[shankar.balan]

Yes. Because invariably it is deep frozen and stored in the shops. It is then just about thawed in the micro for 45 seconds or so. Next it is decanted out of the container along with all its fat and moisture (from the ice coating) and placed on low flame on the gas in a frying pan with a transparent lid - the moisture deters it from burning and since it is being slow cooked on low flame with a lid, it does take 7 -8 min to reach that right level of red-ness or brown-ness combined with the right crispness as well.
Delicious result.

It would be even better if one had access to an old style wood burning stove the way we had on the Tea plantations in the old days. The smell of woodsmoke intermingled with the aroma of frying bacon is a fragrance to die for, coming from a hungry man's perspective after a day's buzzing around the fields in the cold weather!

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I am not sure you get the real Bacon in Subways here in India. At least I have not seen it in Chennai. Their Ham and Bacon is all from Chicken.

@Shankar, are you sure you cook the Bacon for 7-10 minutes, because it is already pre cooked and all you have to do is heat it for a couple of mins in a tawa. If I leave it longer, it becomes hard and tough after getting fried in its own fat.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

....
It would be even better if one had access to an old style wood burning stove the way we had on the Tea plantations in the old days. The smell of woodsmoke intermingled with the aroma of frying bacon is a fragrance to die for, ....

Shankar, why don't you pick up a bottle or two of Colgin's 'Liquid Smoke'?
Hickory, Pecan and Apple wood aromas available.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Shankar, why don't you pick up a bottle or two of Colgin's 'Liquid Smoke'?
Hickory, Pecan and Apple wood aromas available.

Yup! I have tasted those liquid smoke additives from different brands and they are excellent indeed.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The smell of woodsmoke intermingled with the aroma of frying bacon is a fragrance to die for, coming from a hungry man's perspective after a day's buzzing around the fields in the cold weather!

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Shankar, why don't you pick up a bottle or two of Colgin's 'Liquid Smoke'? Hickory, Pecan and Apple wood aromas available.

Have you tried keeping a small piece/ ember of coal in a small container inside or near the pot/ frying pan? Inside or near depends on the coal quality and your liking for that aroma.
It does add a smoky flavour, I have tried it with some chicken + rice preparations.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Have you tried keeping a small piece/ ember of coal in a small container inside or near the pot/ frying pan? ...

I have seen some Rajasthani meat dishes (can only be classified as Kababs) using this method. Also, some UP dishes where there is a bit of post-processing with an ember, some ghee and possibly Jeera & asafoetida kept in a diya in the pot.

Talking of smoking, does anyone have a recipe / process for (dry) smoking fish at home? Have seen that on TV (MCA) but wasn't watching carefully then. They used some wood chips mixed with rice grains and tea leaves IIRC. People smoke fish even in Assam & Manipur, but I don't know how.

[Aroy]

No idea of Bacon in South. Here in Delhi, you get excellent bacon, both fresh and packaged.

Fresh -
. Khubchand in Yusuf Sarai
. Pig Poe in Jor Bag Market, New Friends Colony Market
. Steak House in Jor Bag Market

Frozen Packaged bacon are mostly imported, though at times you do get Meatza
- Modern Bazar
- Nature's Basket

Or if you want you can make bacon at home from fresh Pig Shoulder or Pig Belly. I have made it a few times at home. Beats commercial bacon hollow. Search the net and you will find quite a few recipe using dry process and refrigerator.

Bacon like Ham keeps best at below 5 degrees. So when we get it fresh, we pack it in sets of 8 slices in a cling wrap foil and put the packets in freezer. When needed, take it out, thaw it in the microwave and then fry it over a low flame in gas. Once the fat runs and the bacon cooks, take it out and cook the eggs in the fat. Good bacon will have a fairly good amount of salt, so your eggs will not need any salt.

[Parthasarathig]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Allow it to simmer-fry gently in its own juices and fats for around 7 to 10 minutes till the bacon becomes nice and crisp and red brown in colour.


Nothing goes quite so well as Bacon and Eggs!
Yummy!

Remember however that bacon is highly fattening and needs to be burnt off with lots of exercise.

Sorry to trouble you again. This is my first bacon cooking. Finally managed to get some from gourmet today while i was getting the figo serviced. Its back bacon as you suggested its got less of fat.

My question is ive cooked for 10minutes but the white fat has not completely disappeared. So should i consume at this stage or cook further?

Thanks.

[arnabchak]

A hotel management course has got its pros for sure.

If for nothing else, it does teach you to cook...

And luckily for me, this helped.

And from experience of having worked in some of the best hotel chains in the world, I can vouch for sure that German cuisine is certainly the worst on the palette!!

(No offence to my fellow Bhpians in Germany!!)

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Sorry to trouble you again. This is my first bacon cooking. Finally managed to get some from gourmet today while i was getting the figo serviced. Its back bacon as you suggested its got less of fat.

