# Would you buy bacon like this / Why don't they sell bacon like this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 9, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205 "2019-11-09T15:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2019, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/21 "2019-11-10T03:53:08Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > LOL, toss the still factory sealed in heavy plastic slab of bacon into my sous vide at 160 F, let perk for about 4 hours [or until we get back from whatever errand we just did]. Take out, dry the outside off, snip a corner and hold over the bacon grease can and drain out all the fat. Let cool off. Lay out a few payers of paper towel and pat to dry the fat off. Lay out on cooking parchement, and freeze. Peel the bacon strips off and toss into a gallon zippy bag, and there you go. Pull them out at need, and they will cook in a minute in each side in the same pan you are going to do eggs or whatever in. Or you can eat them limp, I won’t judge you - they are cooked all the way to safety =) > > And I have a can of unsullied bacon fat to use for whatever =) I don’t need to cook up bacon if I want to have something cooked in bacon fat =) Way too much thought, work, steps for a friggin’ slice of bacon. IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![motu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/motu/32/259_2.png) [@motu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/motu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/22 "2019-11-11T00:37:24Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > LOL, toss the still factory sealed in heavy plastic slab of bacon into my sous vide at 160 F, let perk for about 4 hours [or until we get back from whatever errand we just did]. Take out, dry the outside off, snip a corner and hold over the bacon grease can and drain out all the fat. Let cool off. Lay out a few payers of paper towel and pat to dry the fat off. Lay out on cooking parchement, and freeze. Peel the bacon strips off and toss into a gallon zippy bag, and there you go. Pull them out at need, and they will cook in a minute in each side in the same pan you are going to do eggs or whatever in. Or you can eat them limp, I won’t judge you - they are cooked all the way to safety =) > > And I have a can of unsullied bacon fat to use for whatever =) I don’t need to cook up bacon if I want to have something cooked in bacon fat =) That is delicious lard but it is not delicious bacon grease ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/23 "2019-11-11T01:25:35Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I learn something new everyday. Bacon in the oven. Okay. Now I need a new pan. Another bonus to oven-baking bacon is the slices don’t curl up. Special treat: 5 minutes before it’s done, sprinkle a little brown sugar over the tops of the slices. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/24 "2019-11-11T02:20:11Z")
> [@motu](#): > > That is delicious lard but it is not delicious bacon grease Lard is unseasoned fat from around the kidneys of animals [generally cows and pigs, with suet being the unprocessed form\*] tallow being the larger chunks of fat not from around the kidneys. Bacon fat has been salted and flavored with smoke, maple or whatever else - it is strongly flavored compared ot lard which can be almost flavorless. Rendered by sous vide it is still ‘bacon drippings’ just not with BCBs added [in Pratchett terms ‘burnt crunchy bits’] \*one turns suet into lard by chopping it rather finely, and dumping it into a pot with water, and gently simmering until the water is gone, and all the fat has been liquified without scortching or browning it leaving liquid fat with connective tissue, one then filters out the fat from the connective tissue, I personally use a stainless steel mesh strainer with the fat poured into a mold to form bricks that can then be wrapped and sealed for future use. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/25 "2019-11-11T03:18:45Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Bacon in the oven??? That’s where you lost me. Lemme tell you, when I’m cooking bacon for 400 people, the oven is the way to go. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/26 "2019-11-11T03:50:03Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > 1. You essentially have to cook all the bacon at once — so you need to cook, say, a pound. Often, I need less. It is less convenient if you don’t cook it all because you have to clean up the mess plus repackage. I buy store-brand thick sliced bacon, which has nine slices per one pound package. What’s that, two servings? Three, if I’m being chintzy? And how long does bacon last in the refrigerator after the vacuum seal is broken? It turns grey and unappetizing in a few days. Might as well fry it up and save if that way, if you must. It never lasts around my house, though. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/27 "2019-11-11T11:12:03Z")
Dafuq? Bacon doesn’t turn grey or go off within a couple days of opening the package. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2019, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/28 "2019-11-11T12:01:43Z")
Yeah, people were keeping bacon for months, even before refrigeration. It’ll last pretty close to indefinitely, in the freezer. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/29 "2019-11-11T13:39:24Z")
Tangentially related: A package of bacon can last me a long time. But if you freeze the package in a block you can’t pull out one or more strips to fry. People who cook a package of bacon at a time or live in households that go through a package in two days can skip the following. A friend of mine told me about a system: open your new package of bacon and roll up each strip individually (like snails or teeny cinnamon rolls). Arrange the curls-- not touching-- in a ziplock bag and lay the bag flat in the freezer until the curls are frozen. Then they can clump together in the baggie. Pull out one or more and thaw in microwave for 15-ish seconds so you can uncurl them. Fry, bake, or microwave. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/30 "2019-11-11T14:45:49Z")
