Hidy Ho There Neighbor!
Why did anyone think that saying was a good idea? Admittedly I DID love Mr. Rogers Neighborhood in all his cardigan glory. I wonder how that show would do with kids now... Probably not so well since it was REALLY slow paced!
I'm sorry I went way off track there!
Baked bacon! I have taught a BUNCH of people this trick and it's really just the best. But only does it eliminate the reason a lot of people don't like cooking bacon (aka the spitting oil) but I actually think bacon tastes better when it's been baked! Plus once you remove the bacon from the pan after cooking you can actually bake some good ol veggies right in those beautiful leftover fats. I mean convenient AND delicious? That's the way to go!
I do want to make a few notes about BACON in general.
The fats in bacon and the fats that cook off of bacon are NOT bad fats. They're actually fats that are very stable at high heats and therefore a great alternative to other oils we tend to cook with that are better when served cold like Olive Oil. I absolutely LOVE Olive Oil BUT I don't cook with it, and I'm very stingy about the type of Olive Oil I'll purchase. In fact there's literally only one brand that I'll eat: Kasandrinos! But more on that in another post. Back to the bacon talk.
Another thing when it comes to bacon is the quality. Since bacon is a fairly fatty cut of meat, and conventionally raised animals store toxins in their fat cells, you want to make sure you're getting good quality bacon and there are some things to look for. PLUS you're probably going to using the fats that cook off of the bacon for cooking other dishes. SO it's worth buying better quality.
Always read the ingredients! Some "uncured" bacon still has super gross ingredients. I've been a victim to this in the past. Bought some uncured turkey bacon, then got home and read the ingredients. I'll just say BARFFFFF! Don't waste your money like I did that one time! Anything you can't pronounce or find in your own kitchen should be a red flag.
Do make sure it's uncured - as in no Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Phosphates, or Sodium Erythorbate, but instead it should be 'cured' with natural ingredients like celery powder, salt, & sometimes beet juice. Again you should recognized the ingredients used.
There will probably be sugar in the ingredients, don't freak out! Sugar in this case is typically fine and just used for curing the meat. The way you'll know if it's ADDED sugar or curing sugar is by looking at the sugar content in the nutritional facts AFTER you've read through the ingredients list and deemed it safe. There should be 0-2 grams of sugar maximum. 0g is ideal, but 1-2g won't kill yah by any means! Especially if everything else about the bacon looks good!
Look for clues on how the animal was raised! Words like cage free (for turkey bacon), or free range, or organic, or humanely raise, or humanely slaughtered, are all good words to see. Word like "natural" and "no growth hormones" are just buzz words and essentially mean nothing, so don't be fooled!
The quality of your bacon is also going to affect the TASTE big time! I actually HATED bacon until I tried some good quality uncured bacon, and I have never looked back. Now I'm bacon obsessed, but I really still only like the taste of uncured bacon!
On that note, here are some great online resources for good quality bacon without all the research:
Applegate Farms (can be found in many grocery stores)
Now onto this uber duber simple recipe!
Baked Bacon
Makes 1 package or 6 Slices of Bacon
Ingredients:
1 package of uncured bacon.
Foil (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. While oven is preheating, line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up. If you don't have foil, then simply place the slices of bacon directly on your baking sheet. Fit as many slices of bacon as you can on the baking sheet, but do not overlap slices. Depending on thickness of your bacon and your desired crispiness, bake the bacon anywhere from 18-40 minutes. A large pan with very thick bacon can take 40 minutes. However, most batches take about 20-25 minutes. Just keep an eye on the bacon towards the end until it reaches your desired crispiness. Serve warm and store leftovers in the fridge!
Phew, that was a super complicated one so I hope you can do it! (please note sarcasm)
As always I appreciate you and your support! Please continue to engage & share your creations with me by tagging me in your cooking pics! I love to see my recipes coming to life in your kitchens! PLUS it helps more people find my blog and use the tools I provide for you here!
You know the drill for questions, comments, or whatever - drop em below in the comments section and don't forget to click that share button! <3
Have an amazing Tuesday everyone!
