Jennifer Murphy
Senior Cook
I just tried using a Pyrex tray. The cleanup was very easy. Almost nothing stuck to the glass. Is that because glass is better than Teflon or other non-stick surfaces or because our non-stick pans are old and worn out?
That's a good question. I have personally, never found non stick bakeware to very non stick.I just tried using a Pyrex tray. The cleanup was very easy. Almost nothing stuck to the glass. Is that because glass is better than Teflon or other non-stick surfaces or because our non-stick pans are old and worn out?
I'll check some of the local specialty grocery stores for dry-cured bacon. Thanksreading this thread, it appears to the casual observer . . .
there's more than one way to cook bacon.
or?
years back with bigger family eating . . . tried the rack-in-the-oven method.
sorta' kinda' works okay - but what a clean up mess.... toothpicks and rack cleaning . . not good . . . .
got a round bacon press to fit my 10" CI skillet - superb results. flat strips, evenly cooked (gas, some attention to temp required....) - four strips per go-round....
mid-1980's I was "introduced" to small quantity micro-wave cooking. ignored it as "small quantity" did not fit feeding six bacon starved people . . .
fast forward to empty nesting - a couple dishes requiring small qty - e.g. breakfast burrito with bacon/scrambled egg/four blend cheese....
works like: dinner plate, lay down two paper towels, strips of bacon, cover with paper towel. use rotating plate microwave - one minute per slice on high as a starting point.
....starting point.... oh dear there's a really big catch.....
most supermarket bacon ala OscarMeyer etc is "wet cured" - they inject the pork belly with curing salts/liquid and voile' in an hour you got bacon.
okay, works - but every brand cooks different because they all have different retained moisture, no to mention 'more leaner' or 'more fatter' strips.
so the microwave works - no question - but the timing hugely depends on the power of the microwave and the condition of the bacon you are cooking.
living next to Amish Country, we get "dry cured" bacon - salt/sugar/pepper, hung and smoked for weeks.... no injection of no nuttin'.
it cooks up totally different than insta-wet-cured supermarket bacon.
downside: dry cured bacon is not available on every street corner . . .
microwaving dry-cured bacon results in lots of fat soaking into the paper towels, clearly identifiable stripes of meat and clearly intact stripes of crispy-ed fat - and absolutely parsecs better than any of the wet cured product.
bottom line: my fav cook for brand name wet cured is CI skillet + bacon press.
for 2-4 strips dry cured - towels on plate covered with towel in the microwave.
I tried saving some of the bacon grease and using it when I cooked some eggs. I didn't really notice that much difference from when I just use butter.I forgot my other 2¢ (that's 6¢ all together )
By lining the tray with tin foil, I let the rendered fat harden, fold up the mess so as not to uck-up my trash can and chuck it
or
let that liquid gold cool and pour it into a sealed container, stash that in the `fridge and again, fold up the tin foil and you'll have very little clean up to do.
Hmmm... I have been tossing it (the used foil). I'll try cleaning it a bit and recycling it.I seldom use parchment, just for convenience. I have a couple of silicon sheets that work well. I also try to be sparing on the aluminium foil. But, I worry less about that. It is infinitely recyclable. And, if the local recycle regulations allow it, it can be recycled while dirty. Apparently the process of melting the used aluminium burns off anything left on it.
How do you cut it? I thonk I would have trouble getting even slices. Do you have one of those slicers that they use in butcher shops?@dcSaute hits on a good point:
Source and quality of the bacon.
Our standard bacon was a cold smoked slab (streaky bacon). We kept it in the fridge wrapped in a tea towel and cut when needed. This would fry easy in any frying pan without oil. The fatty bits were clear firm white. These are the ones I put in the microwave
I can imagine that back bacon would do totally different, same as anything you buy pre-packed and is sort of watery soft stuff.
Yeah, that's what I am afraid of.I have tried cooking all of the bacon at once and storing the rest in the fridge. It stores fine. The problem is that we munch it up too fast.
We cook two pounds at a time. We place the cooked strips onto a length of paper towel and roll the bacon up in it. That goes into a Ziplock bag and into the freezer. When I need some bacon I unroll the appropriate amount, tear off the paper towel that's under it and put it into the microwave to heat it up.. . . What's the best way to keep the uncooked bacon. The packages are greasy and nearly impossible to open and close. I don't really have a Tupperware container the right size. I guess I could cut the strips in half.
Or maybe I just cook them all and put the rest in the frig as someone suggested.
Sharp knifeHow do you cut it? I thonk I would have trouble getting even slices. Do you have one of those slicers that they use in butcher shops?
If you have a good source of old-fashioned slab bacon try one of the recipes for slow roasting, barbequing, or braising an unsliced chunk.@dcSaute hits on a good point:
Source and quality of the bacon.
Our standard bacon was a cold smoked slab (streaky bacon). We kept it in the fridge wrapped in a tea towel and cut when needed. This would fry easy in any frying pan without oil. The fatty bits were clear firm white. These are the ones I put in the microwave
I can imagine that back bacon would do totally different, same as anything you buy pre-packed and is sort of watery soft stuff.
Not anymore, unfortunately.If you have a good source of old-fashioned slab bacon
It's good practice to not pour fat down the drain. It collects on the insides of the pipes and could lead to a clogging issue down the road.Jennifer, That's great! Glad you got your game on with that pesky bacon!
May I suggest, and perhaps you already do this...
here in this city, we have been asked to be careful just how much fat goes down a drain. I would like to suggest you could save your bacon fat for use later (pour into a jar), or if that is not your 'thing', mop it up with paper towel to put in the compost. Then rinse/wash with really hot water.