We like to add bacon bits to salads. I've bought those fake bacon bits many times. But it bothers me that there are some artificial ingredients in those imitations bits. The real bacon bits sold in packets seem to be a more natural choice. I've made my own bacon bits from sliced bacon many times. However, I've only made them on an "as needed" basis.
Last week at Grocery Outlet I found 12oz packages of sliced bacon for $1.99. That's a great price for bacon in my area. The catch was that the packages expired in about 7 days. I decided right then and there to buy 2 packages and make a couple of large batches of bacon bits to keep in the freezer. (I didn't have more cash on me that day to buy more than 2 packages, in case you're wondering why I didn't buy more.)
On Saturday I cooked up my bacon bits. From each 12-ounce package, I ended up with about 4-5 ounces of bacon bits and about 5-6 ounces of bacon fat to use in cooking, all for $1.99 per pack.
I checked Walmart's prices on packages of real bacon bits. For $1.98, Walmart sells a 2.5 ounce package of ready-to-eat real bacon pieces. By cooking my own at home, I about doubled the yield for the same price, plus I saved the cooking fat which will replace oil or butter in sautés.
I bagged my bacon bits and am storing them in the freezer until needed. They crumbled apart easily even when frozen.
The time spent cooking the bits amounted to about 15 minutes total. Not a bad time exchange to pay half the price for an item.
What are your "bacon" tips? How do you save on bacon?
Who doesn't love bacon bits? We don't use them regularly, but we do try to bake an entire package of bacon at a time and store the rest in the freezer for regular use with eggs.
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteThat's a great idea to cook a whole package of bacon at a time -- only one mess to clean up, and no chance the open package will linger too long in the fridge.
Do you do anything special to keep the cooked strips from breaking in the freezer, or is that not an issue? I was thinking maybe cut the strips in half. But then again, maybe your freezer doesn't look as jumbled as mine does, meaning every time someone wants something, bags get tossed around.
We already cut the slices in half before we cook them. We don't do anything special with the bacon in the freezer, but I try to put it some place it won't get buried. But it's no big deal if it gets broken. Then we have bacon pieces with our dish instead of slices. :)
DeleteWe often buy several packs of bacon and freeze them. Let them thaw and bake until crispy. That works very well and no splatter mess. Lately, a discount store near us had boxes of precooked bacon on sale and we bought a huge box. they are all individually laid out on freezer paper and frozen in layers so they rarely stick together. Just microwave or warm up in a skillet for a minute to get them crispy. That's our favorite. But I also like the raw bacon to bake so I have the bacon grease saved up. That is so good to fry an egg or make baked potato wedges.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteThe bacon laid on out freezer paper sounds like a really good idea for keeping pre-cooked bacon intact in the freezer. I agree on cooking with bacon fat. I shallow-fried some sweet potato chunks last night to go with dinner. I used some of the bacon fat and they came out yummy.
When you bake a large amount of bacon in the oven, does it splatter inside the oven very much?
My husband is the one who purchases what little bacon we use. He sometimes finds the odd ends of bacon in a package and sold at a discount at a local grocery store. Mostly we use bacon in the summer on BLTs. I'm more likely to use link sausage for breakfast food, as I think it has more protein and is faster/less messy to cook up. You got a great deal and I hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteI've bought bacon ends and pieces before at our local restaurant supply. Those work well for bacon bits, too. Plus there are usually several pieces long enough to eat just as bacon.
I agree on sausage for breakfast protein. My favorite is turkey sausage links or patties. They're less fatty, lower in calories and higher in protein than pork ones. The protein in bacon can really vary.