# What's a 'normal' amount of bacon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2016, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788 "2016-05-27T03:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/82 "2018-03-31T23:39:19Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > The Fella and I end up making five strips, we both eat two and polite fight over the fifth. Fight over it? You are supposed to take the end in your teeth whilst the Fella does the same with the other end and, uh, reach a compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/83 "2018-04-01T01:36:56Z")
Noted bacon expert Homer Simpson holds forth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2o84egjMso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYns5vR3QuQ ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/84 "2018-04-01T02:31:36Z")
I buy a package labelled “Steak cut bacon” with thick slices that number nine slices to the pound. That’s just about right for two people. Save the grease for making popcorn. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/85 "2018-04-01T02:45:09Z")
Usually one or two slices with breakfast. For sandwiches, it’s whatever I can cram in there. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/86 "2018-04-01T03:00:07Z")
Surely a normal amount of bacon is one less slice than an abnormal amount of bacon. And, equally self-evidently, when used in a sandwich, the normal amount of bacon is the amount that fits between the two slices of bread. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/87 "2018-04-02T14:06:14Z")
> [@RobDog](#): > > Those can be really good for wrapping things in; salmon steaks for example. If you wrap a salmon steak in a couple of slices of fatty bacon and bake it, the bacon fat infuses and bastes the salmon and prevents it drying out as well as adding to the flavour (for those who don’t find salmon flavourful enough on its own). “But doctor, you told me to cut back on red meat and eat more fish. So I ate the salmon steaks instead. I don’t know why my cholesterol is still high.” > [@Daylate](#): > > So, almost exactly 75% of the original bacon was basically thrown away after frying. Not very efficient - makes the price per piece of the fried bacon rather expensive. Bacon fat is the grease used to fry everything in before we tried getting healthier, and eating plant oils. Now you have a bottle of canola oil or a non-stick spray of olive oil. But bacon grease is a flavorful alternative for the heart-unconscious. (Isn’t that the opposite of heart-conscious?) Frying eggs? Bacon grease. Making gravy for your biscuits? Bacon grease. Frying chicken for dinner? Bacon grease. Lard - it’s what’s for dinner. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/88 "2018-04-02T14:14:25Z")
Saturday Breakfast Last Spring, I cut down from four rashers to two. I also reduced the amount of hashbrowns by half, and recently reduced the amount by half again. I’ve gone from two over-easy eggs to one (most of the time) over-easy egg, to one poached egg. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/89 "2018-04-02T15:57:32Z")
Anything less than 3 strips of bacon (10+" uncooked) is a tease. 3 is the “dammit, I know my cholesterol is high and I _shouldn’t_ eat more” amount. 4 is the minimum amount I really want. 6 slices are the “I’m happy with this much bacon” amount. Not being Ron Swanson, 8 slices of bacon are the “That’s enough bacon for me with this particular meal” amount. This is thin-sliced. For thick sliced, I’d say 2 thick for every 3 thin slices. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/90 "2018-04-02T17:19:55Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Bacon fat is the grease used to fry everything in before we tried getting healthier, and eating plant oils. Now you have a bottle of canola oil or a non-stick spray of olive oil. But bacon grease is a flavorful alternative for the heart-unconscious. (Isn’t that the opposite of heart-conscious?) Frying eggs? Bacon grease. Making gravy for your biscuits? Bacon grease. Frying chicken for dinner? Bacon grease. > > Lard - it’s what’s for dinner. My only quibble is that when I first tried using bacon grease for deep frying it foamed up too much. If I clean the grease by mixing it with boiling water and then letting it separate and skimming off the fat it isn’t too bad; only I’ve never heard of anyone else doing that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/91 "2018-04-02T19:27:20Z")
I have seen three pound packages of bacon. That works as a single serving for me. After all, after cooking it weighs a heck of a lot less. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/92 "2018-04-04T17:20:42Z")
As Dave Barry would say, who’s to say how many slices of bacon is the right number? I am. 😉 For breakfast with two eggs, the correct number is three. For me anyway, it’s just the right number to have the bacon and the eggs in harmonious balance. Also, not to rain on bacon lovers’ parade – I like it, too – but processed meats like bacon [have been associated with health risks](https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/bacon-facts_n_4241592). Thanks to the talk of bacon in this thread I was inspired to make a variant of a toasted BLT for brunch which was a great way to use up that last slice of nice smoked turkey. I don’t normally think of adding bacon to sammiches. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/93 "2018-04-04T17:26:36Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > …I don’t normally think of adding bacon to sammiches. 🙂 It’s almost always a good thought. Bacon improves any grilled-cheese sandwich, and is also good on peanut butter IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/94 "2018-04-04T18:30:12Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Saturday Breakfast > > Last Spring, I cut down from four rashers to two. I also reduced the amount of hashbrowns by half, and recently reduced the amount by half again. I’ve gone from two over-easy eggs to one (most of the time) over-easy egg, to one poached egg. How horrible! ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/95 "2018-04-04T18:49:53Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Also, not to rain on bacon lovers’ parade – I like it, too – but processed meats like bacon [have been associated with health risks](https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/bacon-facts_n_4241592).) No shit? The correct amount of bacon is: **all of it**. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/96 "2018-04-04T20:15:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How horrible! But I’ve lost over 20 pounds since May (about 12 or 13 in the last three weeks). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/97 "2018-04-04T21:14:39Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > It’s almost always a good thought. Bacon improves any grilled-cheese sandwich, and is also good on peanut butter IMHO. Just add a little spinach, it cancels out the bad effects of the bacon (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/98 "2018-04-04T21:29:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > It seems to me that restaurants tend to serve two rashers of bacon. > [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > 2 x eggs and 2 X bacon rashers would be a normal breakfast for me. I know this thread and these replies are a couple of years old, but I still have to ask: What’s a rasher? Is that the same thing as a strip? Does it have to do with the different things that different parts of the English-speaking world call “bacon”? I tried googling, but some sources seemed to be saying that a “rasher” was a strip or slice, while others give definitions like “[a portion or serving of bacon, usually three or four slices.](http://www.dictionary.com/browse/rasher)” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/99 "2018-04-04T21:33:22Z")
I still contend that bacon is healthier than canola oil. See, pretty much any sort of oil or fat causes health problems, and there isn’t actually all that much difference between different kinds, even between saturated and unsaturated. But you’re adding that oil to add flavor, and you get a heck of a lot more flavor per gram of oil from bacon than you will from canola. To get as much flavor as bacon, you’d need to use many times more canola oil, and that much oil is definitely bad for you. With bacon, even if you eat it in moderation, it still tastes amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/100 "2019-05-10T15:11:13Z")
Whatever amount of bacon you eat, that’s normal. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788/101 "2019-05-10T15:16:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > His eggs are mutants and students at Professor Eggsavier’s School for Gifted Ovoids. Is that a part of Midvale’s School For The Gifted? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-normal-amount-of-bacon/755788.md?page=6)