I get the double pack of thick cut bacon at COSTCO. I cook it all at once in the oven on parchment as described above. After it’s drained and cool it goes into a gallon zip loc bag in the fridge. I pull out what I need and pop in the microwave to heat. The double pack usually lasts about three weeks or so. Never had any go bad. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/31 "2019-11-11T17:52:44Z")
A pound of bacon may or may not be more than a single serving of bacon. But sometimes bacon is used in smaller amounts, legend has it, as an ingredient in spaghetti sauce, salad, soup or seafood. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/32 "2019-11-11T17:55:31Z")
I had a smart roommate who would immediately open the store package, halve the slices, and rewrap six half slices in individual Saran wraps before putting them in the freezer. Bacon almost always sold as stated in OP. But a couple grocery stores here divide them into separate 1/3 lb. bubbles. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/33 "2019-11-11T18:10:55Z")
Space in fridge or freezer sections are relatively costly. The distributor will often need to pay slotting fees to the store in order to get their product added to those sections. As such, anything in those sections need to sell pretty well in order to justify the high costs of offering the items for sale. What you describe is a good idea, but probably has too small a market to recoup the slotting fees and loss of profit from other items which could be in that spot. Even if space was free, I suspect the higher cost of “oven-ready bacon with disposable tray” would be higher than either the typical raw or pre-cooked bacon currently in stores. The higher price would be another issue that would affect sales where consumers would go with the lower-priced options. ---
**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:** [November 11, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/34 "2019-11-11T20:55:24Z")
Personally, I generally use bacon a quarter pound at a time (or occasionally, in multiples of a quarter pound, if I’m making a big batch of something), so when I buy a pound, I cut it across the strips (so I get shorter strips) into four equal sections, fry up one of them immediately for whatever it is I’m making that I need it for, and freeze the other three quarters each in a sandwich-sized ziplock. Yeah, they’re stuck together when I take them back out, but they’ll unstick in the process of frying anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/35 "2019-11-12T01:33:23Z")
Just added bacon to the grocery list. Your fault! I usually do it low and slow in the oven. It takes forever so I do the whole package at once. I put it on at around 275 for a couple of hours to completely render the fat. That way what is left is pure lean flavor. The fat I use in place of butter when I’m making eggs or other fried foods. I don’t do that often though, so eventually it winds up in the trash. Good while it lasts. This method works great with pepperoni too. Little lacy disks of punch-in-the-mouth flavor. As for the OP’s idea, I could see it rolled up in parchment paper. Unroll onto baking sheet and Bob’s your Uncle. But the market for bacon is falling substantially. I wouldn’t recommend anything to do with pig consumption as a get rich quick scheme in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/36 "2019-11-12T02:17:36Z")
Wait, I know I can’t be the only one that stands there at the oven dipping bread into the still slightly warm bacon grease and eat…uh, disposing of it that way. Who has left over bacon grease to save? As far as cooking bacon oven or stove top or microwave(yes, bacon cooks fabulously well in a microwave)depending on amounts being prepared. For the op, if I was going to buy bacon packaged like that, I’d spring for a box of restaurant bacon since oven cooking is usually only done for large amounts of bacon ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/37 "2019-11-12T04:49:53Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > The fat I use in place of butter when I’m making eggs or other fried foods. I don’t do that often though, so eventually it winds up in the trash. ☹ Too bad; you know, you can keep bacon grease in the freezer for months on end. It also goes great on baked or roasted potatoes, sauteed greens or a cheesy pasta sauce. I mean, toss it if you gotta but unless you’re really consuming a lot of bacon you probably can use/store it before it goes bad. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/38 "2019-11-12T04:59:07Z")
I’m so confused at all this talk about having too much bacon! How is that possible??? 😃 Most of the bacon I buy is now is 12 oz packages and makes me feel a little less guilty about eating it in one sitting. If I do somehow have extra, the next day is BLT or just B sandwiches. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/39 "2019-11-12T06:23:29Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > For a long as I can remember bacon has been sold/packaged the same way. The strips layered uniformly, slightly fanned out, and vacuum sealed. From here the consumer is on their own to get the pack open, separate the strips by hand, lay them out on the cooking surface of their choice, and deal with the bacon grease clean-up at the end. All you have to do to “deal with” the bacon grease is toss a couple slices of white bread in the pan and let them soak up all the grease and get crispy and brown. After you fry your eggs in it, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jane\_Elliot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jane_elliot/32/6166_2.png) [@Jane\_Elliot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jane_Elliot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205/40 "2019-11-12T13:53:14Z")
I go to the local Amish charcuterie and buy slab bacon. I can have it cut to order by the butcher, or cut it myself. I’ve cut slab bacon into cubes and cooked it that way for carbonara. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-bacon-like-this-why-dont-they-sell-bacon-like-this/843205.md?page=3)