Except for Rachel Ray, you generally won’t find celebrity chefs expounding on the nuances of good bacon-frying technique. It’s likely that a lot of people learned how to cook bacon around the same time they learned how to boil water. Take the smoke alarm’s battery out, heat up a pan, add the bacon, and keep flipping it until it’s done. How hard could it be?.
As the owner of a busy bed and breakfast in Virginia for four years, I can tell you that there isn’t as much space between a perfectly cooked buttermilk pancake and a sun-dried leather boot strap covered in creosote as one might think. Nothing will make a bed and breakfast guest more unhappy than pork that looks like a soggy, undercooked chewing gum strip or a charcoal briquette that has been flattened into the shape of a meat product. Perfect bacon makes a perfect breakfast. A good innkeeper simply must know how to cook bacon. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Even though I don’t think I could compete with Rachel Ray in a Food Network Cage Match (if there was such a thing, which there should be because it would make the network much more interesting), I think she should let the pros show her how to cook bacon. For true “baconistas,” this article will describe how to cook perfect bacon.
At a Virginia bed and breakfast, you’ll need a cast-iron skillet, tongs, and, if you want, a cast-iron bacon press to cook bacon.
You will need a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet that is big enough for a whole strip of bacon to lay flat before you can reach bacon heaven. This is not a subject for debate. If you want to find the perfect cast-iron skillet that has been used for decades for $40 or less, don’t buy that overpriced non-stick one at a gourmet kitchen outlet that cost $120. Instead, go to an antique store, flea market, or yard sale. The benefits of cast-iron are too numerous to detail here. It’s enough to say that cast-iron gives the bacon a “down-home” smoky flavor and lets you use steady heat. You will also need metal cooking tongs that are shaped like a “V” and have a spring inside. These are different from the scissor-style tongs you can find in Target’s barbecue section. A fork just won’t do.
Optionally, you might want to buy an antique cast-iron bacon press when you buy your cast-iron pan. A bacon press is just a flat iron weight that you can put on top of your bacon while it’s cooking to make sure it browns evenly.
Bacon is one of those foods that elicits strong reactions. People either love it or hate it. On the other hand, bacon has a unique taste and texture that makes it stand out, no matter which camp you’re in. So how exactly do you describe this singular food item?.
Common Adjectives for Bacon
When talking about bacon, there are certain words that pop up over and over. Here are some of the most common adjectives used for bacon:
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Smoky – Bacon gets its signature flavor from being smoked over wood chips or smoke flavoring. This gives it a robust, smoky taste.
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Salty – Bacon contains a good amount of sodium, giving it a salty flavor
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Savory/Umami – The savory umami taste comes from bacon’s glutamates. It has a rich, meaty flavor.
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Crispy/Crunchy – Bacon gets its texture from frying or baking which makes it crispy on the edges and crunchy when you bite into it
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Greasy—Because bacon has a lot of fat, it gives off grease as it cooks.
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Meaty: Bacon tastes like hearty meat because it comes from pork belly.
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Sweet – Some bacon contains syrups or is brushed with brown sugar giving it hints of sweetness.
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Peppered – Bacon can be seasoned with or rolled in cracked black pepper.
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Maple-y – Maple-cured or maple-flavored bacon has subtle notes of maple syrup.
Comparisons for Describing Bacon
Using comparisons is another great way to convey what bacon tastes and feels like. Here are some common comparisons used:
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Bacon sizzling in a pan sounds like light popping and crackling.
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The aroma of frying bacon smells like a campfire or barbecue.
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Bitten bacon crunches like a potato chip.
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Chewing bacon produces a crunch followed by a greasy, fatty mouthfeel.
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The taste has hints of the pork from which it came.
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Smoky bacon can taste like liquid smoke or smoked meat.
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Sweet versions are reminiscent of maple syrup and brown sugar.
Adjective Examples
When using adjectives to describe bacon, it helps to think about the look, smell, texture, taste and how it makes you feel. Here are some examples:
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The tantalizing aroma of crispy bacon frying in the pan was irresistible.
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She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into the crunchy, savory strips of peppered bacon on her plate.
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The decadent sweetness of the maple-cured bacon beautifully complemented the fluffy pancakes.
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He loved the combination of smoky, salty bacon with the rich egg yolk in his breakfast sandwich.
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The greasy bacon left her fingers slick and shiny.
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I crave the hearty, meaty umami burst of flavor from bacon.
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The crispy crunch followed by chewy fat is heavenly.
Tips for Describing Bacon
Here are some additional tips for describing everyone’s favorite pork product:
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Focus on all 5 senses – sight, smell, sound, taste, texture
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Use adjectives for flavor (smoky, salty, sweet, savory)
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Use adjectives for texture (crispy, crunchy, greasy, chewy)
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Use comparisons to convey taste and texture
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Show how the bacon makes you feel (heavenly, irresistible, decadent)
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Mention preparation methods like frying, baking or curing
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Note different types like peppered, maple or applewood-smoked
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Be descriptive of the eating experience from appearance to aroma to flavor
With the right adjectives, comparisons and descriptive details, you can convey the uniqueness of bacon. From the first tempting sizzle to the final satisfying crunch, it’s a sensory experience like no other food. So embrace your love or hatred of bacon and get descriptive!
Describing Food – Learn English
How do you describe Bacon?
Melting: Bacon that melts into the sauce or cheese, creating a deliciously savory and harmonious combination of flavors. Generous: Bacon that is generously topped or mixed into your pasta or pizza, ensuring that each bite is packed with its savory essence. When it comes to bacon, there are so many delicious ways to describe it.
What are some adjectives for Bacon?
As you’ve probably noticed, adjectives for ” bacon ” are listed above. According to the algorithm that drives this website, the top 5 adjectives for “bacon” are: fried more, peameal, curly fat, utterly nasty, and simply stale. There are 424 other words to describe bacon listed above.
What is bacon & how do you eat it?
Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts ), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the BLT sandwich ), or as a flavouring or accent.
What is Bacon used for?
Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game, including venison and pheasant, and may also be used to insulate or flavour roast joints by being layered onto the meat. The word is derived from the Proto-Germanic *bakkon, meaning “back meat”.