Too much of a good thing is never a good idea. This is especially true when it comes to bacon. That crispy piece of pork with the fragrance that wakes you up smiling like a boss.
I swear there must be a chemical in the aroma of bacon that increases alertness. We’ve all experienced walking by a restaurant, a room, or a house where bacon was being fried up and stopped you dead in your tracks like a hunting dog searching for it’s next kill.
While there is a craze about pork and Paleo elitist have become evangelists for this piece of meat, bacon does have health benefits. To be honest, my wife and I have bacon almost every morning. John Romaniello of Roman Fitness Systems, said in an interview that child obesity will drop if parents stopped feeding their kids cereal and fed them bacon and eggs instead. I believe there is validity in that statement.
Here is a list of benefits to give you an idea of some of the benefits of bacon.
- Improve Brain Function: Bacon has a nutrient called choline, which is known for increasing your intelligence and memory. Choline has also been found to weaken the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease on other mental impairments.
- Filled with Minerals and Vitamins: 65% of our Recommended Daily Intake of Thiamin, 47% of our Niacin, 22% of our Riboflavin, which are all Vitamin Bs, 38% of our Vitamin B12, 24% of our Vitamin B6, 22% of our Riboflavin,36% of our Zinc, 22% of our Phosphorus, 10% of our Pantothenate, 10% of our Magnesium, 9% of our Iron.
- Nitrates and Nitrites? No worries: As people become more aware of their food, one of the worries are Nitrates and Nitrites. Well, on Bacon Today, they found that many nutritionist missed an important point that “you can easily avoid nitrates and nitrites by simply (A) not burning / charring / over cooking your bacon or by (B) Baking your bacon in the oven.”
- Improve Blood Sugar Levels: Many medical research and nutritionist are finding that a moderate intake of Bacon actually helps decrease your blood sugar levels and blood pressure. This is a huge benefit for people Hawaii where heart diseases, diabetes, stroked and heart attack are the leading causes of death.
I think that’s enough to say that the next time you check out your favorite local breakfast spot or have a slab of bacon sitting in your fridge, you have good reasons to enjoy and not worry about all that talk about the fat being bad for you and will clog your arteries.
What’s the Best Way to Cook Bacon?
Well, I’ll give you 3 of the best methods I’ve found and tried. Like I said, we are big into bacon in the Aipa household.
1. Cast Iron
Every household should have a cast iron. Not only is it a great cooking tool, but it’s probably the sexiest and manliest cooking piece next to a real chef knife. You can use other skillets but like I say about mason jars, everything tastes better cooked in a cast iron.
- Turn stove on to a medium heat and place your bacon on the skillet. This will allow the bacon to crisp nicely and not char.
- When it starts to curl, turn over the strips with tongs or chopsticks.
- Keep flipping back and forth making sure to brown each side evenly.
- When you reach your preferred crisp, transfer them over to rest on a paper bag or egg cartons to drain off the grease. Remember, the bacon will continue to crisp even after you take it off the heat.
2. Microwave
Some of you may not have the time to flip around and watch your strips of bacon. The microwave will be a good option for those who just want a couple pieces for themselves for breakfast or light snack.
- Line microwave safe dish with 2 layers of paper towels.
- Place bacon strips evenly spaced on dish and cover with 2 more layers of paper towels
- Microwave for 1 minute per strip. 3 strips of bacon call for 3 minutes.
- Check for doneness after. If you want a little more crisp, microwave for 30 second increments until you reach the perfect crisp for you.
3. The Oven
I recommend the oven method when you are cooking for a bunch of people after a long night of partying or just a family and friend brunch. Don’t waste gas on just cooking for you. The oven method takes a little more time because you have to preheat the oven to 400°.
- Lay bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet
- A good tip for really crispy bacon is to place a cooling rack on the baking sheet to raise the strips of bacon above the pan for the fat to drip off.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches the right doneness
- When you are pau, transfer the bacon with your chopsticks over to a paper bag or egg carton and continue to core more bacon.
How do you like to cook your bacon?
