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Bacon Revelations
Old 01-09-2012, 08:58 AM   #1
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Bacon Revelations

We recently tried a different brand of bacon. It was just as good as our usual Costco low-sodium bacon, but too salty. So I figured I'd soak it overnight in water to remove some of the salt. I changed the water once.

This morning's result:

The bacon was tasteless! It was almost like eating crispy cardboard. Adding salt brought much of the flavor back. I've often heard that fat by itself isn't that flavorful, but it carries or accentuates other flavors, but I was still surprised.

Here's another bacon revelation that most people don't know. The majority of the fat in bacon is the so-called "good" fat (mono- and poly-unsaturated).

Notice that only 1/3 of the fat in this bacon is saturated fat (and there are no trans fats).

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Old 01-09-2012, 09:28 AM   #2
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Here's another bacon revelation that most people don't know. The majority of the fat in bacon is the so-called "good" fat (mono- and poly-unsaturated).
You've made my day Al. How long before we can start the new health craze - "The Bacon Diet"
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Old 01-09-2012, 09:30 AM   #3
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I like the positive press! Bacon gets a bad rap for a product that makes such a tasty wrap.
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Old 01-09-2012, 09:31 AM   #4
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Notice that the package says 10 servings. That's about one or 2 pieces per person. I have a hard time just eating one or two pieces so I usually just pass on it all together.
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Old 01-09-2012, 09:35 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by TromboneAl View Post
We recently tried a different brand of bacon. It was just as good as our usual Costco low-sodium bacon, but too salty. So I figured I'd soak it overnight in water to remove some of the salt. I changed the water once.

This morning's result:

The bacon was tasteless! It was almost like eating crispy cardboard. Adding salt brought much of the flavor back. I've often heard that fat by itself isn't that flavorful, but it carries or accentuates other flavors, but I was still surprised.

Here's another bacon revelation that most people don't know. The majority of the fat in bacon is the so-called "good" fat (mono- and poly-unsaturated).


I knew I was a healthy consumer.

And in honor of bacon..........

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Old 01-09-2012, 09:37 AM   #6
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You've made my day Al. How long before we can start the new health craze - "The Bacon Diet"
It's called "Atkins"....
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Old 01-09-2012, 09:38 AM   #7
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Excuse me if I've already described this appetizer here before:

You will need:

A can of sliced water chestnuts
A can of pineapple chunks
A pack of bacon
Some wooden toothpicks

Take a pineapple chunk and a slice of water chestnut (you may need to cut the water chestnut slice down) and wrap a piece of bacon around them (you'll need to cut a small piece of bacon from the slice for this). Skewer the whole thing with a toothpick and put it on a baking sheet.

Make as many of these as you want, then slide the baking sheet into the oven and cook to your taste.

Take out and eat. Very yummy.
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Old 01-09-2012, 10:20 AM   #8
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Notice that the package says 10 servings. That's about one or 2 pieces per person. I have a hard time just eating one or two pieces so I usually just pass on it all together.
Not a problem for me at all.
I get my bacon from the local butcher shop (they make their own) and I have them slice it to about 10 slices per pound. Two slices is about a perfect serving.
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Old 01-09-2012, 10:27 AM   #9
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Not a problem for me at all.
I get my bacon from the local butcher shop (they make their own) and I have them slice it to about 10 slices per pound. Two slices is about a perfect serving.
An extra advantage of getting your bacon from the butcher is that there's no detailed info on the pack, so you don't know how much fat, sodium, cholesterol etc you're consuming

Sometimes, there's just no need to know
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Old 01-09-2012, 10:54 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by TromboneAl View Post
We recently tried a different brand of bacon. It was just as good as our usual Costco low-sodium bacon, but too salty. So I figured I'd soak it overnight in water to remove some of the salt. I changed the water once.
...
I love to eat salty things so am a bit biased towards the salt-is-OK school of thought. But I'm willing to be swayed the other way. Is salt really bad for you in moderate doses?

As I understand it there are some links to high salt intake and blood pressure. But is there any conclusive studies out there? Do individual tolerances for salt intake vary a lot?

BTW, those BLT sandwiches at Port-O-Sub are wonderful. Probably have at least one per month.
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Old 01-09-2012, 11:13 AM   #11
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Originally Posted by 73ss454
Notice that the package says 10 servings. That's about one or 2 pieces per person. I have a hard time just eating one or two pieces so I usually just pass on it all together.
Same here... Only go to breakfast buffets a few times a year. I basically eat a plate full of bacon first so I dont waste stomach space on something else. Thankfully I dont cook it at home.
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Old 01-09-2012, 11:29 AM   #12
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I love bacon, and I am hungry in the morning so it is very easy and attractive to microwave a few slices while I have a coffee and start preparing the full breakfast.

To lessen salt and other chemicals, I have started at times eating other pork in AM. Sometimes a couple pork chops, sometimes ground pork that I spice myself, sometimes fried side meat. I use a potassium product called Also Salt in most of these. The ground pork is good with Also Salt, coarse ground black pepper, cumin and either some paprika or ground chiles. The side meat must be skillet fried, usually after rubbing some Also Salt and black pepper into it, then I pour some vinegar on it at the table.

When smelt are around I eat smelt with my eggs, and at times other fish but it can get expensive.

I am fairly sure I might live a few extra weeks or months on average if I didn't eat any of this delicious stuff. But as someone said, these tend to be few more months of drooling in your chair rather than a few more months of fun and games. Anyway, it just is not worth it.

Ha
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Old 01-09-2012, 11:43 AM   #13
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Notice that the package says 10 servings. That's about one or 2 pieces per person. I have a hard time just eating one or two pieces so I usually just pass on it all together.
Ditto, it is so good it is unfair. My "solution" is to only cook a couple (ok, maybe 3) pieces at a time. Plus, the cook is entitled to the dregs (the little overcooked bits that come ofrm scraping the frying pan - yummy) in our household.

My mom cooks it a pound at a time since it is a bit messy and after it cools stores it in the fridge in a zip lock bag and then nukes it for 10 seconds or so each morning for her breakfast sandwich. Not sure if I would have the discipline to do that and not gobble it up at some point.
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:09 PM   #14
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Notice that the package says 10 servings. That's about one or 2 pieces per person.
You mis-read it. It actually says 1-2 packages per serving ...
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:22 PM   #15
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My 11 year old son says "for a man, bacon is a RIGHT"!!!!
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:45 PM   #16
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Just finished my Asian Fusion lunch my DW made, Udon woked in bacon gravy. Bacon is good.
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:48 PM   #17
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Reassuring Al. I often have eggs over easy with three or fooour slices of bacon, accompanied with a bacon on toast sandwich with another three slices.
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Old 01-09-2012, 12:50 PM   #18
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An extra advantage of getting your bacon from the butcher is that there's no detailed info on the pack, so you don't know how much fat, sodium, cholesterol etc you're consuming

Sometimes, there's just no need to know
At the very minimum, there will probably be fewer chemical preservatives in it, since it's not packaged with the intent of having a "shelf life" of months in the fridge. With a lot of the stuff at the butcher shop, you use it within a couple days or you freeze it.
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Old 01-09-2012, 01:07 PM   #19
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Peruvian Chicarron (fried pork belly) on a fresh french roll with sweet potato and marinated onions!
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Old 01-09-2012, 01:16 PM   #20
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You mis-read it. It actually says 1-2 packages per serving ...
I've been known to eat the whole package so I don't start. My Fav is white sandwich bread with mayo, tomato and lettuce. The old BLT just does it for me but not very often. I don't want to go down in the kitchen with a clogged artery.
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