Infused booze, fancy bouquets,
and scented candles. Is there anything you can't do with bacon?
How does one go viral on TikTok? Bacon, of course. Or puppies. Puppies will do it,
too… but we're talking bacon. Chef Roice Bethel''s video on how to perfectly cook
bacon in a pan by boiling it has been viewed millions of times and has garnered thousands of
comments debating the merits of boiling bacon. Some think it's genius while others swear by
their own tried and true methods ranging from baking to microwaving to grilling it.
Don't trust social media to teach you how to cook bacon? While there's a lot
of questionable information out there, this one's legit.
The key is the way in which bacon cooks. Because the fat takes longer to render than the meat does
to crisp up, bacon is easily burnt. The addition of water to the pan allows the meat to stay moist
while the fat slowly and evenly cooks off, leaving a perfectly executed piece of bacon. As a bonus,
by adding water, there is less splatter to make your stovetop a huge, greasy mess.
There are a few keys to boiling bacon properly. First, start off in a cold pan. Only use a couple
of tablespoons of water and cook over medium heat so it doesn't evaporate too rapidly. Make
sure to flip your bacon regularly so it cooks evenly on both sides. Lastly,
properly drain your bacon once it is cooked to remove any residual fat.
"What have you done to it?"
"You said you didn't like all the grease from fried bacon, so I boiled it."
Imagine a house filled with the smell of cooking bacon… with little to no
effort on your part. Well, you don't have to imagine anymore.
The Yankee Candle Company developed a line of candles in 2013 to launch in time for Father's
Day called "Man Candles," which featured a bacon-scented option called "MMM, Bacon."
The scent isn't always available, so we wondered
if there was a recipe for making homemade bacon candles. Sure enough, we found one.
Thrillist has a recipe that is so simple it's almost comical. All it takes is a glass jar,
a wick, some super glue, and copious quantities of bacon. Once the bacon fat is rendered down,
it is poured into the jar, which has had the wick super-glued into it. As the fat cools, it hardens
into a candle. When lit, the aroma of cooked bacon will permeate every inch of your home.
Bonus: Although this will take an almost surprising amount of bacon,
we're about to talk about some creative ways you can use up that delicious, delicious, crispy pork.
According to celebrity chef Mark Bitterman, salt has been a staple of culinary creations worldwide
for over 12,000 years. While most people are only familiar with the basics — namely table
salt and kosher salt — flavored salts of all varieties have become more common.
These salts are typically thought of as "finishing salts," meaning
they are added at the end of the cooking process prior to serving
to enhance the flavor of your dish. One such flavored salt is bacon salt.
Bacon salt is incredibly easy to make and is the perfect homemade gift to give your foodie
loved ones. While it does make for a great finishing salt, it is also a great way to amp
up the flavor of everything from eggs, roasted vegetables, and salads to chocolate chip cookies
The recipe is as simple as cooking the bacon until crispy, draining it,
then cooling it. Once cooled, the bacon can be processed in a food processor until pulverized
into tiny pieces. The final step — add the kosher salt and pulse together to combine.
If you want to jazz up the flavor a bit, you can brush the uncooked bacon
with liquid smoke and sprinkle it with freshly cracked pepper or another spice.
Store the finished product in an air-tight container in the refrigerator where it will
keep for up to four weeks, or in the freezer, where it will last six months.
The idea of using bacon grease to cook with may sound like something categorically unhealthy and
perhaps undesirable. However, bacon grease has long been utilized for cooking around the world.
Known as "liquid gold," bacon grease is obtained from the fat that has been
rendered out of bacon during the cooking process. Contrary to popular belief,
bacon grease does not contain trans fats the way margarine does,
and it is higher in monounsaturated fats — the good kinds of fat — than butter.
Health considerations aside, the biggest reason to use bacon grease in cooking is its rich,
smoky flavor. Bacon grease can be used in all manners of cooking from sautéeing
to pan-searing. And incorporating it into your culinary delicacies will protect your plumbing,
which can easily clog when bacon grease is poured down the drain.
To properly store bacon grease, MasterClass suggests that it is best to strain it through
a fine mesh sieve while it is still hot, and be sure to use a container that can be tightly
sealed. Once the grease has completely cooled, cover and place the container in the refrigerator.
It will keep for up to three months in the refrigerator or almost forever in the freezer.
Love bacon? Love meat? This might not change your entire life,
but it will make meals something to be savored.
"I came here for the same reason people go to the zoo. Shhhh."
Cooking isn't all you can do with bacon grease: It's for cocktails,
too! Meat-infused alcoholic beverages are nothing new. There is evidence dating as
far back as the 17th century of savory cocktails, and Ernest Hemingway himself
enjoyed something called a "Bull Shot" at Harry's bar in Venice during the 1940s.
The marriage made in heaven has to do with the way the meat accentuates the smokiness of hard
liquors, like whiskey. In the early 2000s, bacon began experiencing something of a renaissance,
and commercially produced bacon-infused vodka made its way into grocery stores everywhere.
