This trick involving bacon.
But first, can we talk about the unattractive angle of Bossy’s hand in this photo? She swears her hands are not grotesque in real life, they just play grotesque on TV.
Anyway. The first thing Bossy does when confronted with a pound of bacon is reach for her kitchen shears so she can cut that package in half.
Bossy doesn’t know exactly why she finds it so much easier to deal with half strips, but it may have something to do with them being 50% smaller. Regardless, Bossy has the best attitude about her short pieces, which she fries up without cursing because they seem to curl and tangle less and cook evenly, and Bossy just made that up about even cooking and less curling and tangling because she has to rationalize the need to scrub her kitchen shears every time she cuts the bacon packaging.
Try it, though. You may love it too, and be more inclined to grab little pieces of bacon here and there to use in your recipes. Although come to think of it, that’s a bad, bad thing.
Philly says
March 6, 2009 at 7:16 amTry cooking them in the overn. They won’t curl and seems to cook faster.
Avitable says
March 6, 2009 at 8:28 amAnd here I thought your favorite thing was going to be bacon.
bossy's friend martha says
March 6, 2009 at 8:38 amI do the same thing. Don’t forget, you can fit more in the pan that was as well. mmmmmm bacon.
psjdp says
March 6, 2009 at 8:46 amNo, bacon is a good thing if you want to stay thin. Try it sometime.
JK says
March 6, 2009 at 9:16 amYummy! Bacon! I do this too! My mom (a child of the Depression…hmm, sort of like my kids, but I digress, sorry) taught me that trick.
dgm says
March 6, 2009 at 9:32 amI cut my bacon, too, only I use a knife. Something about scrubbing scissors fills me with dread.
hollygee says
March 6, 2009 at 9:40 amYes, cut in half, wrap in plastic, freeze and just use a half rasher or two (that would make a full rasher) for seasoning a vegetable dish or scrambled eggs. Lasts a long long time.
Kay says
March 6, 2009 at 9:53 amI do the exact same thing except with a knife. Always have and not a clue as to why. Too funny!
Lauren says
March 6, 2009 at 9:57 amMmm… that bacon looks divine. You really do eat luxuriously, what with the bacon and lemons and wine all the time. I am jealous! Also, your hand looks fine.
BodaciousGirl says
March 6, 2009 at 10:01 amGirl! You need to break free of that pre-packaged slimy bacon and get your bacon straight from the butcher. It is not icky wet in brine, it is much much tastier (esp. the apple smoked stuff), AND it is more then not – a buck or two less then the prepackaged stuff. TRUST ME – try it.
Tracy says
March 6, 2009 at 10:11 amWish our grocer carried Boar’s Head bacon! YUM!
Acher says
March 6, 2009 at 10:15 amAlways cut the bacon in half. It cooks soooo much better. But I have to ask- isn’t Boar’s Head contrary to the Poverty Party? In my neck of the woods, Boars Head is awfully spendy!
Unemployed Susan says
March 6, 2009 at 10:16 amWill I be heckled out of the comments section if I profess my devotion to smoky, wonderful Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon? I chop it up & throw it into whatever I can.
Cheri @ Blog This Mom! says
March 6, 2009 at 10:17 amBacon needs to be cooked? It doesn’t come in a BLT at Panera?
Amber says
March 6, 2009 at 10:22 amI do that as well, mainly because whole strips are too long to fit more than two in a pan. I use kitchen shears over knives for a lot of things. It’s faster and I’m lazy.
Kristine says
March 6, 2009 at 10:24 amI am not alone!
I also cut my bacon in half – although i do it with a knife.
Amanda says
March 6, 2009 at 10:34 amI’ve always been a bacon cutter in halfer!
Love it!
jen says
March 6, 2009 at 10:49 amOh, bacon is SO good in potato salad.
And my shrimp pasta dish.
And…wait for it…a peanut butter sammich. Toasted, multi-grain bread; no jelly; Smucker’s Natural PB. YUM!
Smoochiefrog says
March 6, 2009 at 10:53 amI cut my bacon in half too, only I use a knife. Ummmmmmm bacon.
Heather says
March 6, 2009 at 11:10 amYAY! I do that too!! And I used to use a knife until we bought sheers so I could cut up a whole chichen (wow, was I ever proud of myself for that one), and now they are my favorite utensil.
Maggie Garcia says
March 6, 2009 at 11:11 amDid you know that when a frozen pizza’s still frozen you can just bang it on a counter until it breaks into four pieces and then cook it like that? It’s easier than trying to cut it after .
Smalltown Mom says
March 6, 2009 at 11:19 amNo, no. My mother cut them in half and it seemed too stingy. So I have to rebel and say whole strips are the way to go.
JC says
March 6, 2009 at 11:20 amI always cut my bacon with scissors – nice trick! Ditto what BodaciousGirl said, though. I buy my bacon fresh sliced at a local butcher. There’s a small meat market on my way home from work, sometimes on Friday nights I’ll stop and get a half pound for my weekend breakfast(s). They can slice it thinner (for breakfast) or thicker, if you like, for a recipe.
Although, if you have to buy the packaged stuff, BoarsHead is the only way to go.
furiousball says
March 6, 2009 at 11:22 ami worship god, and by god, i of course mean bacon
Grandma J says
March 6, 2009 at 12:12 pmOMG! Bossy, that’s exactly the same thing I do with a pound of bacon. I cut it in half! The whole pack. I feel so Bossyfied.
