Saving the Bacon
Do you have any odd cooking habits that you inherited from a parent or an in-law or someone else you might have been carousing around with over a stove top?
I was thinking about this question the other day as I cut a package of bacon in half.
Yes, half. I never cook bacon in long strips.
Or at least, I haven’t cooked bacon in long strips since before I met my husband and mother-in-law.
What cooking habits have you inherited?
My mother-in-law Patsy, you see, for some reason always cut her packages of bacon in half.
I suspect she was being frugal and thought it was a good way to stretch the package.
Case in point:
The Problem with Ranch Seasoning
When Patsy was still living independently and preparing snacks for holiday gatherings, she would serve veggie trays with bowls full of plain sour cream for dip.
Most people and I’m sure you do as well stir ranch seasoning or another spice mix into sour cream as a veggie dip.
Not Patsy.
A brave son-in-law asked her once why she didn’t add seasoning to the sour cream and she said “if you do that, people eat it too fast.”
The first time I cooked bacon for my now husband, he told me his mother always cut the bacon in half before she cooked it and that the bacon cooked up better and crispier.
Me, being a fool in love, appeased him by cutting all future packages of bacon in half.
It’s been over 19 years now and I’m still cutting the bacon.
Do I think we’re saving any bacon doing it this way?
Not for a second. We can still put a pound of little strips away on a Sunday morning with help from the teenage boy.
What Cooking Habit Have You Inherited?
Tell me what you do in the kitchen that others might find odd?
p.s. How do you like your bacon? I’m a crispy girl. Do you ever slice bacon in half before cooking?
From one of my best friends, who is Persian, putting lemon juice and turmeric in soup. Any soup. It makes them all taste so much better! From one of my first employers at a catering company when I was on summer break from college, to cook with the highest quality ingredients you can afford. She was wonderful and put so much care into her work. From my mother, to make whatever is easy, economical, and quick as long as you do it with love.
Such great cooking advice Amy! Thanks for sharing.
I have never heard of putting lemon juice and turmeric in all soups. I’m totally going to have to try it though.
I put lime juice in my southwestern soup so I bet I would like adding lemon juice. Does your friend just add a squeeze of lemon juice before serving? Or is she adding it while it’s on the stove?
She adds like half a cup While it’s cooking. With the other spices. Sometimes a little squeeeze when serving, but adding to the pot early on seems to be key. In chicken soup or meatball soup, it’s perfection!
Thanks for the details Amy. I love lemon chicken so a half a cup in chicken soup sounds really good!
I’m bacon a little goopy. I love that fat kind of soft. Not that i’ll turn down crispy bacon though 🙂