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Uses for Bacon Fat
The issue was raised in a friend's journal about cooking bacon on a rack in the oven. Save the grease, says I, for other wonderful culinary options.Like what?, came the query back.
Ah, dear friends, now we must with bowed heads and solemn footfalls step away from what is now known as "healthy eating." Of course, in doing so, we shall pound back in on stomping feet, crowing like Lost Boys, to the hallowed halls of YUMMY.
Let us begin with bacon grease as a cooking medium. If you make cornbread, grease your muffin tins with it.
If you make mashed potatos, make a double batch, but leave half of the morsels un-mashed. Refrigerate them and cook them the next night in bacon fat until crispy.
Place a tablespoon of popcorn kernels into a paper bag. Pour a tablespoon of melted fat over the unpopped corn, staple the top shut - two staples, no more. Microwave until the pops are two seconds apart. Don't worry, there's not enough conductivity in two staples to blow the appliance off the counter. It will, however, blow your mind. You might want to staple it down, too.A scant teaspoon does wonders for a can of green beans. Fresh cracked black pepper adds a lot, too.
If you pan fry your steak, do it with bacon fat. MMMmmm.
And, finally, my personal favorite:
White Gravy
2T bacon fat
1T All purpose flour
1C milk, whole if possible
salt and pepper to taste.
Make a roux: Melt the fat over medium-high heat - not hot enough to smoke! Add the flour and stir until well-mixed. I like to add the pepper to the flour: the heat releases a lot of flavor from the peppercorns, but can make the gravy a little hot.
Before the roux starts to brown, add the milk. Stir until smooth. Salt and, if you haven't already, pepper to taste.
Substitute chicken stock, beef stock, and pork stock for chicken, beef, and pork gravy, respectively. Little more flour and a little more fat, and you can jazz it a little white or red wine. I like port for beef.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled healthy eating.
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Bacon fat is soul food and what's more healthy than a well fed soul??
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soapboxwhole philosophy about food vs. guilt within the American society. I truly believe that we have such an unhealthy relationship with food that we poison ourselves by eating with guilt.It's a whole diatribe...which I will refrain from going into at the moment.
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'Cause this needs to be planned, don'cha think?
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Also, greasing the skillet with a bit of bacon fat before frying burgers is a good thing...
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Scrambled Eggs
Sigh.