Random Thoughts Thunk While Cooking: A cook is only as good as the ingredients and ingenuity used. What a nightmare. What a colossal nightmare. lol For the non-liver lovers, chicken would've been a good substitute, but did I get breasts or tenders. No. I got thighs because it reminded me of a dinner made by my Aunt Mary-on-the-farm when I was a child. I cleaned and cut for a very long time. The chicken livers were frozen, but, in the past, it's never been a problem. These things were just awful - all mashed up together (like someone took a meat pounder) to the point where I really had to hunt for the connective tissue. Just in case, going to a real butcher instead of taking a chance at the supermarket was supposed to not have this problem. Surprise. I can't even give him the benefit of the doubt and I tried. No self respecting cook would ever use this things in a sauce or a soup. I've cooked purchased, pre-cooked, bacon once before for BLTs but really didn't pay that much attention to it other than the fact it cooked quickly without grease everywhere. Last night, I really got a chance to eyeball it. When the box says to cook it til crispy, it really means to cook until dry. There's a difference. lol I didn't use it. So, prosciutto wouldn't be a good candidate for rumaki. Pancetta would, though. I didn't use pancetta because I wasn't quite sure how it would go with the marinade and other stuff I was making. So, I used a nice smoky bacon. More later. Nice photo array, Rob333!

Like naughtykitty..I have baked mine for years in the oven. However-I have cookie sheet sized mesh cooling racks, so I place one of them on my silver baking tray then place the bacon on it. The grease drips into the tray, no need to flip the bacon. Once 2/3rds done, I remove & place on paper toweling. To reheat-I put whatever amount I need on a tray & place under the broiler for a minute. Hate the microwave & freezer for cooked bacon. Call me old fashioned-I'd rather make it fresh, when needed.

I use the oven, microwave, and a cast iron skillet depending on what it is for. All works well. Low heat is key. Place on a sheet pan in a COLD oven, middle or low middle rack. Then turn on the oven. 375-400. For the microwave use lower power. Great for just a couple slices. I use double paper towel bottom and top on a salad plate. Another plate on top if you like it flat. We like prosciutto bacon. 2-4 thin slices on parchment in the oven. Same method. Great soup/chowder or sandwich garnish. And not at all greasy. BLT's I use the microwave to start and finish crisping in the oven on parchment. The weave. Great for a crowd. My family starts nibbling if single strips and I have to start all over again with another package. We don't have bacon often so a package is too much. I freeze half strips rolled or folded and freeze on a small sheet pan then into a zip-lock or container so it is handy for saute greens, brussel sprouts, a pot of collards, etc. Also freeze prosciutto bundles. Great on pizza. Bacon never freezes rock hard so a rolled bit can be cut easily into smaller cubes. Don't think I would want anything pre-cooked. I don't really care for the rendered fat/juice or bother saving it. I do use what is rendered from the small frozen pieces for greens in the cooking pan/pot.

I've started buying bacon for myself again when I am alone in Cathedral City for four weeks at a time. Here's how I've been cooking it. First of all, I only want two or three strips at a time, but I've been mostly cooking three. I use a medium sized T-Fal non-stick skillet, and I spray the pan with a small amount of water. I then cut the bacon strips with scissors into varying lengths so that I can fit them into the pan easily, and I put the bacon in the slightly wet cold pan. I then put the pan on high heat until the water has evaporated and I hear a bit of sizzle, and then I turn the heat down to medium low. I turn the bacon several times and cook it until it is slightly crisp. As I take it out of the pan, I press it with the back of a spoon so that the grease goes back into the pan, and I let it drain on a paper towel. For the small amount of bacon I cook at a time, half a paper towel is enough. This method gives me bacon the way I like it, and I also have leftover bacon fat that I can save for later use. I think that preserving the fat is very important, and I have many uses for it. I would not want to use any method that would not yield leftover bacon fat. Since I cook bacon only once or twice a week, I do not end up with much bacon fat. I have not taken any of my cast iron pans to Cathedral City because I do not have space to store them. The house came with a lot of T-Fal non-stick pans, and I've decided that I like them.