Just a Couple of Random Bacon Tips

Since bacon is the candy of meat, I try and eat it as often as I can, because as we all know, bacon makes everything better. Well, since my wife is a freshly graduated college student, seeking her first real job and I am still a college student, seeking a light at the end of my educational tunnel, we have to be frugal. As a chef, I used a product called "bacon ends and pieces" for applications like 'bacon bits' for salads and grits or anything you might want bacon on, that did not need to be in strip form. Well, to my delight, both Winn Dixie and Walmart have started carrying it.

So what is "Bacon Ends and Pieces" you ask, well, it is exactly what it sounds like. It is the leftover pieces of the bacon slabs after the slicing process. The bacon you get is generally very high quality, it just that there are no slices, just half slices, 1/4 slices, or end pieces that can go from very thin to 1/2 inch thick. The best part is, you get about 3 pounds of bacon for roughly $7.00. Not a bad deal at all.

Generally, this is what a hand full of bacon ends and pieces looks like frying up

Now here is a cooking tip. Whenever your cooking bacon, especially when it is cut up for a particular application or your using the 'bacon ends and pieces' from above, if it is cooking unevenly, simply tilt the pan and let the bacon fully submerge in the grease. 

Be careful you don't spill the grease out of the pan, especially if you have a gas stove top, as the the grease can flame up.

You can do this with strips of bacon as well.  

The Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Eggs are one of the easiest things to cook, but they are also one of the easiest things to get wrong, so I figured I'd do a little recipe to show the do's and don'ts and some techniques to get them perfect every time.

Tip: You can use a knife and cut the egg carton down, as you use the eggs, to save room in your fridge.

Note: It is important to realize that these recipes are merely guidelines to follow. They'll taste great as they are, but I encourage you to play with them and make the recipes your own.

Note: It is good practice to read the entire recipe, while paying particular attention to the "Notes", before you try to make the dish, as there are often subtleties that can be easily overlooked, which sometimes, can make all the difference in the world for the outcome. 

Serves 2

Skill Level: Beginner

Prep time to make filling 7-10 minutes.

 Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 tlb butter

Tools needed:

• Medium Bowl
• Whisk
• Egg Pan

Do's and Don't's of Eggs

DON'T add water or cream to the eggs. 

Only use medium-low heat on the pan.

Let pan fully heat up before adding the eggs.

If you can, let the eggs come to room temp.

Whip as much air into the eggs as possible. The more air in the eggs, the better.

In an egg pan (you can use teflon coated pans, but if you let the pan heat up properly, non-stick is unnecessary.) heat 1 tlbs of butter.

Note: When the butter audibly stops sizzling, but has not yet started to turn brown, it is ready for the eggs.

Use a spatula to move the eggs around.

The lumps in scrambled eggs are called curds. If you want large curds, agitate the eggs less, for smaller curds, agitate more.

Pull eggs off the heat before they're done. They'll finish up from the residual heat in the pan. This prevents the eggs from being dry.

Give the eggs a final stir in the pan and serve.

Top with cheese or anything else you like.

Enjoy.