Maybe the friend didn't want caffeine at that time of day or on that day or some other good reason.



No, she actually said "oh look, this is now 'caffeine free' "  It never had caffeine in the first place.  And only certain types of Mountain Dew has added caffeine to give you a zap, sort of like Red Bull, I guess.


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## taxlady

dragnlaw said:


> No, she actually said "oh look, this is now 'caffeine free' "  It never had caffeine in the first place.  And only certain types of Mountain Dew has added caffeine to give you a zap, sort of like Red Bull, I guess.


Ah, that wasn't clear from the post. Yeah, I've come across that too.


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