When recipes have you start by crisping up bacon and then setting the cooked bacon aside to cook the vegetables, why do they so often have you pour out “all but one tablespoon of bacon fat,” only to add olive oil?
Absolutely! Olive oil is an excellent choice for cooking bacon as it has a relatively high smoke point. This means it can withstand higher temperatures without burning and smoking, providing a crisp and flavorful bacon. The oil also adds a subtle flavor to the bacon, making it even more delicious.
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When recipes have you start by crisping up bacon and then setting the cooked bacon aside to cook the vegetables, why do they so often have you pour out “all but one tablespoon of bacon fat,” only to add olive oil?
But whenever I use bacon fat to cook for other people, I always get the same response: That’s amazing, but sooo unhealthy. And I get it. Historically, bacon has been associated with a bad diet. It’s a processed food thats high in saturated fats, and eating too much of it can increase the risk of heart disease.
Today, as an avid home cook, I use bacon fat often. Whenever I cook up a pound of bacon, I always fill a cleaned-out pickle or olive jar with the leftover golden liquid. It solidifies into a soft, creamy mass with tiny brown flecks. My fridge has a collection of bacon-fat-filled jars of varying shapes and sizes, like an old-timey apothecary. I’ll add a scoop of it to roasted brussels sprouts, or use it instead of olive oil when sautéing onions and garlic for tomato sauce. If I’m really feeling crazy, I’ll make salad dressing with it.
Also, bacon fat simply tastes great. It’s like this magic liquid that will make any veggie dish transform from boring to rich and delicious. “I likely can’t become friends with anyone who uses bacon but not the bacon fat,” said June Xie, senior food producer. She uses it to add a flavor punch to chicken parmesan pasta, chicken chowder stuffed zucchini, and split pea and ham soup. “It’s a perfectly good cooking oil, comes pre-seasoned with salt and smoky flavors, and adds dimension to anything you’re cooking,” she said.
So a lot of the unhealthy stuff associated with bacon isnt necessarily in bacon fat. And surprisingly, it does has some healthy qualities. Like canola and olive oil, bacon fat is high in oleic acid, which is thought to reduce inflammation and cholesterol levels, Quinn said.
I asked Kelly Quinn, MS RDN, and lecturer at Cornell University’s Division of Nutritional Sciences. “Bacon fat has many similarities, nutritionally speaking, to other oils, despite its bad reputation,” she told me. “It has similar calorie and fat content, 40 calories and 5 gram of fat per teaspoon.”
Do You Use Oil To Cook Bacon? That’s The Question Of The Day
FAQ
What oil is best for frying bacon?
Is it better to cook bacon with or without oil?
Is bacon grease worse than olive oil?
Is bacon grease unhealthy to cook with?
Can you fry bacon in olive oil?
The smoke point of extra virgin olive oil is 410 F (210 C), making it ideal and safe to fry bacon. Olive oil is made up of monounsaturated fat (about 75%), which helps it to withstand heat better and stabilized. This olive oil will add bacon flavor to your scrambled eggs, omelets, and any other dish that calls for bacon flavor.
Can one cook with olive oil?
It is possible to cook with olive oil. However, it is not recommended for use in cooking fried foods. Olive oil has a lower smoke point, which can create unhealthy residues.
Do you need oil to cook bacon?
You don’t need oil or butter to cook most bacon varieties. When exposed to low heat, the fat on the bacon strips renders, cooking the meat and preventing it from sticking to the pan. In this article, you will learn why you don’t need oil to cook bacon, how to cook bacon without oil the right way, and what are the exceptions. What Is Bacon Anyway?
How to cook bacon without oil?
Here is how to cook bacon without oil so that the fat is properly rendered and the bacon doesn’t burn: Start with choosing the right type of bacon. The slices should have enough fat to melt and cook the meat. Put the bacon slices in a cold pan. Unlike cooking other foods, when cooking bacon you should let the pan heat up along with the bacon.