ABOUT BACON

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Lots of people believe that everything tastes better with bacon. In fact, many people believe it’s a miracle food. How much do YOU know about bacon? BUYING Look through the window on the back of the package to get an idea of the quality of the bacon. It should look meaty without a lot of fat. Read the ingredients –anything more than pork, water, salt and brown sugar means it has had chemicals added as preservatives. How much do you want in your bacon? The thickness of the slices is really a matter of choice and how it will be used in a recipe. Thick slices generally have the most bacon flavor, but they take longer to cook and are not as crispy as thinner slices. Check the expiration date on the package, and buy the one with the longest date. Bacon should be kept as cold as possible, so it’s a good idea to pick it up just before you check out. Then when you get home, put it into the refrigerator as soon as possible. The temperature should be no higher than 40 degrees. STORING Unopened bacon in its original packaging can be kept in the refrigerator up to a week past the expiration date. Once opened, be sure to wrap it in foil or put it into an airtight bag, and use it within a week. If you can’t use it up within that time, it can be frozen for up to four months. Freezing a whole pound of raw bacon means you have to use it all within a week after you thaw it, because refreezing is not recommended. Instead you can cut it in half or quarters before you freeze it, or freeze individual slices. Roll separate strips (they will look like a mini cinnamon roll), or roll several strips together. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and put in the freezer. When they are frozen they can be put into a bag. That way they won’t stick together. Take out what you need and let them thaw while you are busy doing other things.
You can also cook the bacon first, refrigerate what you will eat in a week, and then freeze what’s left in a zip lock bag or airtight container. Take out strips as you need them and warm in the microwave or frying pan. They will last up to six months. This is a tremendous time saver when you are in a hurry and don’t want to take the time to cook bacon. SEPARATING STRIPS Sometimes the bacon strips are a little hard to separate when you take the package from the refrigerator. If you have time to plan ahead, take it out about thirty minutes before you plan to cook it. If you’re in a hurry it could be put into the microwave for a few seconds to soften the bacon. Or roll it lengthwise in its package like a jellyroll and then unroll it and press it flat. That will loosen the strips. IS IT STILL GOOD? There are three ways to tell if bacon is safe to eat. Smell it. If it has a normal bacon smell, go ahead and cook it. Otherwise throw it out. Look at it closely to be sure it isn’t discolored or have an unappetizing greyish cast. Be sure it isn’t slimy. Is it safe to scrape mold off of bacon and cook it? There seems to be no definite answer, as there is a wide difference of opinion, even among experts. Some say no matter how much you wash or scrape it, the bacon is still contaminated and should be discarded. Others say the mold is only on the surface and can be scraped off. If you only eat a pound of bacon a little at a time, the best solution is to cut it into small portions when you buy it, and then freeze it. That way it will never go bad. OTHER WAYS TO COOK IT Blanching - When eating bacon by itself, its smoky, salty taste is what makes it so delicious, but when added to some recipes, like beef bourguignon, it can cover up the taste of milder ingredients. The solution is to blanch it. Just put it in a pan with three inches of cold
Page 1: ABOUT BACON By Selma Roth
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Page 7 and 8: KINDS OF BACON Besides the usual sl
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ABOUT BACON

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