THE RELUCTANT GOURMET COOKING COMMUNITY

Reluctant Gourmet · Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 2:09 pm Post subject: Cooking Bacon

Try to cook bacon starting in a cold pan. If you use a hot pan, the bacon will burn and not render the fat like it will in pan that comes to temperature with the bacon.

chefbear · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 200 Location: New Park, Pa

Funny, I always did it that way, but never really thought about it. I wouldn't put any other meat except bacon in a cold pan.

LADawg · Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 63 Location: Lower Alabama

CB, bacon is probably the only meat that you cook without any kind of oil or at least a spray in the skillet. I’ve been trying to think of one, but so far no luck.

Dilbert · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 225

duck & patty or loose sausage is about the only other thing I do in a dry pan.

bacon does stand alone as best I can figure for starting in a cold pan, tho....

LADawg · Joined: 21 Jun 2009 Posts: 63 Location: Lower Alabama

Never cooked any duck, but you are right, I do cook sausage in a dry skillet. Most of the time when I sauté ground beef I also do it dry. Would do a hamburger patty that way if I don’t do it on a charcoal grill.

CheeseGr8er · Joined: 09 Oct 2009 Posts: 23

Just a side note about cooking bacon- on another forum someone gave me the idea of saving the leftover grease and putting it in the fridge to use for cooking other things. So far, I have only thrown some in with my eggs but they came out awesome! Not the healthiest thing in the world, but very good anyway

Reluctant Gourmet · Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:20 am Post subject: Bacon Fat Uses

I save the leftover fat from cooking bacon in a jar in the refrigerator and use it lots of uses including warm salad dressing, sauteing vegetables, frying potatoes. I don't use it often but it is a real treat and adds tons of flavor to anything you saute.

I remember as a kid my mom kept a can under the sink for bacon fat. She didn't reuse it for cooking but after she filled the can and let it solidify, she would throw it out. One day she went under the sink for something and there was a field mouse stuck in the fat. I don't think I ever heard her scream so loud. That was the end of storing bacon fat under the sink.

kell · Joined: 17 Nov 2007 Posts: 305 Location: NWND

Cabbage with caraway seeds sauteed in bacon fat til wilted.

CheeseGr8er · Joined: 09 Oct 2009 Posts: 23

hahaha my mom did the same thing. An old coffee can filled with any grease from cooking. No mice for her though thank goodness! ha