My question is ive cooked for 10minutes but the white fat has not completely disappeared. So should i consume at this stage or cook further?

Thanks.

NO, the bacon is already a cooked food, in my experience, you just need to heat it up in a tawa on a stove or maybe put it in the microwave for just 30 seconds. The white fat you are talking about must be the skin which will not melt, it will only get harder as you keep cooking it.

Originally Posted by arnabchak

A hotel management course has got its pros for sure.

If for nothing else, it does teach you to cook...

And luckily for me, this helped.

And from experience of having worked in some of the best hotel chains in the world, I can vouch for sure that German cuisine is certainly the worst on the palette!!

(No offence to my fellow Bhpians in Germany!!)

Uh-oh !! You have to answer to Sam and Jenny for this one.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Parthasarathig

Sorry to trouble you again. This is my first bacon cooking. Finally managed to get some from gourmet today while i was getting the figo serviced. Its back bacon as you suggested its got less of fat.

My question is ive cooked for 10minutes but the white fat has not completely disappeared. So should i consume at this stage or cook further?

Thanks.

Depends on how you like the bacon, but 10 minutes is on the higher side. From the looks of it
. If you like it soft then your bacon is done, but could do with less
. If you like it crispy, the fry for a few minutes more

The bacon seems to be from the belly, as I can see a few layers interspersed with meat. The whole fat will not melt away. In fact the taste of fat is what bacon is all about

One of my favorite recipes is to fry the bacon till enough fat to fry a couple eggs is released, short of being crisp, and then fry the eggs in the fat. The left over fat is collected, stored and used later for more eggs

[SS-Traveller]

Our daughter (14) decided to make dinner tonight - chicken lasagne!

I just took the pictures at different stages, but haven't received the recipe from her yet!

The lasagne sheets were the ready-to-bake type. The sauces she made herself.

Enjoy...

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by arnabchak

... And from experience of having worked in some of the best hotel chains in the world, I can vouch for sure that German cuisine is certainly the worst on the palette!! ...

Best hotel chains are no guarantee of best food; in fact that is a guarantee of absolutely unauthentic stuff dished out by someone who has not understood that cuisine. Probably you have tasted stuff made by the worst cooks. For good food, one has to go to places where the locals go, not the foreigners. And eat it the way they would, not like foreigners.

If you open your mind, you won't comment on ANY cuisine like that. One should not compare one cuisine with another. That would be like comparing your mother's cooking with your wife's - prejudiced, unwise, and you are the only loser!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

... chicken lasagne!

I just took the pictures at different stages, ...

Great effort! But, I think she is missing your coaching on the process (not the recipe).

From the pics it looks like she has baked it one layer at a time, starting with the sauce. The actual process is just the reverse (and opposite). She should assemble all the layers together in one go, pour the tomato-based sauce around it (the tray is too large and shallow), sprinkle some cheese on the assembly (not in each layer, that is too much cheese), and bake it only once.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Best hotel chains are no guarantee of best food; in fact that is a guarantee of absolutely unauthentic stuff dished out by someone who has not understood that cuisine. Probably you have tasted stuff made by the worst cooks. For good food, one has to go to places where the locals go, not the foreigners. And eat it the way they would, not like foreigners.

If you open your mind, you won't comment on ANY cuisine like that. One should not compare one cuisine with another. That would be like comparing your mother's cooking with your wife's - prejudiced, unwise, and you are the only loser!

Totally agree on that one, except with the mother/wife bit since they generally do the same kind of cooking unless you too married an European.

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Great effort! But, I think she is missing your coaching on the process (not the recipe).

From the pics it looks like she has baked it one layer at a time, starting with the sauce. The actual process is just the reverse (and opposite). She should assemble all the layers together in one go, pour the tomato-based sauce around it (the tray is too large and shallow), sprinkle some cheese on the assembly (not in each layer, that is too much cheese), and bake it only once.

She is only 14 na ? She will learn from you masters in due course, right ?
I like what I see.

[DerAlte]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

... except with the mother/wife bit since they generally do the same kind of cooking ...

Macha, try that some time - praise your Mom's cooking to your wife, or vice versa. Guaranteed long term (detrimental) side effects!

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

... She is only 14 na ? She will learn ...

Of course she will - I see the good start.

Daughters normally learn the recipes from their mothers (or grandmas or books or online), but they learn the process from their fathers usually. That is because mothers usually chase the daughters away from the kitchen because of the lengthy explanations required (lack of patience) and the aftermath of experimentation - the mess in the kitchen is left for the mother to clean. Been there, done that; was hoping @SS_ takes up the cudgels for his daughter.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by DerAlte

Macha, try that some time - praise your Mom's cooking to your wife, or vice versa. Guaranteed long term (detrimental) side effects!

Seems like you are already a victim of that Guru !!