While the meaty spirit is best enjoyed in a martini or a Bloody Mary,
its utility is only limited by the creativity of the mixologist in charge. And making your
very own bacon-infused vodka is incredibly simple to do. Betty Crocker offers a basic
recipe requiring only two ingredients — bacon and vodka. The primary ratio of
bacon grease to vodka is one tablespoon per 375-milliliter bottle of vodka.
Once the bacon grease is added to the vodka and transferred to jars,
it is frozen to allow the bacon fat to congeal. After this occurs,
it can be strained off and voila — your bacon vodka is ready.
Some bacon-inspired gifts are a little more labor-intensive
than others. Bacon roses are one of these items. For the bacon lover in your life,
consider investing the time to make them a bouquet of bacon roses. They will love it and
the bonus is that you can enjoy the fruits — or rather meats — of your labor together.
To make these beautifully delicious bacon roses, simply roll up each bacon slice tightly and
insert two toothpicks into an "X" to hold it in place. This will also help the bacon stay
upright when cooking. Place a pan in the oven to catch the grease and cook the bacon buds on
a wire rack with the toothpick side down. When the bacon is nice and crispy, it's time to turn
them into long-stemmed roses with the help of skewers, fake flowers, and a decorative vase.
The addition of savory ingredients to dessert isn't particularly revolutionary,
but the origin of bacon working its way into dessert is attributed to chef
Heston Blumenthal and his Fat Duck restaurant. It was there, in 2004,
that he introduced a bacon-and-egg ice cream that instigated a culinary revolution.
If you plan to add bacon to one of your very own sweet recipes,
there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, make sure you are using the real deal, not some
pseudo-bacon knockoff like plant-based or turkey bacon. Second, make sure the bacon is completely
cooked through and crunchy. This includes properly draining the bacon after cooking.
And finally, try using applewood or hickory-smoked bacon for an extra
boost of flavor, particularly in dishes that are on the super
sweet side. So break out of the rut — bacon isn't just for breakfast anymore.
"Morning after morning, I cook them a good breakfast. Do they care? Nah, they don't care."
"We care!"
The number of variations of bacon products available commercially is
staggering. Knowing which cut to use for a recipe is something invaluable
in terms of maximizing the flavor of any culinary creation. But deciphering
the distinctions between all the unique options is a daunting task.
On The Gas notes that at its most basic, differences can be boiled down to cut, fat
content, and how the pork is cured. European bacon typically comes in round slices and is meatier. It
also is sourced from the back of the pig — known as the loin — and is not smoked. This differs from
American bacon, which tends to be fattier, comes in slices, and is sourced from the pork belly.
For the purposes of determining what kind of bacon to use in a recipe,
it's not only surprisingly complicated, but worth researching: Some considerations include the cut,
source, signature characteristics, and best use for 21 distinct types of bacon.
For example, jowl bacon — which comes from the pig's cheek — is great on sandwiches,
while lardon — which derives from the pork belly — is most typically
associated with French delicacies. Bacon goes well beyond American favorites,
all the way into some international options, each of which possesses unique attributes
rendering them suitable for use with spices and ingredients indigenous to those countries.
If you Google methods of keeping a turkey moist during roasting, dozens of suggestions will pop
up ranging from brining the bird to stuffing it with fruit to rubbing with herbed butter. While
all of these may have merit for different reasons, wrapping your turkey in bacon is
one of our favorite ways of keeping the breast moist while the turkey cooks through completely.
Not only will the fat from the bacon baste the turkey keeping it juicy,
but the smoky and salty goodness of the bacon will also impart a
delectable flavor into the bird. The final presentation looks incredible as well,
with a lattice blanket of bacon dressing the turkey up to the nines.
Here's a few hints to keep in mind: First,
don't cover the bird tightly or the bacon won't get crispy — and who likes floppy bacon?
Also, add some water to the roasting pan to produce a steam bath that will work like a
turkey sauna, making its flesh moist and dewy. The final product doesn't just yield
the perfect turkey, it comes with the bonus of a bunch of bacon to nosh on.
Whether bacon was on sale at the grocery store and you decided to stock up or you
simply haven't gotten around to cooking what you already have, freezing bacon is a great
way of extending the shelf life. Remember, uncooked bacon should only be stored in
the refrigerator for a week. After that, it can become rancid and even a health hazard.
"So are you really sick? You're not just trying to get out of going to see my mother?"
"Now, Peg, that hurts."
There are several ways to freeze bacon. Uncooked bacon can simply
be wrapped in foil and placed in a Ziploc bag. It will keep for up to
three months — although for maximum quality one month is recommended.
Cooked bacon should be placed on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and then placed
in the freezer. Once the individual slices of cooked bacon are frozen, they can be placed
in a Ziploc bag and thrown back into the freezer where they will last for one month.
Don't want to thaw and use a whole pack? There's an easy fix: Similarly to cooked bacon,
uncooked bacon can be placed onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then
transferred to the freezer. Once the individual slices are frozen,
you can put them into a Ziploc baggie and freeze them. Again, make sure you use the bacon within a
month for optimum flavor and texture and no longer than three months after freezing for safety.