My Blog Birthday is coming up and I’m giving away a gift card…stop by!
Lisa says
March 6, 2009 at 12:53 pmBossy what a great idea! I always cut my pieces in half anyway, but this is so…practical.
To dgm: If you had a pair of Cutco shears, they come apart and are easy to wash.
Hol says
March 6, 2009 at 1:04 pmI’ve always wanted to be a bacon cutter-in-halfer. Long bacon makes me sad. Although, I keep forgetting to cut it… maybe I’ll remember now.
Dr. Liz says
March 6, 2009 at 1:14 pmActually, I didn’t know it was possible to cook WHOLE strips of bacon. I thought the very first thing you did was cut the package in half. (I use a meat cleaver, but mostly because my therapist suggests that as a great anger management technique!) And since there are but 2 of us in the house (well, there are 2 dogs who are also VERY interested in the bacon) we freeze half the package. I feel so much less alone now!
renee in seattle says
March 6, 2009 at 1:22 pmYes, I do this too. You could double this as a poverty post, because I discovered that when I do this and only fry up 1/2 for my family of 5 and save the other 1/2, no one complains that they did not have enough, and voila, I can do it all over again in a couple of days.
Plus, have you SEEN the price of bacon?? Oy.
Meredith says
March 6, 2009 at 2:39 pmI’ll be the 30th to add that I also do this and freeze the remaining half. We’ve had some very happy Sundays upon discovering a forgotten 1/2lb of bacon in the freezer to fry up with eggs and pancakes.
Olivia says
March 6, 2009 at 2:47 pmI agree with BodaciousGirl: fresh cut bacon is the only way to go. At $2/pound in my town is hella cheaper than pre-packaged. It’s also longer, less fatty, and cooks flat, not to mention the taste.
This should probably be under the Daily Poverty posts, but we bought a small freezer a few months ago and buy all our meat at a butcher shop in bulk. They have a price discount when you buy at least 10 pounds of whatever meat product. It’s saving us quite a bit of money and all the meats are fresher and leaner than at the super market.
jen @ negative lane says
March 6, 2009 at 3:13 pmI always cut my bacon on half, too. Learned that trick from my dad, way back when. We just use a kitchen knife to do it and it works fine. We use half for BLTs and freeze half for next time, that way one package lasts two meals. But then, there’s only two of us that eat BLTs in our house. So far, the kiddos act like we’re trying to poison them if we offer them bacon. (If you think about it, they’re not completely wrong.)
marchelle says
March 6, 2009 at 3:17 pmi just wonder how you pressed the shutter on your camera if that’s your right hand?
does your camera have a shutter on the left side?
did you take this in front of a mirror?
did you flip the image in photoshop?
are you a contortionist?
why don’t you buy wright brand thick sliced naturally hickory smoked bacon? it’s the shiz.
Franca Bollo says
March 6, 2009 at 3:51 pmMy mother always did that … never paid it much attention to the fact until Bossy brought it up.
I don’t eat bacon (I think pigs are too cool to eat) but with all the attention it’s getting lately in the Blogosphere it seems it has become the new black. Appearing soon on a runway near you!
chantel says
March 6, 2009 at 4:14 pmI cook my bacon in the oven under the broiler. Less curl, less mess. Especially when you use aluminum foil to line the pan. P.S. I also cut my bacon in half. I don’t know why I just like it better.
Kirsten says
March 6, 2009 at 5:22 pmI love this post. I have kitchen shears, like bacon and most of all, I like good practical advice like this. I’m so glad I found your blog.
Reeb says
March 6, 2009 at 7:38 pmPigs are as smart as dogs which is why we don’t buy bacon. (Although I do willfully order it at restaurants on occasion. Husband is far more consistent in his integrity on the issue.)
Way back when, I’d buy the huge ends-and-pieces box that was poverty-conscious as well as great for flavoring up just about whatever one wanted to flavor.
Mmmm, bacon…
Emily says
March 6, 2009 at 7:51 pmWe only buy turkey bacon too. Much less shrinkage and frankly way less fatty tasting too. I love the Oscar Mayer Thin ‘n Crispy bacon which can sometimes be had for $1.50 or less a package.
Peg says
March 6, 2009 at 8:17 pmWhen there’s a bacon discussion, I have one word to say.
Nueske’s. Nuff said.
habanerogal says
March 6, 2009 at 8:43 pmCut in half bacon is the best even though the kids think it is chintzy. Don’t see them using their money to buy the bacon.
Chesapeake Bay Woman says
March 7, 2009 at 12:38 amIt’s true. Once you go half, you never go back. I’ve done the same thing with turkey bacon lo these many years.
Just so you know, it does not work on dollar bills.
donna in mid michigan says
March 7, 2009 at 10:19 ampan in oven…bake, sprinkle with brown sugar and nutmeg till done…OMG Taste Bud Orgasm!! Sticky and sweet and salty….the BEST EVAR!!
Lori says
March 13, 2009 at 9:24 pmOMG, I’ve never known anyone to do this and here all your readers are part of the 1/2 bacon fan club.
A few other folks mentioned baking it (which you can leave it long if you want) – 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes (or 20 for extra crispy). Yummy!