My field is health care so I know that it is easier to avoid all of something than to dig,dig, dig through terms which are foreign.
All of my doctor friends and sources preach balance, which is aligned with your point. It would be wonderful if there were Google translator for all of these food terms, with links to accurate information about their impact on our food chain. Even Google isn't up to it! We can ask Santa!
We love our double-smoked bacon from City Market, a part of Kroger's. It's sold by the butcher in their meat/seafood department. If you have one where you live, Cheree, give it a try!
Thank you for this thoughtful advice. I never thought of taking the initiative, as you suggest. I will investigate each one. Another community member suggested a source which does use these practices. While exploring locally, I'm saved. Thank you again.
Bacon is such a complicated food. I have done bacon tastings, and it's insane how two bacons, using the exact same curing & smoking processes, can be so different!
These days my favorite bacon to use at home is from The Piggery, in Ithaca New York. I'm not sure where you're located, so I'll just pass on this advice ~
- If all you need is a little bit, your local butcher can slice you the thickness you want, in the amount you want.
- I strongly urge you to buy bacon from trusted sources. Meaning - farms/ranches where the pigs are raised humanely, with little to no antibiotics while the animal is alive, and no added stabilizers or ingredients you can't pronounce, in the processing plant. When pigs are raised well, the meat and fat are way more flavorful, and because of this, you need far less.
- Supermarkets always want to stock ingredients you'll buy. If you find a bacon you like, but it's not carried by your local market, as them to stock it. Or when you place your order with the company, ask them if they use a distributor in your area.
- More and more bacon is showing up, now that more farms are raising different kinds of pigs/boars/hogs etc.
Take a few notes when you buy a new bacon, and you'll soon see what your favorites have in common. Like maybe you like apple wood smoked, but only 30 day cured, or hot smoked instead of dry smoked.
I don't disagree with the advice here, but the phrase " ingredients you can't pronounce" really sets me twitching. It's utterly nonsensical as advice. It gives no guidance, it has no value and is pure scaremongering. Just because a person encounters a scientific name they may not be able to pronounce is no reason to reject a food. It is a chance to look the word up though, and thus discover exactly what has been added and why.
we no longer eat bacon as a breakfast side (except rarely) but i do use it to flavor soups such as potato, bean or split pea. i kept reading about costco bacon and tried it. it is very good and as lean as any of the major brands and has a nice smokiness to it. you have to buy 4 at a time but it does last a long time unopened in fridge and if you don't get around to it, throw it, broken down into smaller servings or the whole package, into the freezer. of course, it is pretty much an everyday, not really gourmet bacon but for my use is very good and economical.
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All of my doctor friends and sources preach balance, which is aligned with your point. It would be wonderful if there were Google translator for all of these food terms, with links to accurate information about their impact on our food chain. Even Google isn't up to it! We can ask Santa!
Alas, we don't have Kroger's, my mother's favorite. Sounds great.
These days my favorite bacon to use at home is from The Piggery, in Ithaca New York. I'm not sure where you're located, so I'll just pass on this advice ~
- If all you need is a little bit, your local butcher can slice you the thickness you want, in the amount you want.
- I strongly urge you to buy bacon from trusted sources. Meaning - farms/ranches where the pigs are raised humanely, with little to no antibiotics while the animal is alive, and no added stabilizers or ingredients you can't pronounce, in the processing plant. When pigs are raised well, the meat and fat are way more flavorful, and because of this, you need far less.
- Supermarkets always want to stock ingredients you'll buy. If you find a bacon you like, but it's not carried by your local market, as them to stock it. Or when you place your order with the company, ask them if they use a distributor in your area.
- More and more bacon is showing up, now that more farms are raising different kinds of pigs/boars/hogs etc.
Take a few notes when you buy a new bacon, and you'll soon see what your favorites have in common. Like maybe you like apple wood smoked, but only 30 day cured, or hot smoked instead of dry smoked.
http://www.maynardsfarm.co.uk/wholesale/